How to Dress for the Red & Green Tours in Cappadocia, Turkey

Boots c/o* | Jeans | Jacket | Cardigan (similar) | Scarf | Sunnies (similar)

I decided to write this post because it seems like there are quite a few misconceptions about how you should dress for these day tours in Cappadocia, Turkey. I have a suspicion that Instagram is to blame for this. Heck, if you had only glanced at my outfit post from Monday, you might have thought that’s actually what I wore for a day out and about in Cappadocia (and not just for photography purposes).

The photo on the left is what I wore that morning…only for photography purposes. And the photo on the right is what I changed into for a day of exploring on the Red Tour.

This is the first trip in all of my travels that I felt like the vast majority of people were dressed in ways they were going to regret by the end of the day. (I mean, there’s always ONE person…but this was an alarming amount.) I saw everything from evening dresses to leather skirts and high heels. There’s nothing wrong with any of these outfits…but if you’re going to be out and about exploring for a day in Cappadocia…these are not wise outfit choices. By the end of the day, even I was ready to rip my boots off because my feet were sore!

What are These Tours, Anyways?

I should probably explain what “red & green tours” actually means, though! These are essentially referring to regions of Cappadocia. Doing these tours means you’ll get to see the vast majority of what the area has to offer. The red tour takes about one day and the green tour also takes one day. You can click here for my post on the red tour and click here for my post on the green tour. (I worked with New Goreme for both of these tours, and they wonderful!)

But overall what to know is – the red tour is the less strenuous of the two. You’re basically just driving from site to site and taking photos. The green tour requires more walking and some hiking as well. However, even though the red tour isn’t all that physically demanding…it’s still a full day of driving from spot to spot and getting out in areas that are dusty and rocky. (And getting to some of the churches at the Open Air Museum are a bit of a jaunt.) So, leave your fine garments and stilettos at home! You’ll thank me later…

My Tips for Dressing for the Red Tour

Boots c/o* | Scarf c/o* | Jeans | Sweater | Sunnies (similar)

I had done this tour in early November. So, the weather was quite cold in the morning, and by the afternoon I was usually pretty comfortable (didn’t feel the need to wear a jacket by the afternoon). Most people are visiting in the summer months, though. So, the outfit I wore would certainly not be ideal, but I do have some tips…

Here are my thoughts on dressing for this tour:

1.) You don’t need hiking boots. If you don’t own a pair of hiking boots, you certainly don’t need to buy a pair for this tour. You’re going to be on paved streets or at the worst, gravel viewing areas. There is no need to run out and buy hiking boots.

2.) But for goodness sake, wear comfortable walking shoes! Even though this tour doesn’t require the amount of hiking and physical exertion that the green tour does…you’re still doing a fair amount of walking, and some of the churches you’ll visit require walking up some precarious stairs. (See photo below.)

3.) Out of all the tours, this is the one you could get away with wearing a dress for (in the summer). If you’re visiting when it’s going to be hotter than heck, you could wear a comfortable dress (i.e. something that breathes well in the heat) and sneakers for this tour – no problem. (Leave the floor-length maxi skirts in your hotel room, though!) So, you could still get some cute photos for the ole Instagram. However, when I went in early November…I would’ve frozen wearing a dress. Pants, scarves, long-sleeved tops and a jacket were perfect for this time of year.

4.)Think about sun protection. You’re going to get quite a bit of sun during this tour. You’ll certainly regret not wearing sunscreen and sunglasses. I think wearing some type of hat for sun protection would’ve been a good idea as well.

5.) Dress in layers. The morning will likely start out quite chilly…but you’ll be sweating by afternoon. Be sure you’re able to take some layers off if you’re getting too warm.

My Tips for Dressing for the Green Tour

Boots c/o* | Jeans | Jacket | Cardigan (similar) | Scarf | Sunnies (similar)

As you can see, I wore the same outfit for both of these tours! I really only switched out my sweater, so I wouldn’t be the smelly kid on the bus. It was also colder the day we did the green tour, so I needed a thicker sweater…and you’re also outside for longer periods of time, hiking and walking (in comparison to the Red Tour).

Here are my thoughts on dressing for this tour:

1.) If you have hiking boots, you won’t regret wearing them! However, comfortable walking shoes would suffice. As you can see, the terrain is a little more extreme for this tour. You’re also going to be doing some hiking to get to various spots. I still don’t think this is reason enough to run out and buy hiking boots, though. Comfortable athletic shoes would be fine. But if you have some hiking boots, you won’t regret wearing them! Also, I would not advise wearing flip flops!! Look at that photo above…you’d kill yourself wearing shoes that don’t have some sort of a grip!

2.) This is not the day for dresses! You’re going to be hanging out in an underground city for the morning. And some of the tunnels you go through will require you to be hunched over (so, short dresses are not advisable). You also don’t want to be tripping over your dress as you’re going through these tunnels. So, I would opt for pants or shorts, depending on the time of year you’re visiting.

3.) Wear clothes that wash easily. This is really something you should do for both tours, but more so this day. You’ll likely get dusty at the very least, and maybe a little dirt from the walls. So, wearing white pants or a bright white shirt might not be the best idea…

4.)Think about sun protection. You’re going to get quite a bit of sun during this tour as well! Sunscreen, hats and sunglasses are a good idea!

5.) Dress in layers. Again, the morning will likely start out quite chilly…but you’ll be sweating by afternoon. It’s also a bit chilly in the underground city, but you’ll get sweaty on the journey down. Be sure you’re able to take some layers off if you’re getting too warm.

I know getting that perfect photo might seem like it’s worth it to suffer all day in an uncomfortable outfit…but I promise, you can still get nice photos in comfortable clothing! If you only take away one piece of advice from this post, though, I hope it’s to wear comfortable shoes. Even for the Red Tour, my feet were tired by the end of the day.

You can click here for my post on the red tour and click here for my post on the green tour.

What do you typically wear on day tours? Are you all about comfort, or do you try to suffer a little for a good photo? Let me know in the comments!

Travel Insurance

It’s a good idea, no matter where your adventure takes you, to have travel insurance. You never know what might happen! Whether you get sick before your trip and can’t go, or you become sick or injured while on your adventure – being covered with travel insurance is a must. Some credit card companies do provide this service (check with yours), or you can get a quote from companies such as Squaremouth to find the best plan for you and your adventure. (This is the company I, personally, use. They are even recommended by Forbes!) To get a free quote, click here.

Visa Requirements

To check if your country requires a Visa for traveling to Turkey, click here.

*This is what my husband was comfortable wearing for both days. He said he would’ve been fine in sneakers, though. His hiking boots are just really comfortable.

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