The Ultimate Guide to Pamukkale, Turkey

You’ve probably seen pictures of it on social media. However, how much do you really know about Pamukkale in Turkey?! I’ll be honest…I did not know much about it until I actually went there myself! While it worked out well learning things first hand, I had many unanswered questions before going there that could have made my life easier! That’s why I decided to write this guide to help out anyone who was in the same place as me.

Pamukkale, along with the ancient ruins of Hierapolis, is an UNESCO world heritage site. With one ticket, you can enter both the ancient city as well as the picturesque thermal pools. The famous white travertines are naturally made from an excess of calcium in the underground hot spring water.

Is Pamukkale Worth It?

We were undecided if we would make the trek down to Pamukkale or not. If we had rented a car it wouldn’t have even been a question! However, as we were relying on public transportation, we debated if we should head to this part of the country or not. Luckily we took a night bus from Cappadocia to Antalya (another amazing place in Turkey that you shouldn’t miss!) which made our decision easier. It was possible, and probably even more convenient, to break up the 12 hour bus ride from Antalya to Istanbul by stopping in Pamukkale along the way!

We ended up arriving in Pamukkale in the evening and stayed overnight so we would be among the first people to enter. Even though it was very busy and full of people, we would absolutely recommend you to go to Pamukkale! The calcium travertines were unlike anything we had seen before! If you’re one of the many people who only want to go to Pamukkale for the amazing Instagram pictures, you will not be disappointed!

Pamukkale is also an amazing location for anyone interested in history and ancient ruins. The name of the UNESCO World Heritage site is ‘Hierapolis-Pamukkale’ as both of these are in the same place. The ancient city of Hierapolis was built in 190BC as a spa town. There are signs posted throughout the many ruins, as well as a museum on site, for those who love history. So yes – no matter what your interests are, we think Pamukkale should be on your list!

How To Get To Pamukkale

Turkey is an amazing country to travel around! While renting a car in Turkey is a very popular option, there is also plenty of public transportation. Turkey is quite big which makes flights a very popular choice as they are fast and not too expensive. However, there are tons of overnight buses which are the cheapest option and can even save you money that you would’ve spent on a hotel!

How to Fly to Pamukkale

Flights throughout Turkey are very quick and usually cheap. The closest airport to Pamukkale is the Denizli Çardak Airport (DNZ). Unfortunately there are only direct flights to Denizli from Istanbul. You can’t fly directly to Denizli from anywhere else in Turkey. However, the flight from Istanbul is very fast compared to the bus! It only takes around an hour to fly from Istanbul to the Denizli airport. Even better – you can find round trip flights for as cheap as $25! This makes it a great option if you don’t have much time and want to pop down for a day.

Once you arrive at the Denizli airport, you can take a bus directly to Pamukkale town. The bus ride is about another hour as the airport is a little outside of Denizli.

Bus from Istanbul to Pamukkale

There are many overnight buses from Istanbul to Denizli. The bus can take between 10-12 hours, however it starts at $14 one way! This is a great option if you’re budget traveling as you don’t have to pay for a hotel and you can still arrive in Pamukkale early. You can search through all the different bus companies at busbud.com, just be careful that you pick the correct bus stop in Istanbul as the city is huge and there are many bus stations!

Once you arrive in the Denizli bus station, head downstairs to gate 76 where you can take a shuttle bus to Pamukkale town for 5 lira each. The van between Denizli and Pamukkale takes less than 20 minutes. Pamukkale is very small so it should be easy to walk to your hotel (or directly to the travertines).

Bus from Antalya to Pamukkale

It’s very easy to take a bus from Antalya to Pamukkale! From Antalya’s main bus station (Antalya Otogar) it is only 3.5-4 hours to Denizli and costs around $5! Buses run very frequently between the two. You can check the schedule at busbud.com.

Once you arrive in the Denizli bus station, head downstairs to gate 76 where you can take a shuttle bus to Pamukkale town for 5 lira each. The van between Denizli and Pamukkale takes less than 20 minutes. Pamukkale is very small so it should be easy to walk to your hotel (or directly to the travertines).

Bus from Izmir to Pamukkale

It is also very easy to take a bus from Izmir to Pamukkale. It is about 3-4 hours from Izmir bus station to Denizli. Buses are around $5 one way and run very frequently. You can check bus schedules at busbud.com.

Once you arrive in the Denizli bus station, head downstairs to gate 76 where you can take a shuttle bus to Pamukkale town for 5 lira each. The van between Denizli and Pamukkale takes less than 20 minutes. Pamukkale is very small so it should be easy to walk to your hotel (or directly to the travertines).

Train to Pamukkale

While there is a train station in Denizli, it is not as convenient or cheap as taking the bus. We don’t have any personal experience with trains in Turkey. However, it is an option if you have a train station near you.

Tour to Pamukkale

There are also many tours you can take from Istanbul, Antalya, and other cities in Turkey. If you don’t have a lot of time and don’t want to worry about any planning, you could pay more to take a tour. However, I believe your experience at Pamukkale would be much better if you go on your own. Many tour groups stop there but they don’t stay for much time and you are with the group throughout the tour.

If you think a tour is the best option for you, check out some of these ones:

Which Entrance to Use at Pamukkale

There are three entrances to Pamukkale: the North Entrance, the Pamukkale Town Entrance (middle entrance), and the South Entrance. Which entrance you use is up to personal preference (and also if you have transportation). While all three entrances have the same entrance fee (110 lira) the different entrances may open at different times which was the case when we visited. I would advise you to check the different entrance opening times with your hotel as there are SO many times listed online and everything that we searched was incorrect.

the North Entrance of Pamukkale

You cannot walk to this entrance. You can drive yourself here (and pay parking) or take the same bus that leaves the Denizli bus station (#76) either from the Denizli bus station or from the center of Pamukkale town to the North Entrance.

This is the best entrance to Pamukkale if you want to see as much of the Hierapolis ruins as possible and are willing to walk! It is about a 20-30 minute walk from this entrance to the top of the travertine pools.

When we visited Pamukkale, this entrance opened at 8am.

Pamukkale Town Entrance (the Middle Entrance)

This entrance is easy to walk to from most hotels in Pamukkale town. This is the best entrance to Pamukkale if you’re most interested in the travertine pools! The Pamukkale Town Entrance is at the bottom of the pools. Which means if you use this entrance, you MUST take your shoes off and walk barefoot up to the top of the travertines in order to see the ancient ruins of Hierapolis and the rest of the sites at Pamukkale.

When we visited Pamukkale, this entrance opened at 8am. There was also a small line of people waiting to enter already at 8am. I think this would be my favorite entrance as walking through the travertine pools was very fun! It also saves you from having to walk along the roads or find transportation to either the North or South Entrances.

The South Entrance of Pamukkale

You cannot *cough*should not*cough* walk to this entrance! You can drive yourself here (and pay parking) or try to take a taxi. However, you might need to arrange a taxi ahead of time. I started walking here and hoped that a taxi would drive by that I could flag down…….but there were no taxis and I ended up walking almost half an hour to the entrance. This is also the entrance that most of the tour buses use. Meaning as soon as I arrived at the entrance there were hoards of other people already trying to enter. It might be worth it to come to this entrance if you have your own car and want to enter as early as possible.

When we visited Pamukkale, this entrance opened at 6:30am. It was the first and only entrance open at this time. However, the tour buses were already arriving before 7am so it didn’t get you in earlier than the majority of people.

What to See in Pamukkale

Yes, it is possible to do Pamukkale as a short day trip. Especially if you take an overnight bus from Istanbul – you would be able to plan your trip so you arrive in Denizli early in the morning. There is luggage storage in the lower level of the Denizli bus station. You can then take the shuttle bus from Denizli to Pamukkale, explore Pamukkale for a few hours, return to the Denizli bus station, and take a bus onward to Antalya/Izmir/Capadoccia/etc. However, these are the places you should see while in Pamukkale!

1. Pamukkale Travertines

The travertine pools are the big, white calcium terraces that give Pamukkale it’s name ‘cotton castle’. Many pools are now closed off as they have been damaged by too many tourists walking on them. However, the ones that are still open are right inside the middle entrance from Pamukkale Town. The pools are amazing and look like snow! However, the water inside them is very warm. You definitely need to walk in the pools when you go to Pamukkale! Especially as you cannot see how truly amazing they are if you take either the North or South entrance and just look down on them. You need to walk through the pools to see why they are so famous!

2. The Ruins of Ancient Hierapolis

The ruins all throughout the Pamukkale complex are from the ancient city of Hierapolis. If you walk around you will see remnants of the cemetary, colonaded street, bathhouse, and other buildings including the theater. It’s a great place to explore especially if you love history!

3. The Roman Theater

Make sure you walk up to the Roman Theater! It’s a short 10 minute walk through Hierapolis. The theater was able to hold over 12,000 people! It’s in very good condition as part of it was restored in the 1970s.

4. Cleopatra Pool/Pamukkale Antique Pool

In the center of Pamukkale is the Pamukkale Antique Pool, also known as the Cleopatra Pool, as it’s said that Cleopatra swam here. Hierapolis was originally a spa town that was used to treat many diseases including heart disease, high blood pressure, and different skin diseases. The same is still said about the Cleopatra pool! The water is warm and full of minerals that are supposed to be very healing and good for your body.

There is an additional charge to swim here! While we have found many different prices listed online, when we visited in late 2021 the price was an additional 100 lira for an adult to swim. The good thing is you don’t need to decide ahead of time if you’d like to swim here or not! You can actually enter the Antique Pool and walk around for free. So you can take pictures, use the bathroom, and watch others swimming without paying the extra fee. The extra 100 lira is only if you want to swim! Keep in mind that towels aren’t included so if you swim you need to either buy one, bring your own, or go without.

While we opted not to swim in the pools because there were so many people, it could be a very cool experience if you go on a less crowded day.

5. Archeological Museum

There is also an archeological museum within Pamukkale. It’s actually located in an old bath house. There’s an additional fee of 5 lira to enter (less than $1). Even though the additional fee is very inexpensive, it keeps many people from entering. If you are really into history make sure to check out the museum! If you’re not as interested in history you may be content with walking around and reading the signs.

6. The Pamukkale Natural Park

The Pamukkale Natural Park surrounds a lake right at the bottom of the traverines, next to the Pamukkale Town Entrance. The park is free and has nice views of the travertines on the side of the hill. You can also rent swan boats here to paddle around in the lake.

When we visited the park was busy early in the morning! It’s a great place to watch the sunrise over the white travertines. It’s also fun to check out either before or after you go up the travertines into Hierapolis.

Where to Stay in Pamukkale

When we went to Pamukkale, we stayed one night at Hotel Alida Pamukkale. I would definitely stay here again next time I go to Pamukkale! The owner was so nice. He had very accurate information about the opening times for all the entrances. It only took a couple minutes to walk from the hotel to the Pamukkale Town entrance to the travertines!

We also got free Turkish breakfast at the hotel which had an amazing view of the travertines from the restaurant!

Quick Tips for Visiting Pamukkale

1. Don’t wear flip flops if you want to walk around Hierapolis!
2. Wear your swimsuit under your clothes as there isn’t a changing room at the travertines (although there is a free bathroom up by the Cleopatra Pool).
3. Take a bag to hold your shoes/clothes while you’re walking in the travertines.
4. Take snacks/water as everything inside the complex is quite expensive.
5. There are plenty of women in bikinis (and men in speedos) so don’t worry about what you are wearing!
6. Go early in the morning as the sun can be very strong – especially when it reflects off the white travertines!
7. Try to avoid the busy season if possible (May – August).

What to Bring to Pamukkale

1. Selfie Stick Tripod – great for using the bluetooth control to take pictures. Just make sure the tripod is stable so it doesn’t fall into the water!

2. Waterproof Phone Case – if you’re worried about your phone getting wet or even want to take some videos in the water, this is a great accessory to have!

3. Quick Dry Travel Towel – this is a great one to throw in your bag for for the travertine pools as well as the Cleopatra Pool! It’s super lightweight and dries quickly so you can use it then throw it right back in your bag. It’s even better because it doesn’t take up a lot of space.

4. Travel Nick Pillow – this is a lifesaver if you take lots of long overnight buses in Turkey like we did! It can be hard to sleep on a 10 hour bus, but this neck pillow is sure to help!

5. GoPro – another great one that has so many uses while traveling! It’s the perfect camera to take pictures and videos both in the water or hiking around the ancient ruins.

Check Out Our YouTube Video from Pamukkale!

Want another fun day trip in Turkey?! Check out our guide to Termessos here!