Cappadocia from above: Sunset at Lover’s Hill (Âşiklar Tepesi)

Cappadocia is just one of the many amazing places that Turkey has on offer. Here you can find a surfeit of activities and attractions that are suitable for tourists – combine that with the unearthly landscapes and ethereal ancient sites, and you have a truly unique and magical experience that you are unlikely to forget anytime soon. 

Cappadocia is known for a lot of things including, morning skies dotted with multicolored hot air balloons and the outstanding Derinkuyu underground city. Nonetheless, there are also a lot of hidden gems scattered throughout the valley that are not part of any tour or experience. Lover’s Hill (known locally as Âşiklar Tepesi) is just one of these and is very accessible – lying just above and behind the village of Göreme. 

There are several great sunset points within the Cappadocia region, but Lover’s Hill is perhaps the most popular place of all. Several guidebooks and tourist-driven services also refer to the hill simply as ‘sunset point’ – which is a good indicator of what it’s famous for.  

The region may be better known for its sunrises, thanks to the balloon rides taking place at the crack of dawn – but sunset is not a spectacle to be missed here either. When the sky is clear (which it always was during my stay), you will have the most wondrous red glow overcome the valley of fairy chimneys and rock cut buildings. It is a cliché to say so, but you really must see it to believe it. I don’t think any photo I share will ever do this event any justice.  

In this blog I will focus on Lover’s Hill – how to get to the site, what to see/do etc. As I mentioned, no tour I know of goes here – so, you’ll have to do this one alone in your own time.
 

How to Get There

The good news about this place is that it is found right on the edge of the village of Göreme – this is where a substantial proportion of hotels and hostels in the Cappadocia region are found (so you will probably find yourself here already). Lover’s Hill is found at the top of a steep (but thankfully short) hill that has been paved for both traffic and pedestrians. It is upon the upper cliff of this hill that the sunset spot is found.  

The bad news is that if you are overly reliant on online maps like I am, then you will probably be met with confusion, as both ‘Lover’s Hill’ and ‘Âşiklar Tepesi’ pulled up completely different spots when I did a search. What you are really looking for here is listed as ‘Sunset/Sunrise/Balloons Viewpoint’ in the southeast of the village. 

The Experience

Having spent a full day touring, I decided I didn’t want to do much other than find somewhere to enjoy the upcoming sunset before going to find somewhere for dinner. As mentioned, Lover’s Hill is a mere few minutes’ walk from literally any point in Göreme village, so it was an easy choice. 

The walk up was steep, but short – however to begin with I ended up going a completely wrong path which led me up another hill, which also had a beautiful view, but was quite built-up and was inaccessible to the plateau of the other hilltop where Lover’s Hill is. So, I had to make my way down to start again – thankfully, I had ample time before sunset. Just make sure you create a route for the point on maps mentioned above to avoid any confusion. On the correct path there will be a ticket booth in which visitors have to pay 3 Turkish Lira (16¢/15p/17c) to access the viewpoint, so use this as a marker for where you should be going. The walk from the base to the top should take you around 15 minutes in total.  

There were more people than I expected at the viewpoint, but it still didn’t feel overcrowded – as the top covers a large space. The clifftop plateau offers views over the whole valley depending on which view point you are standing at. From one end you have a great outlook of Göreme just below the cliff, and Uçhisar further in the distance. Moving to the other side of the hill, you will get an amazing perspective of both Red Valley and Rose Valley further in the distance.

The wooden platform that overhangs the cliff on one section of the top is by far the busiest point here. It does supply some great photo opportunities, but if crowds are not your thing, then I recommend just walking around the hilltop to find your own spots to immerse yourself in. There are so many potential perspectives up here based on where you have positioned yourself.

Other Things to Keep in Mind

There is also a small eatery at the top of Lover’s Hill that serves drinks and limited food options. It’s a nice vibe seeing everyone chilling out and sharing drinks together, but the prices are a little above average (as expected) and it can be somewhat crowded, so I chose just to pass by.

I think one of the advantages of Lover’s Hill Sunset Point is that it is within walking distance of Göreme – where most tourists end up staying in the Cappadocia region. There are other popular sunset spots spread across the area, though. Red Valley Sunset Point is another, though it will probably require some mode of transport unless you want to hike a few hours beforehand. Some hotels also offer terraces that make for prime viewing platforms (I’m sure we’ve all seen the countless Instagram posts of people watching the morning balloons from these terraces).

This panoramic viewpoint is also perfect to watch the sunrise and the hot air balloon rides every morning (weather permitting). I’m not a morning person, so I never quite made it up on time, despite my best intentions. I did hear that it was quite crowded during the morning for the sunrise, more so than sunset (going from hearsay all the same). But, if you want a magnificent view of the balloons without having to step too far out of town, then I would say get up early and brave the crowds so that you can have the best photo spot of the gently gliding balloons – it is an incredible sight.

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