Shopping · Cappadocia · Turkey
Shopping in Cappadocia
Shopping streets, markets and souvenirs worth the suitcase space.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Nevit Dilmen ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Cappadocia's crafts are its best souvenirs: Avanos pottery, carpets and kilims, onyx and local food products such as pekmez and dried fruit. Expect to haggle in showrooms, especially those visited on tours. Best souvenirs: Avanos pottery, Carpets and kilims and Cappadocian wine.
Key facts
- Shopping areas
- 3
- Markets
- 0
- Top souvenir
- Avanos pottery
Where to shop
Avanos
Pottery workshops and showrooms selling bowls, plates and jugs made from red river clay.
Göreme main street
Souvenir shops, carpet dealers and small boutiques along the village's central road.
Ürgüp town centre
Shops selling local wine, dried fruit, pekmez and crafts, with fewer tourist mark-ups.
What to buy
Avanos pottery
Hand-thrown and painted ceramics made from Kızılırmak clay.
Carpets and kilims
Hand-woven rugs from Anatolian villages; ask about the origin and dyes, and haggle.
Cappadocian wine
Bottles of Emir white and local reds from the region's wineries.
Grape molasses (pekmez)
Thick syrup made from local grapes, sold in jars.
Balloon and fairy-chimney crafts
Small ceramics, lamps and prints inspired by the landscape.
Streets and markets worth a wander
Experience · Avanos
Avanos pottery workshops
Potters in Avanos still shape red Kızılırmak river clay on kick wheels, continuing a tradition that goes back to the Hittites.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Shopping
- Rainy day
- Art
Food and drink to take home
Edible souvenirs travel best when they are dry or sealed: consider Pastırma and Cappadocian wine. Delicatessens in Ürgüp and Kayseri, and breakfast spreads in cave hotels. Check your home country's rules on bringing food and drink back.
Shopping by neighbourhood
| Area | Price level | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Göreme | $$ | The main base, packed with cave hotels, valley trailheads and balloon views |
| Uçhisar | $$$$ | Hilltop village of upscale cave hotels around a rock citadel |
| Ürgüp | $$$ | Larger town with boutique hotels, wineries and a proper town centre |
| Avanos | $ | Pottery town on the Kızılırmak river, with good-value hotels |
| Çavuşin | $ | Tiny village below a cliff of cave dwellings, at the mouth of Rose Valley |
Paying and bargaining
Prices are in TRY. Leave about 5–10% in restaurants if service is not included. Tip balloon pilots and crews, guides and drivers on tours if you are happy with the service.
When to shop
Shops and markets are quietest in January–March and November; the busiest months are September.
Staying near the shops
$ · Best for budget, families and shopping
Avanos
Pottery town on the Kızılırmak river, with good-value hotels
Questions travellers ask
+What should I buy in Cappadocia?
Avanos pottery, Carpets and kilims, Cappadocian wine and Grape molasses (pekmez).
+Where is the best shopping in Cappadocia?
Avanos: Pottery workshops and showrooms selling bowls, plates and jugs made from red river clay.