Cappadocia isn't one city but a scatter of small towns among valleys of volcanic-tuff "fairy chimneys", with whole cities underground, like Derinkuyu. These are the main things to see: the frescoed cave churches of Göreme, Monks Valley and the abandoned village of Zelve, the potters of Avanos and an underground city. They come from my list of saved places and from travel guides (34travel first of all); I left short notes on a couple of them, and the rest is put together from Google Maps reviews. Later I added a second underground city, Kaymaklı, on the advice of travel guides.
Entry tickets come from visitors' reviews, opening hours are Google's; valid as of 7 October 2026. Rate: 100 ₺ ≈ $2.03, 1 € ≈ $1.12.
In short
- If you only have time for one place: Göreme Open Air Museum — and do pay the extra for Karanlık Kilise, the finest of the frescoed churches.
- Next to the museum: Tokalı Kilise by the entrance and El Nazar Kilisesi in the valley opposite, about 120 ₺ (≈$2.50), cash only.
- The most famous chimneys: Paşabağ Vadisi, where the Museum Pass is valid.
- An underground city: Derinkuyu; come at opening time, as by ten the queue can take an hour. Kaymaklı is on the way, with coloured lighting and guides.
- Pottery: Chez Galip in Avanos, though prices are in dollars and high.
Göreme: the museum and churches
Göreme Açık Hava Müzesi (Göreme Open Air Museum)
Göreme, end of Müze Cd. · rock-cut churches, UNESCO · about 20 € (≈$23) · daily 8:00–19:00
Google Maps · website · Müze Cd.
An open-air museum of medieval churches — a must. According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 29,000+): monasteries and chapels carved into the tuff, with Byzantine frescoes; it's about a 25-minute walk from central Göreme, and you need an hour and a half to two hours inside. No photos inside the churches; toilets and the shop are on site, cafés by the entrance.
Karanlık Kilise (Dark Church)
Göreme Open Air Museum · cave church with frescoes · extra ticket about 6 € (≈$7) · daily 8:00–16:45
Google Maps · inside Göreme Open Air Museum
The coolest church I saw in Cappadocia. According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 940+): the Dark Church inside the museum has the most complete, vivid frescoes, watched over by an attendant (no photos). What drags the rating down is the separate ticket on top of museum entry: some visitors find it too much for five minutes in a cramped, crowded room.
Tokalı Kilise (The Buckle Church)
Göreme, by the museum entrance · cave church with frescoes · daily 8:00–17:00
Google Maps · website · Müze Cd., 36/1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 780+): Göreme's largest church, from the early 9th century, just off the road before the Open Air Museum entrance. The frescoes are superbly preserved, with biblical scenes on every wall. Some reviewers say entry is free, others that it's on the museum ticket; photography inside is strictly banned. Five to ten minutes is enough.
El Nazar Kilisesi (Al Nazar Church)
Göreme, the valley opposite the museum · 10th-century rock church · about 120 ₺ (≈$2.50), cash only · daily 8:00–16:30
Google Maps · İsali - Gaferli - Avcılar
According to Google Maps reviews (4.0 from 490+): a small church carved from a single rock, away from the crowds — about twenty minutes' walk through a valley of orchards and vines. Nothing much from outside, vivid frescoes inside. The door may be locked: the caretaker sits up the hill on the right and opens it for a fee; bring exact change in cash.
Çavuşin and Avanos
Paşabağ Vadisi (Monks Valley)
Çavuşin, between Göreme and Avanos · valley of fairy chimneys · about 12 € (≈$14), Museum Pass accepted
Google Maps · Çavuşin
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 2,100+): the Monks Valley, home to the most famous multi-headed chimneys, where monks carved chapels and cells. Easy paths, and you can walk into — even climb into — some of the rock dwellings. The downside: cigarette butts and bottles in some of the caves. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Zelve Açık Hava Müzesi (Zelve Open Air Museum)
Avanos, Aktepe · abandoned cave village · daily 8:00–20:00
Google Maps · website · Zelve
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 10,000+): a former monastic settlement, then an ordinary village where Christians and Muslims lived side by side until 1924 — cave houses, churches, rock chimneys. Lots of climbing and steps on uneven paths with little shade, so come in the morning. Allow about an hour; from the bus stop on the main road it's another forty-minute walk. Some visitors suggest starting your Cappadocia trip here. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Chez Galip
Avanos · pottery workshop and gallery · daily 9:00–18:30
Google Maps · website · Kızılırmak Cd., 401. Sokak, 91
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 830+): the workshop and huge gallery of Avanos's famous potter — they demonstrate how the jugs are made and explain the craft, and you may even meet Galip himself. The downsides: prices are in dollars and high, and one buyer complains that an "unbreakable" bowl cracked two days later.
Underground cities
Derinkuyu Yeraltı Şehri (Derinkuyu Underground City)
Derinkuyu, about 40 km south of Göreme · underground city · daily 8:00–18:45
Google Maps · website · Çukur Sk.
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 25,000+): a vast Byzantine-era underground city — eight levels down to about 85 metres, with halls, a winery, stables and even a classroom. Many tunnels mean walking bent double, so skip it if you're claustrophobic. Come at opening time: by ten the queue can reach an hour and it's crowded inside. There's almost no signage, and guides tout for business at the entrance.
Kaymaklı Yeraltı Şehri (Kaymakli Underground City)
Kaymaklı, on the road from Nevşehir to Derinkuyu · underground city · daily about 8:00–17:45, Fri to 19:15
Google Maps · website · Belediye Cd.
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 21,000+): an underground city on several levels, with kitchens, stables, a church, living rooms, niches and wine stores linked by narrow, low tunnels. The chambers have coloured lighting; in places you walk half-crouched down steep passages, so tall visitors and anyone uneasy in tight spaces should be ready, and mind their heads. Reviewers suggest taking a guide, as much of it makes little sense without one. The narrow passages can get crowded.
One last thing
See the museums in the morning, before the heat: there's hardly any shade in Zelve or Göreme Open Air Museum, and by ten there's a queue at Derinkuyu. State museums price tickets in euros, while small churches like El Nazar take lira in cash, so carry both.
More on Cappadocia: where to eat, cafés and bars, valleys, sunsets and sunrises.