Cappadocia’s underground cities: Derinkuyu & Kaymaklı

location_onGöreme

The Göreme Open-Air Museum is Cappadocia's single most important sight and a UNESCO World Heritage site, a cluster of rock-cut Byzantine churches and monasteries carved into the tuff between roughly the 10th and 12th centuries. We picked it because the frescoes here, especially in the Dark Church (Karanlık Kilise), are among the best-preserved in the region thanks to the little light that reached them. Go early, before the tour buses, and budget the small extra ticket for the Dark Church, it's worth it. Wear proper shoes for the uneven rock steps and give yourself a couple of hours to take it slowly.

location_onÜrgüp

A UNESCO-listed open-air museum where Byzantine frescoes, underground towns, and iconic fairy chimneys converge - the essential anchor for any Cappadocia itinerary.

location_onKaymaklı

Kaymaklı Underground City is one of Cappadocia's astonishing subterranean towns, a multi-level warren of carved tunnels, stables, kitchens, wine presses and chapels where whole communities sheltered from raiders. We picked it over its deeper neighbour Derinkuyu for travellers who find tight, low passages a little less daunting, its galleries feel wider and more navigable. It's part of the same UNESCO World Heritage landscape and just as atmospheric, with the great round stone doors that once sealed each level. Bring a light jacket, it's cool below, and skip it if you're strongly claustrophobic, as the connecting tunnels are genuinely low and narrow.

location_onDerinkuyu

Derinkuyu is the deepest of Cappadocia's underground cities, descending some eight levels and once capable of sheltering thousands of people along with their livestock. We picked it for the sheer scale and the engineering: ventilation shafts that still draw fresh air, a deep well, communal kitchens, a church and the famous rolling stone doors that locked each floor from the inside. Part of the UNESCO landscape, it's a genuinely jaw-dropping feat of ancient survival architecture. Go with a guide to understand what you're seeing, bring a layer for the cool air, and be honest with yourself about the steep, narrow, low descents if you don't love enclosed spaces.