Çavuşin guide: old village, St John the Baptist church, 3 hotels

Çavuşin is a small village on the road between Göreme and Avanos, known for the abandoned old village on the cliff above it, for a rock-cut church dedicated to St John the Baptist, and as the place from which the Rose and Red valley walks begin. Our catalogue lists 3 hotels here, all in the cave category and all with a balloon view; Göreme, by comparison, has 43. This guide describes what there is to see, what is quiet about the village, and what the three hotel records do and do not say.

The old village

Above the present village a cliff face is honeycombed with rooms: houses, storerooms and chapels cut into the rock, with stairs and doorways still visible. The old village was abandoned in the 20th century. Rockfall is the reason usually given, and the residents moved to new houses on safer ground nearby. That is also why the rock is not to be treated as a playground today: keep to marked paths, follow any fencing and signs, and do not climb into unmarked openings.

Two of the three hotel records use an address form worth explaining. Seki Cave Hotel and Azure Cave Suites both carry “2nd Cluster” (Küme Evler, “cluster houses”), a Turkish administrative term for a group of houses lying outside the main village settlement; Atax Cave House is in the Yukarı (upper) neighbourhood.

The church of St John the Baptist

The Church of St John the Baptist (Vaftizci Yahya Kilisesi) stands on the rock above the old village and is commonly described as one of the oldest rock-cut churches in the region. It is reached by steps, and part of its facade has collapsed. Çavuşin has other rock-cut churches, among them the one often called the Great Pigeon House Church (Büyük Güvercinlik), whose frescoes are associated with the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros Phokas. Churches can close for conservation or safety, and access arrangements change, so check the official source before you plan around any single one. For the museum-run sites nearby, see the Zelve guide.

Walking into Rose and Red valleys

Çavuşin is the usual trailhead for the walk into the Rose Valley (Güllüdere) and Red Valley (Kızıl Vadi), named for the pink-red colour the rock takes in low light. Seki Cave Hotel’s record says both are within walking distance. From the Göreme side, Taşkonak Cave House describes sunsets over Rose Valley from its roof, so the valley is approached from both villages. The paths are uneven and have little shade: go in the morning or evening, carry water and ask your hotel about the current state of the path. More valley routes are in what to do in Cappadocia.

On the road to Avanos

Çavuşin lies between Göreme and Avanos, so it is the first village on the northern line of sights: Zelve, Paşabağı, Devrent Valley and then the pottery town of Avanos; further north is Gülşehir with the Open Palace. The Atax record lists Göreme, Ürgüp and Avanos as nearby, which makes it a base for several of these day trips. None of the three records gives a distance to any of them. For the busier village, see the Göreme guide.

The three hotels in the catalogue

Hotel	Area / address	Rooms	Balloon view	Valley view	Family rooms	Airport transfer	Air conditioning
Atax Cave House	Yukarı	not recorded	yes	no	yes	no	yes
Azure Cave Suites	2nd Cluster Area	not recorded	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Seki Cave Hotel	2. Küme Evler	16	yes	yes	yes	yes	no

Beyond the table: Atax serves breakfast on the terrace and lists a honeymoon concept; Azure’s record places the hotel inside Göreme National Park and lists jacuzzi and fireplace suite options, a wake-up service and laundry; Seki has individual decor and a fireplace in each room, and is the only one of the three listed as pet-friendly. All three list breakfast included, parking and free Wi-Fi.

What the village does not list

None of the three ticks a pool, a spa, a hamam, a restaurant or a 24-hour reception, whereas Göreme has 16 hotels listing a restaurant and 4 a 24-hour reception. That is not proof that nothing is available in Çavuşin; it means the records give no information. If you plan to eat in the evening, ask the hotel where, and if you are arriving late, confirm that someone will be at the door. Room counts are recorded for only one hotel (Seki, 16), so ask the other two how many rooms they have if size matters to you.

Where to stay in Çavuşin

Choose by need. Seki Cave Hotel suits walkers and guests with a pet, with a fireplace in every room. Azure Cave Suites is the one to look at for balloon and valley views together with an airport transfer. Atax Cave House suits a few days of day trips along the northern road. All three are in the Çavuşin section of the hotel list. After choosing, you can book through gocappadocia.com, the regional booking platform created through the combined efforts of 175 Cappadocia hoteliers, with a best-price guarantee; this guide takes no commission.