Kaymakli Underground City Visitor Guide
Explore four open underground levels, understand the stables, kitchens, wineries, storage rooms and ventilation system, compare Kaymakli with Derinkuyu, and decide whether to visit independently or as part of a Cappadocia tour.
Kaymakli shows how an underground community was organised around air, food, animals and storage.
Kaymakli Underground City is one of Cappadocia's major subterranean settlements. The live Turkish Museums listing describes an eight-level complex, with four illuminated levels currently open to visitors.
The route is not one giant cavern. You move through low and sloping corridors into stables, living areas, kitchens, food stores, wineries, a church, water spaces and rooms grouped around ventilation shafts.
Allow around 60 to 90 minutes for a first visit. Kaymakli can feel more distributed than Derinkuyu, but the visitor route still includes narrow, low passages and repeated changes in level.
Kaymakli is easier to understand when you look at daily life, not only defence.
The rooms show how people could shelter underground with animals, food, water, work areas and religious spaces.
Stables near the entrance
The first open level includes stables. Keeping animals closer to the surface reduced the difficulty of moving them through lower, narrower passages.
Ventilation shafts
Official descriptions emphasize rooms arranged around ventilation stacks, helping air reach multiple levels while people sheltered below ground.
Kitchens, stores and wineries
Food-storage rooms, kitchens, wineries and grape-processing areas make Kaymakli feel like a functioning refuge rather than a simple tunnel network.
Rolling stone doors
Large circular stones could block passages from inside, giving residents another layer of protection if outside access became dangerous.
Five details to notice while you move through the four open levels.
Take your time. The route makes more sense when you connect each room to a practical need.
Stable areas
Near the upper level, look for spaces used for livestock and how they connect to the main visitor route.
Church & burial area
Official cultural-heritage information identifies a church and nearby burial area, showing that religious life continued below the surface.
Food warehouses
Large storage spaces and jars on the lower open levels point to the importance of keeping supplies underground for extended periods.
Wine and grape spaces
Wine-storage and grape-processing areas are among the clearest signs that Kaymakli supported more than emergency hiding.
Low, sloping tunnels
The passages are part of the experience. They also explain why the site is difficult for limited mobility and uncomfortable for some claustrophobic visitors.
Kaymakli is currently open daily from 08:00 to 20:00.
The live Turkish Museums listing currently shows 08:00–20:00 every day, with the ticket office closing at 19:15. It also confirms that four levels are illuminated and open to visitors.
Opening hours and ticket arrangements can change seasonally, so check the live official page again close to your visit rather than relying on an old screenshot or blog post.
Check the official Kaymakli museum listing →Read the city level by level instead of rushing to the lowest open point.
A slower route helps you notice how living and working spaces are organised.
Upper stables & entry spaces
Start by understanding why animals and practical access stayed near the upper part of the complex.
Living, church & work areas
Follow the marked route through connected rooms while looking for ventilation, storage and community functions.
Lower open levels & storage
The deeper open section emphasizes food stores, jars and production spaces. Save energy for the climb and narrow return passages.
Both are major underground cities, but the visitor experience feels different.
Neither is automatically "better." Choose the layout that fits your interests and comfort.
You want four open levels focused on daily-life spaces
Kaymakli's open route highlights stables, kitchens, storage, wineries, church spaces and rooms organised around ventilation shafts. It is a strong choice if you want to understand how an underground community functioned.
You want the deeper-feeling underground experience
Derinkuyu has an approximate overall depth of 85 metres and a visitor experience that emphasizes deeper descents, long shafts and defensive scale. Both sites still involve tight passages.
Kaymakli is easy to enter independently; a guide adds context to rooms that can otherwise look similar.
If you have a car or transfer, visiting independently gives you control over timing. A guided mixed tour is useful when you want Kaymakli combined with Uçhisar, Pasabag, Goreme Open Air Museum and other central Cappadocia stops.
Use the official museum page for access; use a tour only when it improves the day.
The current private mixed-tour option below specifically lists a one-hour Kaymakli Underground City visit and combines it with Uçhisar, Pasabag, Goreme Open Air Museum, Pigeon Valley and Devrent. Entrance fees are listed separately, so read the live option carefully.
Official Kaymakli visitor information
Use Turkish Museums for the live hours, ticket-office closing time, Museum Card status and practical contact details.
Check official visitor infoPrivate Cappadocia highlights + Kaymakli
This current itinerary specifically lists Kaymakli Underground City together with major central Cappadocia attractions. It is most useful if you want transport and a guide rather than a standalone underground-city ticket.
Check current availabilityUse Kaymakli as the underground stop in a wider Cappadocia route.
Derinkuyu Underground City
Compare Kaymakli's four open levels with Derinkuyu's deeper-feeling layout before deciding whether you need to see both.
Uchisar Castle
Switch from enclosed tunnels to one of Cappadocia's widest panoramic viewpoints.
Goreme Open Air Museum
Add concentrated Byzantine churches and frescoes for a completely different kind of carved-rock history.
Cappadocia Travel Guide
Compare underground cities, valleys, museums, ballooning and tours before filling the rest of your itinerary.
Kaymakli Underground City planning questions
Short answers for a first visit.
How many levels of Kaymakli Underground City are open?
Kaymakli has eight known levels. The live Turkish Museums listing says four illuminated levels are currently open to visitors.
What are the current opening hours?
The live Turkish Museums listing checked in September 2026 shows 08:00–20:00 daily, with the ticket office closing at 19:15. Re-check before travel because seasonal arrangements can change.
How long should I allow?
Allow around 60 to 90 minutes for a first visit. Narrow passages and group traffic can slow you down.
Kaymakli or Derinkuyu: which should I choose?
Choose Kaymakli if you want to focus on connected living, storage and working spaces across four open levels. Choose Derinkuyu for a deeper-feeling underground route. Both include narrow passages.
Is Kaymakli suitable if I am claustrophobic?
It may not be. The visitor route includes low, narrow and sloping tunnels. If enclosed spaces cause serious anxiety, choose a surface attraction instead.
Is Kaymakli included in Cappadocia tours?
Yes. Some mixed and private Cappadocia tours include Kaymakli. The tour linked on this page currently lists a one-hour Kaymakli visit, but itineraries and entrance-fee inclusions can change.
Next attraction guides
Derinkuyu Underground City
Compare depth, shafts, stone doors and the more intense underground route.
Goreme Open Air Museum
Move from underground living spaces to Cappadocia's strongest concentrated church-and-fresco site.
Pasabag
Open-air multi-headed fairy chimneys and hermit-cell history near Zelve.
Pigeon Valley
Finish with fresh air, walking and Uchisar–Goreme valley views.