Kaymakli Underground City: Cappadocia's Widest Ancient City

Kaymakli Underground City lies about 20 km south of Goreme and offers a noticeably different experience from its famous neighbour, Derinkuyu. Its tunnels are wider and its rooms more spacious, making it the more comfortable choice for visitors who find tight, dark spaces challenging. Carved into the soft volcanic tuff over centuries, Kaymakli was a complete subterranean settlement where families could live, store food, press wine, and shelter from raids for weeks at a time.

Five of the eight or more discovered levels are open to the public, threading downward through kitchens with built-in ovens, wine and oil presses, stables, storage rooms, and small chapels. A large central ventilation shaft runs through the city, keeping the air fresh even on the lower floors — an engineering feat that still impresses visitors today. At its peak the city could shelter roughly 3,500 people.

Like Derinkuyu, Kaymakli was sealed during attacks by massive circular rolling-stone doors, which here are arguably better preserved. The city tends to be quieter than Derinkuyu and appears on most Red Tour itineraries, making it easy to combine with other sights on a single day out.

The route winds down through five connected levels, each with a distinct purpose. On the upper floors you'll find stables for animals, while deeper down sit communal kitchens with soot-blackened ovens, storage niches, and large wine and oil presses carved straight from the rock.

Keep an eye out for the great rolling-stone doors — heavy circular slabs that could be rolled across a passage to seal off a section from the inside. The central ventilation shaft, which doubled as a well, is another highlight: peer up or down it to grasp how the whole city breathed. Small chapels and worn channels for storing supplies hint at the daily life that once filled these tunnels.

Kaymakli sits about 20 km south of Goreme and roughly 19 km from Nevsehir. The easiest independent options are a dolmus (shared minibus) from Nevsehir's bus station, a taxi from Goreme, or a rental car — there is parking near the entrance.

Many visitors arrive as part of a Red Tour, which bundles Kaymakli with other central Cappadocia attractions. A guide isn't required to enter, but one adds valuable historical context and stories that bring the cold stone passages to life.

Plan for 45 to 60 minutes to explore the five open levels at a relaxed pace. Arriving early — ideally before 10 AM — helps you beat the tour-bus groups that cluster in the narrow passages later in the day.

Kaymakli operates as a registered archaeological site with a standard admission fee, and the Museum Pass commonly used across Cappadocia is typically accepted. Because hours and prices can change seasonally, confirm the current details locally or with your guide before visiting.

Although Kaymakli is roomier than Derinkuyu, some passages still require ducking or crouching, and steps can be steep and uneven — wear flat, grippy shoes. The temperature underground stays cool year-round, so a light layer is handy even in summer.

The lower levels are dimmer and more confined; if you have severe claustrophobia, you can comfortably tour the upper floors and turn back before the tightest sections. Follow the directional arrows, as the route uses separate down and up passages to keep traffic flowing in the narrow tunnels.

Both cities are extraordinary, and the right pick depends on your comfort and curiosity. Kaymakli has wider tunnels and more spacious rooms, so it feels less claustrophobic and is the gentler introduction to Cappadocia's underground world.

Derinkuyu is deeper and larger overall, with more dramatic scale and famous features like its ventilation shafts and lower chapels. If tight spaces make you nervous, choose Kaymakli; if you want the most impressive scale, choose Derinkuyu. Visitors with time and energy often see both, since they sit relatively close together.