Goreme: Kaymakli Underground City & Fairy Chimneys Tour

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.95 (104 reviews) 95% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/26

Duration5h–6h

GroupUp to 14

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Four levels down into Kaymakli, then up among the Fairy Chimneys

You descend into Kaymakli Underground City, explore the abandoned cave village of Zelve, watch pottery being made in Avanos, and walk among the Fairy Chimneys of Pasabag Valley — all with hotel pickup, a licensed guide, museum entry, and lunch included in one price. No hidden costs, no extra shopping stops, no ticket lines during the tour.

5h–6h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Cappadocia's cultural sites

Visit Kaymakli Underground City
Explore Zelve Open-Air Museum
Watch Avanos pottery demonstration
See bottom of Uchisar Castle
Walk through Pasabaglar (Monks Valley)
Visit Göreme Panorama viewpoint

The Experience

Kaymakli Underground City is already 40 meters below ground when you arrive — eight levels carved into soft volcanic stone, though only four are open to visitors. You walk through stalls, stables, churches, and narrow tunnels that once held 5,000 people. The scale of it hits different when you're standing in a kitchen carved from rock, imagining families living here centuries ago. Your guide, licensed and English-speaking, walks you through the layout without the rush of a budget group; everything is arranged in advance, so there's no waiting in ticket lines during the day.

After you surface, the tour moves to Zelve Open-Air Museum, about 7 kilometers from Goreme. It's an abandoned cave village where Christians and Muslims lived together until the 1920s, when erosion and population shifts emptied it. The stone dwellings are still there, carved into the rock face, and you can walk through them — it's quieter than the underground city, more contemplative. Then comes Pasabag Valley, also called Monks Valley, where the Fairy Chimneys stand like mushrooms with multiple stems and caps. This is where monks once retreated; now it's one of Cappadocia's most photographed landscapes, and you'll understand why when you see them.

The pottery workshop in Avanos happens next. You watch a craftsman work the clay — the same technique passed down from the Hittites, using soft clay from the local mountains and river beds. If you want to try the wheel yourself, you can; most people do, and it's harder than it looks. Unlike some tours that drag you through multiple shopping stops, this one includes only one workshop, so you're not spending half the day browsing carpets or trinkets. Lunch is included in the price, and so is transport in an air-conditioned vehicle with the same driver the whole day.

You'll also stop at the base of Uchisar Castle — you don't climb it, just see it from outside — and at Goreme Panorama if the weather allows, where you can see across the town and sometimes all the way to Erciyes Mountain. The day runs 8 to 9 hours total, and hotel pickup and drop-off are built in, so you don't have to arrange your own way to a meeting point. Small groups keep the pace manageable and the experience less like a cattle run.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Goreme, entrance fees to Kaymakli Underground City, Zelve Open-Air Museum, and all other sites, lunch, transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle with a professional licensed English-speaking guide, and a pottery workshop visit in Avanos. The tour covers the Fairy Chimneys at Pasabag Valley, views from Goreme Panorama (weather permitting), and a stop at the base of Uchisar Castle.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Imagine Cappadocia Travel

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want the main Cappadocia highlights — underground city, cave village, fairy chimneys, and local crafts — without arranging transport, tickets, or timing yourself; the fixed itinerary and included pickup handle all three, leaving you to focus on the sites themselves.