What is a cave hotel? What to know before you stay in Cappadocia

A cave hotel is a hotel whose rooms are wholly or partly carved into Cappadocia’s soft volcanic rock, called tuff, or set inside fairy chimneys and other rock structures. 54 of the 80 hotels in our catalogue are in the cave category: 34 in Göreme, 7 in Uçhisar, 6 in Ürgüp, 3 in Çavuşin and 2 each in Ortahisar and Mustafapaşa. This article sums up what to know before you stay, using general knowledge and counts from the catalogue; it contains no prices or reviews.

What kind of place is a cave hotel?

The surface of Cappadocia is tuff, formed as volcanic ash hardened over time. Tuff is soft and can be carved with simple tools, which is why people in the region have carved houses, churches and storerooms into the rock for centuries. Fairy chimneys are rock columns shaped by wind and water erosion.

In many cave hotels the rooms are carved rock spaces; in some, the carved parts have stone-built extensions. So not every room in a hotel is necessarily built the same way. Ask on the hotel page or the hotel which room types are carved into the rock. Within one hotel, room types can differ in windows, terrace access and ceiling height, so choosing the room type matters as much as choosing the hotel.

The category is the catalogue’s own classification. Cave Art Cappadocia, Chelebi Cave House and Eka Cave Maison have “cave” in their names but are listed as small hotels, so they are not part of the 54 below.

Coolness, damp, light and heating

A thick mass of rock slows the passage of outside temperature changes into the room, so carved rooms are usually cooler than the outdoors on hot afternoons. In winter, how a room is heated matters more: in Nevşehir the average January minimum is −3.6 °C (MGM, 1959–2025). For monthly figures see when to visit Cappadocia.

Carved rooms with limited ventilation can feel damp. Windows often open only onto the facade, so daylight varies from room to room and some rooms can be dim. The catalogue holds no information on damp, ventilation or windows.

What the catalogue records:

• Air conditioning: ticked for 35 of the 54 cave hotels: 28 of the 34 in Göreme and 7 of the 20 elsewhere.
• Heated floors: 4 hotels: The Calypso Cave, Vita Cave Suites, Zara Cave Hotel +10 and Kayata Cave Suites. Three list it among amenities, one in its highlights.
• Fireplaces: 3 hotels: Azure Cave Suites, Divan Cave House and Seki Cave Hotel.

So 7 cave hotels state heated floors or fireplaces outright. For the other 47 the heating type is not recorded; if you travel in winter, ask the hotel.

Stairs and access

Rock structures are mostly built on slopes or valley edges, so reaching rooms by steps, rooms at different levels and sloping, uneven ground are common. The catalogue holds no data on this: none of the 80 hotels mentions stairs, steps or a lift in its highlights, and no amenity list has a lift or wheelchair access entry. That does not mean there are no stairs; it means the information is not recorded.

Before booking, ask the hotel:

• Which floor is the room on, and how many steps lead to it?
• Who carries luggage to the room, and how close can a car get? Parking is ticked for 42 of the 54 cave hotels; luggage storage for only 1 (Konak Bezirhane Cave Otel).
• With small children or limited mobility, are there railings on terraces and stairs?

Room size and windows

The catalogue holds no room size in m². A room count is given for 22 of the 54 cave hotels: between 7 and 36, with a median of 13.5. Of these, 11 have 13 rooms or fewer, 8 have 14–25 and 3 have 30 or more (30, 30 and 36 rooms). Most cave hotels, in other words, are small operations.

Cave rooms take their shape from the rock; vaulted ceilings and curved walls can occur, and two rooms may not be alike. Six cave hotels in the catalogue say each room is decorated individually. For windows and light, look at room photos and the room type; if you can, ask the hotel in writing how many windows the room has and whether it opens onto a terrace. As for views, 27 cave hotels tick a balloon view and 15 a valley view in their amenity lists.

Cave hotels in the catalogue, in numbers

Town	Cave hotels / all hotels in town	Air conditioning	Balloon view	Pool	Family rooms
Göreme	34 / 43	28	21	7	15
Uçhisar	7 / 19	3	3	1	3
Ürgüp	6 / 9	1	0	0	2
Çavuşin	3 / 3	2	3	0	3
Ortahisar	2 / 2	1	0	0	1
Mustafapaşa	2 / 4	0	0	1	0
Total	54 / 80	35	27	9	24

The figures rest on amenity lists; “not ticked” does not mean “not available”. The pool column counts outdoor and indoor pools together. In addition, 45 cave hotels tick breakfast included, 8 a spa, 5 a hamam and 7 a honeymoon concept. Four have a pet-friendly amenity: Amber Cave Suites, Kale Konak Cappadocia, Kayataş Cave Suites and Seki Cave Hotel. The two cave hotels with adults only in their names are Aza Cave Hotel (+12 Adults Only) and Artemis Cave Suites & Spa (Adults Only).

Who is a cave hotel for?

May suit: couples and small groups who want a different kind of room; people who prefer small hotels where rooms vary; those looking for a cool room in summer. 24 cave hotels list family rooms.

Points to weigh: people with limited mobility and those travelling with a pushchair (steps); anyone bothered by damp or dim light; anyone who dislikes enclosed, curved spaces; winter visitors who cannot find heating information.

Six examples from six towns

The hotels below are examples, not a ranking. Each is summarised from its catalogue record.

• Göreme: Divan Cave House. 12 rooms; rock-carved rooms with fireplaces and terraces with balloon views. In the Aydınlı-Orta neighbourhood.
• Uçhisar: Karlık Evi Cappadocia. 25 rooms, each decorated individually; a pool and air conditioning are ticked, and there is a jacuzzi with valley views.
• Ürgüp: Kayata Cave Suites. 9 rooms; indoor private hot tubs and heated floors. Not to be confused with Kayataş Cave Suites in Göreme.
• Çavuşin: Seki Cave Hotel. 16 rooms, each with a fireplace; pet-friendly, with Güllüdere and Kızıl Valley within walking distance.
• Ortahisar: Vita Cave Suites. 14 rooms with heated floors; a garden and a shared lounge.
• Mustafapaşa: Konak Bezirhane Cave Otel. 23 rooms, each with a private bathroom and jacuzzi; a terrace and a garden.

For every record, see the hotel list; neighbourhood differences in Göreme are in where to stay in Göreme. The booking button on a hotel page opens the hotel’s page on gocappadocia.com, a booking platform created through the combined efforts of 175 hoteliers in the region. This guide takes no commission.