Things to do in Özkonak Underground City

Özkonak sits about 20 minutes from Göreme, past Avanos, and gets a fraction of the coaches that stop at Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı. It was opened to visitors only in the 1970s, after a local farmer noticed water disappearing into cracks in his field. The excavated section runs to roughly four levels, far short of Derinkuyu's eight, and the walk-through takes 20 to 30 minutes rather than an hour or more.

What sets it apart is a set of vertical communication holes cut between floors, apparently used to relay warnings, plus defensive stones that could be rolled across passages from inside.

Lighting is patchier than at the big two sites and signage is minimal, so this suits someone who has already done a major underground city on the Green Tour and wants a quieter look at the same idea, not a first-time visit or anyone short on time.