Cappadocia's underground cities were one region's answer to centuries of invasions: when armies approached, whole villages went down with their livestock and supplies into labyrinths dug beneath their houses, then sealed the entrance with a stone wheel. There are dozens of them in the region; Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı are the two largest open to the public, and the two I take travellers to in Cappadocia.
You only need to see one of them, not both, because they are quite similar. Here I explain what each is like inside and which one to choose for your group.
A little history
The first levels may go back to Phrygian or even Hittite times, some three thousand years ago, but most of what you see was dug by Cappadocia's Christians between the 6th and 10th centuries, in the era of the Arab raids. They were not cities for permanent living but refuges for weeks or months, with everything needed to hold out: stables, kitchens, wine cellars, chapels, wells and ventilation shafts that reached the surface through concealed openings.
Derinkuyu was rediscovered in 1963, when a local resident knocked down a wall in his house and found a tunnel behind it. It opened to the public in 1965. Kaymaklı was known earlier and opened in 1964. Villagers were still using both as cool storerooms and shelters well into the 20th century.
What to see in the underground cities
Derinkuyu
The deepest of the two: about 85 metres, with eight of its known levels open to visitors. You go down through sloping tunnels, sometimes stooping, past a vaulted hall thought to have been a school or meeting room, to a cross-shaped church on the lowest level. The most striking sight is the vertical ventilation shafts: looking up from below, they are like wells of light. The city could shelter thousands of people.
Kaymaklı
Kaymaklı spreads out rather than down. Four levels are open, and although the passages are low in places, the chambers are more spacious: stables by the entrance, a wine cellar with presses, a kitchen with a soot-blackened ceiling and a large stone thought to have been used for grinding copper. It is the easier choice for groups with older travellers and for anyone uneasy in enclosed spaces.
The millstone doors
You will find them in both: stone wheels almost a metre and a half across, rolled into place from the inside to seal off the passages, with a hole in the middle for keeping watch or thrusting a spear through. They could only be opened from the inside. No other detail shows so clearly how the defence worked.
The connecting tunnels
Tradition has it that a tunnel several kilometres long linked Derinkuyu with Kaymaklı. Sections of it have been found, but it is neither open to visitors nor confirmed along its full length.
Tips for your visit
Allow about an hour inside. The route is marked with one-way arrows, and you cannot turn back in the narrow tunnels.
- If you suffer from serious claustrophobia, it is better to wait outside; if it is mild, choose Kaymaklı rather than Derinkuyu.
- Wear closed shoes with a good grip: some steps are worn smooth and some passages slope steeply.
- Bring a light jacket: it stays at around 13 °C inside all year round.
- Children usually love it; pushchairs and wheelchairs, however, are out of the question.
- Go early: when several coaches arrive at once, the tunnels become congested.
Tickets and prices
At the time of writing (2026), tickets cost €15 each for Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı under the official 2027 rate for foreign visitors; prices are revised often. On my tours the entrance ticket is either included or arranged by your guide, who also goes ahead of you in the tunnels so that nobody gets lost.
Where they are and how to get there
Both lie south of Nevşehir, on the road to Niğde: Kaymaklı is about 20 km from Göreme and Derinkuyu about 30 km, ten minutes further down the same road. There are local buses, but with a tour or a car you can combine either one with the Ihlara Valley on the same day.
How I include them in my tours
Kaymaklı is the first stop on the Kaymaklı and Soğanlı day tour, often called the Green Tour, and Derinkuyu features in multi-day tours such as Cappadocia Adventure. For the rest of the region, see my complete Cappadocia travel guide.
If you would like me to help you decide which one suits your group, message me through the tailor-made trip planner.