Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı: which underground city to visit

Two underground cities, one decision

Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı are the two underground cities most people mean when they say they want to see “the underground city” near Göreme. Both are genuine multi-level complexes carved into soft volcanic rock, both were used for shelter during raids over centuries, and both are open daily with paid entry and marked routes. The question travellers actually face is not which one is more real or more interesting in the abstract — it is which one fits the time they have and the amount of stooping, climbing and tight passage they are willing to put up with. This guide sets out the practical differences and leaves the decision to you, because there genuinely isn’t a single right answer.

If you want the full walkthrough of either site on its own terms, the dedicated guides cover that: Derinkuyu underground city guide and Kaymaklı underground city guide. This page assumes you have read neither and just want to choose.

What actually differs between them

The two sites are often described as interchangeable, and for a first-time visitor the general experience is similar: stone stairways, cool air, small rooms that were kitchens, stables, wineries or chapels, and the story of families and livestock sheltering below ground for days or weeks at a time. Underneath that similarity, the physical layout is different enough to matter.

Derinkuyu is deep. Eight levels are open to the public, descending to roughly 85 metres, and the site includes a wide ventilation shaft that also served as a well, along with stables, storage cellars, a cruciform chapel and several of the round stone doors that were rolled across corridors to seal them from inside during an attack. The impression is one of scale and depth — you genuinely feel how far below the surface you are by the time you reach the lower levels.

Kaymaklı is wide. Only four levels are open, and the complex sits closer to the surface overall, but the rooms and connecting corridors are broader at each level than Derinkuyu’s. The trade-off is that many of those corridors are also lower, so you spend more of the visit walking in a stoop, even though you are not climbing as many stairs or descending as far.

	Derinkuyu	Kaymaklı
Levels open to the public	8	4
Approximate depth	~85 m	Shallower overall
Typical visit time	1–1.5 hours	45 minutes–1 hour
Passage character	Taller, narrower stairwells	Wider, lower corridors
Distance from Göreme	~45 minutes	~35 minutes
Usual tour inclusion	Green Tour	Independent or dedicated underground tour
Best suited to	Travellers who want depth and scale	Travellers short on time or with younger children

The low-passage question

Whichever site you choose, expect to duck. Both underground cities were built for people who were, on average, shorter than today’s visitors, and both have stretches where even a person of average height needs to bend at the waist for anything from a few metres to a longer run of tunnel. This is the single biggest practical factor for most travellers, more than the difference in total depth.

At Derinkuyu, the low sections tend to be shorter connecting passages between larger rooms and stairwells, so there is more relief in between. At Kaymaklı, because the whole complex is proportionally wider and lower, the stooped sections feel more continuous. Neither site is a good fit for anyone with back or knee problems, and neither is workable for wheelchairs, strollers or significant mobility limitations — the stairs are stone, uneven, and there are no ramps or lifts at either site. If mobility is a real constraint for your trip, it is worth reading Cappadocia with limited mobility before booking either.

Anyone with genuine claustrophobia should think carefully about both sites, not just pick the “easier” one. There is more detail on what actually triggers discomfort underground, and how to manage it, in underground cities and claustrophobia.

How much time each one actually takes

Time available in the day is often the deciding factor, more than personal preference. Derinkuyu’s extra four levels and its ventilation shaft loop add up to a longer visit — budget 1 to 1.5 hours to walk it properly, more if the site is busy and the one-way sections back up. Kaymaklı is quicker to walk end to end, typically 45 minutes to an hour, since there is less vertical distance to cover even though the corridors themselves are broader.

Neither site opens dramatically early or stays open particularly late, and both fill up during the late-morning to early-afternoon window when day tours from Göreme, Ürgüp and Avanos tend to arrive together. If you are visiting independently rather than on a tour, arriving close to opening time avoids the worst of the crush at the narrow pinch points on the stairs, which is where queuing actually happens underground.

For day-planning beyond just the underground city itself, see Cappadocia in one day or, if you have more time, Cappadocia in two days — both set out realistic combinations rather than trying to fit everything in.

Visiting with a Green Tour or independently

Both sites can be visited two ways: as part of a locally sold day tour, or independently with your own transport or a taxi from Göreme.

The Green Tour, the standard southern-loop day tour sold in every Göreme travel agency, almost always includes Derinkuyu, paired with Ihlara Valley and Selime later in the day. If you are already planning to do a Green Tour, Derinkuyu effectively gets chosen for you, and there is little reason to also visit Kaymaklı separately. A

day tour that covers Derinkuyu alongside a walk through Ihlara Valley handles the transport and entry logistics in one booking, which matters given how spread out the Green Tour stops are.

Kaymaklı is less commonly bundled into the standard colour-coded tours and is more often visited independently, either self-driven or by taxi, or as part of a tour built specifically around the underground cities rather than the wider Green Tour circuit. If you would rather see both cities compared directly with a guide rather than choosing blind, a

guided tour that visits both Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu on the same day exists and removes the need to decide in advance — though as covered above, doing both back to back does mean covering similar ground twice.

For travellers who prefer not to rely on a group tour at all, a

dedicated Derinkuyu visit with transport included is a lighter-weight option than committing to a full Green Tour itinerary, particularly if Ihlara Valley or Selime don’t interest you. General guidance on driving yourself, hiring a driver, or using dolmuş minibuses is covered in seeing Cappadocia without a tour.

Which one fits your trip

There is no universally correct pick, but a few patterns hold reasonably well across different kinds of travellers.

If you’re short on time or energy, Kaymaklı is the more efficient visit — fewer stairs, less depth, a shorter overall walk, and it still delivers the core experience of storage rooms, stables and connecting tunnels that most people come to see.

If you want to feel the scale of the place, Derinkuyu is the stronger choice. Reaching the eighth level and looking back up the ventilation shaft gives a clearer sense of just how far this civilisation went underground than Kaymaklı’s shallower, broader layout does.

If you’re travelling with young children, Kaymaklı’s shorter route is usually more forgiving of shrinking attention spans and small legs on stone stairs, though neither site is particularly stroller-friendly. More detail on managing an underground visit with kids is in underground cities with kids and the broader Cappadocia with kids guide.

If you’re combining the visit with Ihlara Valley, Derinkuyu is the practical choice, since it sits on the standard route most Green Tour operators already use and pairs naturally with a half-day at Ihlara. A

combined itinerary covering Derinkuyu and Ihlara Valley or the more comprehensive

deluxe version that adds Selime’s rock-cut monastery both build the day around that pairing rather than treating the underground city as an afterthought.

If you’d rather skip the crowds at either headline site, it’s worth knowing that Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı are not the only underground cities in the region — they are simply the two with visitor infrastructure, ticket booths and lighting throughout. For how the whole system of tunnels, ventilation and rolling stone doors actually worked across all of them, see how the underground cities worked.

The other three: Özkonak, Mazı and Gaziemir

If neither Derinkuyu nor Kaymaklı appeals because of the crowds, there is a genuine alternative rather than skipping underground cities altogether. Özkonak, Mazı and Gaziemir sit off the main tour circuit entirely — they see a fraction of the visitors, and at times you may be the only people underground.

The trade-off runs the other way from the comparison above: these smaller sites are far calmer, but they can lack reliable lighting or an on-site attendant, so they suit travellers who are comfortable with a rougher, less managed visit rather than a polished one. The full picture of what to expect at these quieter alternatives, including which ones are realistic to reach without a tour, is in Mazı and Gaziemir: off the tour route and the quiet underground cities.

For a broader look at everything filed under this theme, the underground cities category collects all of them in one place, and the red tour, green tour, blue tour explained guide is worth reading if you’re still deciding how an underground city visit fits into your wider itinerary.

If your days are already tight, Cappadocia itinerary mistakes covers the common error of trying to see both Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı on the same day at the expense of everything else on the Green Tour route, and Cappadocia in two days shows where one underground city visit realistically sits alongside a balloon flight and a valley walk.

Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı: the practical questions

Which underground city is bigger, Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı?

Derinkuyu is bigger by depth: it reaches roughly 85 metres below ground across eight levels open to the public. Kaymaklı is bigger by footprint at each level, with wider rooms and chambers, but only four levels are open and the whole complex sits closer to the surface.

Which underground city is better for claustrophobia?

Neither is a comfortable choice if enclosed spaces bother you, but Derinkuyu’s passages are generally a little taller and its route includes more open chambers and a ventilation shaft that gives a sense of airflow. Kaymaklı’s corridors are wider yet lower, so you spend more time walking bent over, which some people find more claustrophobic than Derinkuyu’s tighter but taller stairwells.

Can I visit both Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı in one day?

Physically yes, since they sit around 10 kilometres apart, but it is rarely worth it. The two sites cover the same story of refuge, ventilation and defence, so a second visit mostly repeats the first. Most organised itineraries, including the Green Tour, include only one of the two.

Is Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı better for children?

Kaymaklı is usually the easier introduction because its levels are shallower and the visit is shorter, which matters more for younger children than the difference in passage height. Older children who enjoy the idea of going deep tend to prefer Derinkuyu’s stairs and open shafts.

Do I need a guide, or can I visit independently?

Both sites can be visited independently with an entrance ticket and no guide, and both have marked routes with some explanatory signage. A guide adds context on how the ventilation, food storage and rolling stone doors worked, which the signage alone does not fully explain.

Which underground city is included in the Green Tour?

Locally sold Green Tours almost always include Derinkuyu, alongside Ihlara Valley and Selime. Kaymaklı is less commonly bundled into day tours and is more often visited independently or on a dedicated underground cities itinerary.

Are Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı wheelchair or stroller accessible?

No. Both sites involve steep stone stairs, low ceilings and narrow tunnels with no ramps or lifts, and neither is realistic for wheelchairs, strollers or anyone with significant mobility limitations.