About the Underground Cities
Cappadocia has 36+ underground cities carved from soft volcanic tuff, with Derinkuyu and Kaymakli being the largest and most impressive. Built as early as 8th-7th centuries BCE and expanded by early Christians fleeing persecution (3rd-5th centuries CE), these multi-level complexes housed up to 20,000 people with livestock, food storage, wineries, churches, and sophisticated ventilation systems. They represent remarkable engineering achievements carved entirely by hand.
⏰ Opening Hours & Best Times
- Hours: Daily 8 AM-7 PM (April-October) | 8 AM-5 PM (November-March)
- Closed: Open every day including holidays
- Last entry: 45 minutes before closing
- Best time: Opening at 8 AM or after 4 PM (fewer tour groups, less crowded tunnels)
- Avoid: 10 AM-2 PM in peak season (narrow tunnels become congested with groups)
- Temperature: Constant 13°C (55°F) year-round underground - bring layers
💰 Costs
- Derinkuyu admission: ₺250 (€8) per person
- Kaymakli admission: ₺250 (€8) per person
- Museum Pass Cappadocia: ₺950 (€29) covers both cities plus other sites for 3 days
- Group tours: ₺600-1,000 (€18-30) per person with admission and guide (1.5 hours)
- Private guide: ₺3,500-6,000 (€100-180) up to 6 people (doesn't include admission)
- Combined day tours: ₺1,200-2,000 (€35-60) including multiple Cappadocia sites
Guide essential: Without expert narration, the underground cities are just confusing tunnels. Guides explain how ventilation worked, identify room purposes, share escape strategies, and keep you from getting lost in the maze.
🎯 Derinkuyu vs. Kaymakli - Which to Visit?
- Derinkuyu: Larger (8 levels, 85m deep), more impressive, but more crowded. Best if visiting only one.
- Kaymakli: 4 levels open, narrower tunnels, fewer tourists, closer to Goreme (20 min vs. 40 min)
- Both similar in: Architecture, purpose, time period - seeing both is somewhat repetitive
- Time available: If short on time, Derinkuyu alone; if 2+ days in Cappadocia, visit both
- Claustrophobia: Kaymakli has narrower passages - Derinkuyu slightly more spacious
- Distance between: 10km apart, 15-minute drive
🎯 Why Use a Guide
- Decode room functions: Identify churches, wine presses, stables, kitchens, storage rooms
- Engineering marvels: Explain ventilation shafts (some 85m deep), water wells, rolling stone doors
- Historical context: Why built, how used during invasions, life underground for months
- Safety navigation: Easy to get disoriented in maze - guides keep you on marked routes
- Defense systems: Point out booby traps, narrow chokepoints, massive stone doors to block invaders
- Archaeological insights: Recent discoveries, ongoing excavations, theories about builders
✨ Don't Miss (Derinkuyu)
- 🚪 Rolling stone doors: Massive circular stones (300-500kg) that sealed tunnels from inside
- 💨 Ventilation shafts: 52 shafts reaching all 8 levels - ingenious air circulation system
- ⛪ Cruciform church: Cross-shaped room on 7th level with vaulted ceiling
- 🍷 Wine presses: Rock-carved vats where grapes were crushed and fermented
- 🐴 Stables: Rooms with feed troughs carved into walls for livestock
- 🏫 Missionary school: Large room believed used for education and meetings
- 💧 Water wells: Deep wells accessed from multiple levels for drinking water
- 🔒 Communication holes: Small openings between levels for talking and passing items
📝 Practical Tips
- Claustrophobia warning: Tunnels narrow (1-2 people wide), ceilings low (1.5-2m), tight spaces
- Fitness required: Lots of stairs, crouching, climbing - not wheelchair accessible
- Wear layers: Surface hot in summer, underground constant 13°C - bring jacket
- Closed-toe shoes: Uneven floors, low ceilings, slippery when wet - sneakers essential
- Watch your head: Low doorways and ceilings - tall people will be ducking frequently
- Photography allowed: No flash recommended, bring phone/camera with good low-light capability
- Allow 1-1.5 hours: To explore open sections without rushing, 2 hours with detailed guide
- Not for everyone: Small children, elderly with mobility issues, severe claustrophobia - skip it
- Best combined with: Goreme Museum or valley hikes on same day (cities are 30-40 min from Goreme)
- Panic exits: Multiple escape routes marked - guides know them all