Cappadocia Private Tour: Underground Cities & Fairy Chimneys

Walk through eight levels of carved stone, then stand among the fairy chimneys on your own schedule.

A private Cappadocia tour from Goreme with a licensed local guide and air-conditioned transport, visiting Kaymakli Underground City, Göreme Open-Air Museum, Uchisar Castle, and the valleys of Pigeon, Devrent, and Monks. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included. You choose between a 1-day or 2-day itinerary, and food is optional at checkout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Kaymakli Underground City2h
2. Göreme Open-Air Museum2h
3. Uchisar Castlepass by
4. Monks Valley1h
5. Devrent Valley30m
6. Pigeon Valley15m

Explore Cappadocia's highlights

• Meet guide at hotel lobby
• Visit Kaymaklı or Özkonak Underground City
• Explore Çavuşin Valley
• Visit Avanos pottery workshop
• Tour Göreme Open-Air Museum
• See Uçhisar Castle from distance
• Explore Paşabağ and Zelve valleys
• Visit Devrent Valley
• Walk through Pigeon Valley
• Enjoy Göreme Panorama view
• Return to hotel with panoramic views

The experience

The tour starts with hotel pickup at 10:00 am from Goreme, Avanos, Uchisar, Urgup or Ortahisar. Your private guide and driver meet you in the lobby and handle all the logistics (navigation, timing, the route itself), so you settle in and move through the day without planning. The group is only your party, which means no waiting for other travelers and no schedule compromise when someone wants to linger at a stop.

Kaymakli Underground City is the anchor: eight levels carved into the rock, reaching 50 meters deep, with tunnels, churches, storage rooms and stables built in the 8th century as refuge from enemies and weather. You walk through the chambers yourself, moving at your own pace through the narrow passages. After that comes Çavuşin Valley with its fairy chimneys and Byzantine structures, then Avanos, where you can watch a master potter work the wheel in an underground cave workshop: clay from the Red River has been shaped here since before 1700 BC, and you can try the wheel yourself if you want. Göreme Open-Air Museum is a UNESCO site with rock-cut churches decorated in 10th-13th century frescoes. Uchisar Castle sits at 1,550 meters, the highest point in Cappadocia, offering panoramic views across the region. The valleys, Pigeon, Devrent (also called Imagination Valley), and Monks, each show a different face of the eroded landscape: cone-shaped formations, moon-like rock, hundreds of thousands of birds nesting in the cliffs.

The tour returns to your hotel around 4:00 pm. A licensed guide who speaks English narrates the history and context at each stop. The driver is separate, so the guide can focus on what you're seeing. Transportation is in an air-conditioned minivan. Entrance tickets to the paid sites are your own expense, though skip-the-line access can be arranged if you request it at booking. You pick the 1-day or 2-day option when you book, and meals are optional. Add them at checkout if you want the guide to include lunch stops.

What’s included

• Transportation in an air-conditioned minivan with a separate driver.
• a licensed local tour guide who speaks English.
• hotel pickup and guaranteed on-time return to your hotel.
• visits to Kaymakli Underground City, Göreme Open-Air Museum, Uchisar Castle, Avanos pottery workshop, and the valleys of Pigeon, Devrent and Monks.
• food and drinks are optional and can be added at checkout.

Options for this experience

2 options

Private Cappadocia tour lasting 2 daysGuide in English · No fixed timeLasts 2 days: after you book this option, you get a guide and transportation for 2 days to visit the places listed here. Northern Cappadocia: Göreme Open-Air Museum, Göreme Panorama, the village of Avanos and its potteries, Paşabag and Devrent Valley, and the Three Beauties. Southern Cappadocia: the Underground City of Kaymakli or Özkonak, the Red Valley, the Çavuşin Valley, the Love Valley, and the Pigeon Valley. Pickup is included.

Private Cappadocia tour lasting 1 dayGuide in English · No fixed timeLasts 1 day: after you book this option, you get a guide and transportation for 1 day to visit the places mentioned above. Places we will visit: the Underground City of Kaymakli or Özkonak, the Red Valley, the Çavuşin Valley, the Love Valley, and the Pigeon Valley. Description: if you want to explore both Southern and Northern Cappadocia, you can book the other option, which lasts 2 days. Pickup is included.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (5 and older) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by BEST TURKEY TOUR

Is this one for you?Choose the 1-day option if you want the main sites in a single afternoon, or the 2-day tour if you prefer a slower pace and more time at each valley and museum. Because the tour is private to your party only, you set the rhythm at each stop: linger at the underground city or the pottery workshop as long as you want, and skip ahead if something doesn't hold your interest.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 5): free.

What is Kaymakli Underground City like to walk through?

Kaymakli has eight levels carved into the rock, reaching 50 meters deep, with narrow tunnels and chambers that include churches, stables and storage rooms built in the 8th century. You walk through at your own pace, moving through the passages yourself with your guide explaining the history and layout.

Can I try pottery-making in Avanos?

Yes. In Avanos you visit an authentic family-run pottery workshop in an underground cave where a master demonstrates how to throw clay on the wheel. You can watch the painters and glazers apply patterns, and you're welcome to try the wheel yourself and make your own pot if you wish.

Which valleys are included in the tour?

The tour visits Pigeon Valley, known for its fairy chimneys and hundreds of thousands of nesting birds; Devrent Valley (also called Imagination Valley), with moon-like rock formations and views of the Erciyes and Hasan mountains; and Monks Valley, home to Byzantine-era churches and monasteries carved into the stone.

What time does the tour start and end?

Hotel pickup is at 10:00 am from your hotel in Goreme, Avanos, Uchisar, Urgup or Ortahisar. The tour returns to your hotel around 4:00 pm on the 1-day option, or extends into a second day if you book the 2-day version.

Are entrance tickets included in the tour price?

Entrance tickets to the paid sites (Kaymakli Underground City, Göreme Open-Air Museum, and Uchisar Castle) are at your own expense. Skip-the-line access can be arranged if you request it when booking.

Is the guide included, and what language does the guide speak?

Yes, a licensed local tour guide is included and speaks English. The guide provides context and history at each stop while a separate driver handles the vehicle, so the guide can focus on what you're seeing.