After several amazing days of nonstop Mediterranean sun at Hillside Beach Club, we were ready to see what else Turkey has to offer. Our next stop, Pamukkale, was only a short, 3 hour road trip away from the resort in Fethiye. Due to some cloudy weather forecasted to arrive on our only full day at Pamukkale, we slightly adjusted our plans in order to arrive in Pamukkale by late afternoon. This change gave us the opportunity to visit the ancient location on a sunny afternoon that rolled into a long, unforgettable sunset. Boy, were we happy that we thought ahead and adjusted our plans! We returned the next morning and explored Hierapolis in the cloudy and cooler weather. Keep reading below for all of the important details about visiting Pamukkale and Hierapolis.
Drive from Fethiye to Pamukkale
We decided quite early in our trip-planning process that we were going to rent a car in Turkey because it gave us much more freedom to visit a few places without the need for a guide or tour company. Pamukkale was one of these places. An added bonus: driving through the Turkish countryside was a very lovely experience. The meandering course took us from the seaside Fethiye, through the mountainous coast and into the Aegean region. We were surprised by the elevations and changes in geography along the coast, and we enjoyed seeing the fields of wild poppies just off the roadside.
Where to stay in Pamukkale
There is not much to see or do in this area other than visiting the travertines at Pamukkale and the ancient ruins of Hierapolis, and both of these can be seen in a single day. We decided that one night in the are would be plenty, and we opted to stay directly in Pamukkale rather than nearby Denizli. It may be more popular to stay in Denizli, as this is where many of the tour groups pick up, but we knew we did not want to use a tour for this visit. Our hotel for the night, Hotel Sahin, was directly across the street from once of the entrances to Pamukkale and offered a nice view of the ancient grounds. The hotel was quite simple but served us well for the night and even provided a small breakfast held in a nice room above the hotel that shared the view. Check-in was easy, and, importantly, there was a nearby space for us to park our vehicle.
Pamukkale Travertines
As soon as we arrived in the region, we drove straight to Pamukkale to see the one thing we’d driven all this way for. There are three separate entrances to Pamukkale: town entrance, North entrance, and South entrance. For easiest access to the thermal pools, and if you have a vehicle, use the South entrance. If not, the town entrance requires you to walk up to the pools from the bottom and alongside the layers of travertines, which can be slippery. The North entrance is a bit further away but allows you to walk by many of the important ruins from the ancient city of Hierapolis. In preparation for our visit, I read many different and often contradictory times for opening and closing of the area. After visting, though, I can say it is a safe bet that the travertines will be open by 7:00 A.M. and close after sunset during the summer months. No one was rushing us out during our visit.
We walked directly from the South entrance to the famous travertines. It takes no time to understand why visitors have been flocking here since the 2nd century BC. The travertine basins, formed by mineral deposits of calcium left behind from the hot springs in the area, cascade beautifully from top to bottom in various shades of blue and white. There is no substitute for visiting on a sunny day, as the changing sun reflects off the pools giving them an ever-changing appearance. Truthfully, we were in awe from the moment we approached until the moment we left the travertines.
Swimming or bathing in the travertines is allowed, but don’t expect the warm water that you’ll find at other thermal springs. Since the majority of the pools that visitors are allowed to wade in are located near the top of the tiered layout, they are quite shallow and cool quickly. The water is also dirtier and the travertine much less pristine, leaving the majority of the beauty behind and beyond your swimming basin. Still, we used the changing facilities on site to quickly swap our comfortable driving clothes for bathing suits and made our way into the travertines terraces.
Because we visited in the afternoon, many of the tour groups had already started to make their way out of the Pamukkale area. Those that remained were mainly viewing the travertines from the North entrance side, leaving our side relatively uncrowded. We ditched our shoes (a requirement in order to enter the terracess) and conquered the slippery and slightly jagged travertine as we made our way to a spot along the edge. After snapping some photos with our GoPro and remote, we marveled at the antiquity of the very special structure in which we were relaxing. Also impressive was the view of the surrounding Turkish countryside, as Pamukkale is located on a plateau of sorts, giving 180-degree views of green pastures and distant mountains. We stayed in the water for an extended bit, entranced by its natural beauty found in few other places in the world.
Cleopatra's Ancient Pool
While in our bathing suits, we decided to head over to the Antique Pool for another swim experience. Situated above the Pamukkale travertine terraces, this Ancient Pool is fed by the same thermal waters. It is called “Cleopatra’s Pool” because it is said that the Eqyptian Queen once swam here at a time when it was surrounded by a temple to Apollo. Due to an earthquake, though, this temple is now in ruins, making for a completely unique bath experience. Whether this tale is true or not, we found the experience to be a fun one and worth the extra cost to swim.
The Ancient Pool is operated by a separate entity and functions as a modern spa facility, which makes it feel a bit more “touristy”. You can rent a locker on site for your belongings where there is also access to restrooms and changing facilities. Cameras are not allowed in the pool, which we found to be a bit odd, but after we encountered a photographer employed by the facility, we understood why. The pool is surrounded by several shops and eateries swarming with tourists taking a peak at the pool, so the spa experience is definitely less calming. Still, it was a lot of fun to swim freely in the deep, warm spring water while dodging and climbing over Roman columns on the floor of the pool.
Sunset at Pamukkale
After our swim in the Ancient Pool, we did our best to dry off (despite knowing we needed to bring a towel, we still managed to forget one) and made our way back to the travertine terraces. Sunset was approaching, and as the crowds continued thinning, we knew we wanted to enjoy the sunset at this spot before going to check in to our hotel. In my opinion, this was one of the best decisions we made during this entire trip. Sunset at this spot was unforgettable and has eclipsed several other amazing spots as my favorite sunset of all time! With so few people remaining by this time in the evening, it was calming and peaceful to watch the sun slowly drop behind the large trees that line the west side of the travertines. It came as no surprise, after viewing this sunset, that Pamukkale means “cotton castle” in Turkish. We simply sat on the wooden deck and let the magical sunset unfold before our eyes.
Dinner in Pamukkale town
After returning to the car and driving just down the hill to where our hotel was located on the main street of Pamukkale, we quickly got settled and changed into different clothes for dinner. We chose Kayac Wine House due to its close, walkable location and great online reviews. This was our first meal outside of the resort that we’d been staying at, so we were excited about our first leap into Turkish cuisine. Overall, this place was great! We each ordered a different variety of kebab which were served on a flaming cast-iron plate to the table along with grilled peppers and rice. The atmosphere was nice, too, with tree vines and flowers growing along the ceiling and a pair of restaurant dogs that loved attention. After a nice meal and some drinks, we retreated back to our hotel for a good night’s rest.
Ancient city of Hierapolis
The next morning, after a quick breakfast at the hotel, we turned to visit the ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis. Over the years, this ancient city served many functions including being used as a healing center where doctors treated patients with the water from the thermal springs of Pamukkale. Later a piece of the Roman empire, the city continued to thrive and addtitions such as a gynasium, library, and theatre were added. We weren’t guided through the ruins of Hierapolis, so most of our time was just spent exploring and reading about what we saw through a combination of online sources and the posted signs at each stop. The grounds of Hierapolis and Pamukkale were beautifully kept, with rose bushes lining the streets and walkways. Most impressive was the amphitheatre at the top of the hill, where views of the entire region below were magnificent, even on a coudy day.
After several hours of exploration at Hierapolis, we stopped for a quick lunch at a local, sub-par kebab shop before jumping back in the car and starting the next leg of our journey through Turkey. Just another 3-hour drive separated us from the Aegean sea and several exciting days in Kuşadasi, Turkey.