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The name Cappadocia was traditionally used in Christian sources throughout history and is still widely used as an international tourism concept to define a region of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterized by fairy chimneys and a unique historical and cultural heritage. The term, as used in tourism, roughly corresponds to present-day Nevşehir Province.

Cappadocia's limits are debated. In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine. Cappadocia, in this sense, was bounded in the south by the chain of Mount Taurus, to the east by the Euphrates, to the north by Pontus, and to the west by Lake Tuz, in Central Anatolia. But Strabo, the only ancient author to provide a major account of the area, may have greatly exaggerated its dimensions. It is now believed that Cappadocia realistically was limited to an area stretching 400 km east-west and 200 km north-south.

The area is a famous and popular tourist destination, as it has many areas with unique geological, historic and cultural features. The region is located southwest of the major city Kayseri, which has airline and railray service to Istanbul and Ankara.

The Cappadocia region is largely underlain by sedimentary rocks which were formed in lakes and streams, and ignimbrite deposits erupted from ancient volcanoes years ago. The rocks of Cappadocia near Göreme eroded into hundreds of spectacular pillars and minaret-like forms. The volcanic deposits are soft rocks that the people of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out to form houses, churches and monasteries.

Cappadocia is a geological wonderland which is a smaller triangular area from Urgup to Avanos and to Nevsehir. The settlements in Cappadocia had come into existence, mostly in the valleys of Göreme, Ihlara and Soganli. The most intensive settlement was in the vicinity of the township of Göreme. It is possible to see many churches together today in the locality made into an open air museum. It is estimated that there are more than 600 rock-cut churches in Cappadocia. Walls were covered with beautiful frescoes. In churches where it was not plastered over, the painting became extensive. The predominant color of this style was red ocher. The first ancient structure that appears in front of us is the Maidens Monastery. The monastery, belonging to the first half of the 11th century, and is an interesting building of six stores. In the Valley of Ihlara, which is arrived at by diverging from the Aksaray-Nevsehir road, there are 36 churches each one of which is more interesting than the other. During the early times of the spread of Christianity, the people who needed to hide themselves from the Arab raids, carved out these tough rocks thus constructing churches and built underground cities to defend themselves against the raids. The tough rocks, formed by the lava spurted by these two mountains during geological times, had kept on taking constantly changing shapes with kind effects during the course of time, and the wonders of the world of today were created.

There are quite a few places that you must see in Cappadocia for a few examples like; Fairy Chimneys, Göreme Valley National Park and rock churches, underground cities of Kaymakli, Derinkuyu or Ozkonak, Zelve Valley and Pasabag, Avanos with its pottery and carpets, Uçhisar rock fortress, Ortahisar rock fortress, Ürgüp, Ihlara valley, Soganli, Sinasos and Hacibektas. In the summer season between May and November several alternative tours can be arranged: Hot air balloon trip over the chimneys, trekking, walking, horse riding, motorbike or mountain biking around the valleys.