Visitors to Cappadocia class it up with vintage cars

NEVŞEHİR

Classic car tours have become a new attraction for visitors to Turkey’s charming touristic hub Cappadocia, famed for its distinctive fairy chimneys.

“Vintage cars have seen burgeoning demand in recent times,” tour organizer Mehmet Teke told the state-run Anadolu Agency.

“It was tourists from the Far East who suggested this to us. We didn’t have the idea of classic cars in mind, but tourist demand created a new market,” he added.

He said the firms started working to meet the demand, adding that he serves tourists with a fleet of around 70 classic cars.

Along with tours by hot-air balloon, all-terrain vehicles and horses; vintage cars are also helping visitors who want to enjoy a ride between fairy chimneys and snap photos with colorful cars.

The tours begin early in the day to get a background with the hot air balloons and continue until sunset, according to Teke.

“We arrange tours for people who’d like to take a photo in the area where hot air balloons fly,” he said, adding that the guests are taken from their hotels and brought to the area by car.

“Tour fees range from 650 Turkish Liras [$114] to 1,000 [$176] per vehicle, depending on how long you want it for,” Teke said.

Isa Can, a classic car driver, said the tourists adore the distinctive vintage vehicles.

“Interest in the classic automobiles has risen in recent years. Wandering around Cappadocia in these cars is unique and enjoyable for tourists,” Can said.

Gaukhar Zakarina, a Kazakh tourist, called Cappadocia a “fantastic” place, and added: “It’s very exciting to wander around such wonderful beauty.”

Saying that she’s visiting Cappadocia with friends from work, Zakarina called it “the best place” she ever saw.

Cappadocia is prominent for its unique “fairy chimney” volcanic cones, valleys, underground cities and houses carved into the rock, as well as its churches, chapels and shelters used by early Christians fleeing the Roman Empire.

The region has been preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985.