Underground Cities You Can Visit: Interesting Travel Destinations Below the Surface

When we think of cities, we usually look skyward. But sometimes the most extraordinary places are hidden below. Across the globe, entire cities have been built underground and defy what we think cities should be.

Some are eerie, others enchanting, but all of them are unexpected. Ready to go deeper? Here are eight underground cities that you can visit and explore yourself.

Also read: 5 Abandoned Theme Parks in Asia That You Can Visit (If You Dare)

Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland

Fun fact: you can get married here! At first glance, a salt mine might not scream “destination wedding”, but descend into Wieliczka, and you’ll enter a shimmering wonderland of underground chapels, chandeliers, and statues all carved from salt. 

I’ve personally visited this place before, and there was a wedding being held that day. Of course, I didn’t see the actual ceremony, but seeing the place decked out made me understand how a salt mine can indeed be an amazing wedding destination.

Derinkuyu, Turkey

Imagine discovering a trapdoor in your kitchen and finding an entire city underneath. That’s exactly how Derinkuyu was uncovered in the 1960s. 

Dug deep into Cappadocia’s volcanic rock, this ancient marvel stretches 18 storeys down and could house 20,000 people, plus their livestock and wine (the above image shows their wine receptacles. It’s narrow, it’s dark, and it’s absolutely fascinating. 

Naours, France

Under a quiet village in northern France lies a cavernous surprise: over 300 underground rooms once used as hiding places during wars. The Naours tunnels were originally dug by hand in the Middle Ages, but they’ve been repurposed again and again by soldiers, villagers, and even resistance fighters. 

Inside, you’ll find bakeries, chapels, and graffiti from troops who once sheltered there. It’s a place where the peaceful countryside and a turbulent history collide beneath your feet.

Also read: Beyond the Capital: 15 Incredible Places to Visit in France Other Than Paris

Burlington Bunker, England

Deep below Wiltshire’s fields lies a full-blown underground city built to be a secure location for the government if the world above collapsed. The Burlington Bunker, or the Central Government War Headquarters, could support 4,000 people, complete with bedrooms, offices, and its own internal phone system. 

There was even a BBC broadcasting suite, ready to inform the nation post-apocalypse. Decommissioned and declassified, it’s now a ghost town frozen in time.

Matmata, Tunisia

If you’ve ever watched Star Wars, you’ve already seen Matmata’s underground homes; they doubled as Luke Skywalker’s childhood home on Tatooine. 

The Berber people of Matmata have been living in these cave dwellings for centuries, carving circular courtyards into the earth and surrounding them with rooms tucked into the walls. Some homes are still inhabited while others are open to curious travellers.

Dixia Cheng, China

Beneath one of the busiest cities on the planet lies a secret most residents walk over daily. Dixia Cheng was built in the 1970s as a nuclear fallout shelter capable of holding up to a million people. 

There are schools, hospitals, even hair salons, all underground. Although parts are now closed to the public, the scale and ambition of this Cold War labyrinth are still otherworldly to experience.

Orvieto Underground, Italy

Orvieto is known for its hilltop charm and Gothic cathedral, but its secrets lie beneath. Dug into soft volcanic rock, the underground city beneath Orvieto includes ancient wells, olive presses, pigeon coops, and narrow escape tunnels. 

Created by the Etruscans over 2,500 years ago and expanded through the Middle Ages, this web of passageways is less claustrophobic than you’d expect. It’s more like stepping into a hidden layer of Italian life that’s still wonderfully intact.

Petra, Jordan

Petra is famous for its grand façades etched into pink sandstone, but its real intrigue lies behind and below them. Venture past the Treasury and you’ll find narrow passageways leading into hollowed-out chambers, some used for rituals, others for resting the dead, and many still unexplored. 

These carved spaces form a quiet, intricate world that speaks volumes about Nabataean life, one shaped as much by survival as by splendour.

Also read: 7 Weirdest Hotels to Sleep in Around the World

Digging deep

These underground cities are more than just tourist curiosities. They’re vivid reminders of human adaptability and imagination. Whether built for safety, survival, or splendour, each one rewrites what we expect of city life.