Things To Do In Pamukkale & Hierapolis And What To Expect

Pamukkale is home to Türkiye’s ‘cotton castle’, named for the fascinating formation of cascading white travertine terraces filled with aquamarine mineral-rich thermal water. One of just a handful of white terraces found in the world, the beauty and healing properties of this natural phenomenon have been attracting visitors for thousands of years.

Just above the white terraces of Pamukkale, on the hilltop, are the ruins of Hierapolis, a city founded by the Greeks around the 2nd century BC and later ruled and enhanced by the Romans. Researchers have also found ancient remains from the Iron Age as well, so life here long predates the Greeks too.

Unfortunately, this remarkable site, which is one of the most visited sites in Türkiye, has become a victim of over tourism. In the 70’s, hotels and other structures were built on the property of the terraces, which led to a reduction of water, drying out the formations and damaging the site.

Pamukkale and Heirapolis became protected in the 80’s when it became an UNESCO World heritage site and efforts are now in place to help minimize and reverse the damage. Unfortunately, no one knows how long this will take.

The official name of the site is Hierapolis-Pamukkale, but most people know it by the name of the town, Pamukkale, and the fascinating cotton castle, or white travertine terraces, that it’s named after.

People ask if it’s still worth it to visit Pamukkale and Hierapolis, but there is no clear cut answer. It really is a personal choice. At the very least, understanding what to expect will help make your visit less frustrating. And understating how fragile the environment is will help get encourage to tread more lightly.

This post covers how to visit Pamukkale and Hierapolis and what to expect.

Pamukkale And Hierapolis

Where Is Pamukkale And Heirapolis?

Pamukkale and Hierapolis are located in the Denizli province in southwestern Türkiye. It’s located a 6-7 hour drive southeast of Istanbul, 2-3 hours northeast of the ruins of Ephesus, and 3-4 hours northwest of Antalya.

What Is Pamukkale?

At first glance, Pamukkale looks like a hill packed with snow and ice above a lake, but it’s actually calcium carbonate deposited from supersaturated spring water as it trickles down the hill. At first it lays down as a soft jelly, but it eventually hardens into travertine. The travertine builds into terraces, which fill with more supersaturated water. As the water in the terraces overflows, it creates the icicle looking formations coming off the terraces. In the end, there are a series of stunning, white thermal pools filled with the thermal water. At least that’s how it looks at its optimum.

In addition to being beautiful, there are great health benefits from these spring waters. They reportedly help with cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure, rheumatism, skin and nerve diseases, and more. Of course, make sure check with your doctor if you have health issues and plan to visit.

The Surprises of Pamukkale

Unfortunately, the most beautiful part of the terraces, the ones that you see in advertisements of Pamukkale, is closed to tourists. You can only walk near them to take a photo. This, I understand, as I think many other do too. We do need to protect this site! The problem is that many people don’t realize this before visiting.

Instead, there are some man-made travertine pools that tourists can wade in. As they are man made, they are not necessarily warm. It depends on the time of year and time of day.

The other surprise is that the most beautiful terraces are not always filled with water. When I was here they were bone dry (photo below).

Most marketing materials, however, show them looking more like the image from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism below.

If you get a day or two of rain before you visit, the terraces may look more like the promised marketing collateral, but, being an arid climate, most tourists see exactly what I saw. Dry terraces.

In fact, if you translate the Pamukkale website from Turkish to English, it actually states that they have a set program on when to fill and dry out the terraces as the “Travertine areas must be dried for certain periods in order to prevent this pollution and to harden the precipitate, which is in the form of gel at the beginning.”

The final surprise is how much pollution is around the site. Parts of the travertine look like snow on the side of the road that’s been blackened by car fumes. It’s quite a shock if you expect something like the slick marketing photos.

After all this, it’s not surprising that many reviews on Trip Advisor are people complaining about how disappointing the Pamukkale terraces are. A few are very excited about them and have pictures showing water are in these terraces, but very few.

Questions On Pamukkale

Is Pamukkale still unique? Absolutely. There are very few white terraces like this in the world.

Is Pamukkale still beautiful? Yes, but it doesn’t anyways look like it’s marketing campaigns. When does it look like them? Unfortunately, we don’t know.

Is Pamukkale worth visiting? I think yes, but it’s very important to manage your expectations.

What is Hierapolis?

On the hilltop above Pamukkale, are the remains of the ancient Greek city, Hierapolis, which was founded by the Kings of Pergamon around the 2nd century BC. The ruins standing, however, are mostly from the Romans, as the city was bequeathed to Rome after Attalus III, the last king of Pergamon died (like Ephesus and Antalya).

Built as a spa city, Hierapolis capitalized on the hot springs and formations of Pamukkale. As word of its beauty and benefits grew, Hierapolis developed into a center of healing, drawing people from Antalya and beyond in antiquity.

Although most people visit this area for the travertine terraces of Pamukkale, I personally preferred the ruins of Hierapolis. They’re not as amazing as the ruins of Ephesus or Perge (in Antalya), but if you appreciate Greco-Roman ruins, these are very good. Combined with the thermal springs and white terraces, it really is fascinating perspective on ancient life here.

Why Was Hierapolis Abandoned?

Hierapolis was mainly abandoned mainly due to earthquakes. There was an earthquake that damaged the city in the first century AD, but it was rebuilt. There was also an earthquake in the 7th century and another in the 13th, when it was finally abandoned.

Visiting Hierapolis-Pamukkale

Hierapolis-Pamukkale has different hours at different times of the year. It’s open daily in the spring from 6:30 to 20:00, summer from 6:30 to 20:30, and winter from 6:30 to 18:00. 

The entrance ticket is 400 Turkish Lira (about $15 as of July 2023). It’s valid for the terraces of Pamukkale, the ruins of Hierapolis, and the Hierapolis Archeological Musuem. Purchase your tickets at one of the three gates. There is a gate at the bottom of the hill, and two at the top of the hill.

Pamukkale

If you enter at the bottom gate, there is a set path to take to the top to minimize pollution and wear and tear. You will want to head to the top as this is where the terraces are.

You need to walk barefoot on the travertine and carry your shoes, so remember to bring a bag. Be careful though, as it can be quite slippery to walk with water trickling underneath your bare feet.

You will pass by a series of pools as you walk up. As mentioned above, some of these pools are man made for tourists because the terraces are closed.

If you visit during peak season, expect a lot of people to be here. So many, it will surprise you as Pamukkale is one of the top most visited places in Türkiye. This is despite many blogs like mine and disappointing reviews on Trip Advisor.

Heirapolis

This city grew and prospered under Roman rule, with over 100,000 inhabitants at one time. The highlights of the ruins include the following.

Ancient Theater

Built in the 2nd century AD under the rule of Roman emperor Hadrian, this remarkably well-preserved Roman amphitheater once held up to 10,000 people.

The theater has been renovated and is still used for performances today. Some of the statues that once graced the stage, now sit in the Heirapolis Archeology Museum.

Note the spectacular view of the area from the seat. You can even see the tip of the white formations of Pamukkale at the crest of the hilltop (above left).

Frontinus Gate

Built in the 1st century BC, this was the main gate to the city. It was fortified by a round tower on each side.

Following the gate is Frontinus Street, the main north-south street of the city, once lined with columns and shops.

Public Baths

The ruins of several grand public baths, which took advantage of the hot springs, are also at the top.

Martyrium of Saint Phillip

This octagonal martyrium is from the 5th century. A martyrium is a shrine built over a martyr. For a long time many thought this site was built over St Phillip, one of the apostles who was martyred here. In recent years, however, they think they found his tomb in a smaller church about 40 yards away.

The larger church was probably built to accommodate the growing number of people wanting to visit this sacred area.

Necropolis

You can wander among the scattered sarcophagi and tombs of the ancient necropolis. This cemetery is vast in comparison to the size of the town due to the fact that elderly and sick often visited the area in their final days, for both its healing properties and its sacredness.

Hierapolis Archeology Museum

The Hierapolis Archeology Musuem is built within the ruins of the public baths. You can learn more about the site, learn about the reclamation and restoration, and see artifacts.

Cleopatra’s Pool

Beyond Heirapolis, is Cleopatras Pool. This man made thermal pool was supposedly a gift from Mark Antony to Cleopatra. The columns surrounding the pool fell in during one of many earthquakes and remain submerged today. This means you can actually swim around the ruins.

The temperature of the pool ranges from 97 – 134 F (36 – 57 C) and contains bicarbonate, sulphate, and carbon dioxide, as well as iron and radioactive combination.

Entry into the area is free, but you must pay a fee to enter the pool. Lockers are available and there’s a restaurant here. The pool looks fascinating, but is very touristy and often packed. In fact, it was so crowded and felt so touristy, I decided not to swim. You can enter the pool area without paying the fee, whuhc is nice. You only need to pay to swim.

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Where To Stay In Pamukkale

These places all get very good reviews for cleanliness, comfort, and location. If you need it, most will help you to arrange transportation from Denizli airport for a fee.

Budget 

• Located in the center of Pamukkale, Paradise Hotel is a 5-minute walk from Hierapolis and half a mile from Pamukkale terraces.
• Bavella Boutique Hotel offers family rooms for 3 or 4 and a restaurant. Hierapolis, Pamukkale, Turkey is a 5-minute walk away, while Pamukkale terraces is 0.7 miles away.

Affordable 

• Hotel Sahin is only 66’ from the travertines and offer some rooms with views of them. It has a pool, and a terrace with extensive views of the travertines and the lake.
• Whiteheaven offers an outdoor pool and rooms with terrace views of the pool. The Pamukkale terraces are 1640’ from the property. 

Best Time To Visit Pamukkale

Spring is the best time to visit, April to mid June, when temperatures and comfortable. Mid September and October are also pleasant, but more likely to be overcast.

Also, as this area attracts a lot of tour buses, it’s best to time your visit very early in the morning or late afternoon.

For optimal photos, visit in the afternoon as the sun rises behind the terraces of Pamukkale.

Other Things To Do in Pamukkale

One half to one day is sufficient to see Pamukkale and Hierapolis, but if you have more time, there are other options to consider.

• Aphrodisias, one of the best preserved Roman sites in the southwestern Aegean, is located 80 miles (130 km) from Pamukkale. There’s also a museum here, so expect to spend 3 – 4 hours here.
• Laodikya, 10 miles (16 km) south of Pamukkale, is another site of Roman ruins, with little crowds.
• Kaklik Caves are a smaller version of Pamukkale, but located in a cave underground. It’s about 30 minutes from Pamukkale.

Tour Ideas

To make things easy, here are some tour ideas.

• If you want to visit Pamukkale and Hierapolis on a Tour from Antalya/Kemer, this tour provides pickup and drop off at your hotel. It also include lunch and swimming in Cleopatra’s Pools (although there is an extra fee if you swim).
• If coming from Izmir, the Aphrodisias&Pamukkale Tour with Lunch from Izmir&Kusadasia is a good choice.
• If coming from Istanbul, the Ephesus and Pamukkale: Day Trip by Plane from Istanbul looks amazing!
• And did you know that you can take a sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride in Pamukkale? It includes a champagne toast at the end of the ride. Hotel pickup and drop off is available.

How To Get To Pamukkale

Pamukkale is located near the town of Denizli, which is 6-7 hours southeast of Istanbul in southwestern Turkey.

Fly

Regular flights arrive from major cities at Denizli airport, where you can take a shuttle to Denizli or Pamukkale. Flights from Istanbul take about 3 – 5 hours.

Bus

Buses are available to Denizli from most major cities in Turkey. From there you can catch a minibus from the Denizli bus station to Pamukkale. Your hotel may also offer to pick you up. The bus ride from Istanbul is 11-12 hours, while it’s around 4 hours from Antalya. There is also a bus from Goreme (near Cappadocia) that takes 11-12 hours.

Train

You can take a train from from Istanbul to Izmir (8-9 hours), then Izmir to Denizli station (about 3 hours). The train station in Denizli is near the bus station (about a 2 minute walk), where you can catch the minibus to Pamukkale, or arrange to have your hotel pick you up.

Drive

It’s located a 6-7 hour drive southeast of Istanbul, 2-3 hours northeast of the ruins of Ephesus, and 3-4 hours northwest of Antalya. Driving in Turkey, however, can be dangerous, so research this option further if you’re considering it. The town of Pamukkale is small, so once there you can easily get around on foot.

Want To See More Of Türkiye?

Türkiye is incredible. I’ve been here three times now and have loved every city I’ve visited.

My favorites include the following.

Istanbul is Türkiye‘s main tourist destination, full of glorious remnants from its Byzantine, Roman, and Ottoman history. It’s sumptuous Topkapi Palace, stunning mosques, Basilica Cistern, and Roman ruins are amazing.

Cappadocia, with its fantastical fairy chimneys, cave dwellings, and fascinating history is truly amazing. You really need at least three days in this city to explore all it has to offer.

Ancient Ephesus, which has some of the best Roman ruins in the Mediterranean is in the modern city of Selçuk.

Antalya, on Türkiye’s stunning southern coast, has calm, turquoise waters framed by the beautiful Taurus Mountains, a charming old town, Kaleiçi, picturesque old harbor, and fabulous Roman ruins.

To help plan your trip, see my Turkey Travel Guide, which features the top places to visit, how to get there, safety, scams, logistics, and more to help make your visit epic.

Safe Travels!

Julie