Avanos

The small town of Avanos in Cappadocia is famous for its distinctive red earthenware pottery, which has shaped its reputation since the days of the Hittities in the Bronze Age.
 
Situated on the banks of the longest river in Turkey, the Kızılırmak (Red River), the lovely old town overlooks the red silt of the river which has been both the lifeblood and the destiny of Avanos. Small pottery workshops still cluster in the narrow streets of the old town and here you can learn how to throw a pot and buy the local ceramics. There are also larger warehouses on the outskirts of town.
 
Avanos is also a great base for exploring the rest of Cappadocia: the fairy chimneys at Zelve, the underground cities of Ozkonak, Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı, and the rock churches with their Byzantine frescoes in the Göreme National Park.
 
From Avanos you can also go hot air ballooning, walking, biking, canoeing, horse-riding and rafting, all within the spectacularly-eroded volcanic landscapes that make up the cliffs and valleys of Cappadocia.