Featuring chalky white travertine terraces brimming with light blue water, Pamukkale in southwestern Turkey looks like the surface of another planet. The thermal pools at Pamukkale, which translates to “cotton castle” in Turkish, lead up to the ancient ruins of Hierapolis, a Roman spa town with gates, a theater, a temple, and a necropolis that you can visit. Wading through the thermal pools and exploring the ruins—both of which have been granted UNESCO World Heritage status—are the most popular things to do in Pamukkale, but you can also soak in the Antique Pool (also known as Cleopatra Pool), visit the Hierapolis Archaeological Museum, and soar over the area in a hot air balloon.
Pamukkale can be visited year-round, but the best time is in the spring or fall months (April–May and September–October) when the weather is warm and mild and the crowds are manageable. The sun can be intense in the summer months, but walking through Pamukkale’s thermal pools this time of year is a refreshing experience. Come winter, the same experience will warm you up in the chilly air.
Located 11 miles (17 kilometers) north of Denizli, Pamukkale can be reached by rental car, minibus (dolmus), or taxi. Once in Pamukkale, you can navigate the small town on foot or by minibus. Guided tours from Istanbul and Cappadocia are also available.
Make sure to walk through the travertines to get to Hierapolis, which is quite an extensive site and worth spending even more time in than the actual pools of Pamukkale. It’s possible to spend only a day in Pamukkale and see everything, though if you stay overnight, you can enter the site in the morning when it opens and beat the crowds that come to visit.
