Pamukkale Day Tour from Selcuk

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Selçuk, Turkey

11 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover an otherworldly landscape and a UNESCO-listed historical site on a full-day trip to Pamukkale and Hierapolis from Selçuk. Explore 'Cotton Cliffs,' terraced pools of turquoise water and travertine formations, with time to enjoy the site on your own and with an expert guide. Visit a Hellenistic spa town where ancient Attalid kings and Romans have left behind a remarkable network of canals, ruins and beautifully-preserved stone structures.

Full-day Pamukkale and Hierapolis tour from Selçuk
Choose a small group tour for a personal experience
See natural and historic landmarks
Lunch included
Free hotel pickup and drop-off included
All entrance fees included

What's Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges
Fuel surcharge
Lunch
Local guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Drinks
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

HOTEL PICK-UPS - From Selcuk or Kusadasi hotels are usually from 7.15 AM to 07.45 AM. - Pick up times may vary depending on a) your pick up point b) how many other additional people/pick up points we have that day. This means the final pick up time will be decided 1 day before. - IT IS IMPORTANT that you contact our pick up operator on (call/WhatsApp/SMS) to find out your final pick up time. MEETING POINT If you are coming to our office to meet the tour, our office is located next to Ephesus Museum in Selcuk, opposite Selcuk bus station. Address: Ataturk Mah. Ugur mumcu sevgi yolu sok. No 16/b Selcuk, Izmir

Operating hours
.7:30 am

Itinerary

Meet your guide at your Selçuk hotel, and make the drive to Pamukkale in a comfortable, air conditioned minibus. Learn about local history on the way, and break for lunch before visiting the pair of remarkable sites.

Hear stories about the ancient people who flocked to Pamukkale’s mineral-rich water, then follow your guide to some of the best formations—don’t miss the ‘Cotton Castle,’ where thousands of years of mineral deposits have taken the shape of a frozen waterfall. After your walking tour, enjoy free time to visit the site on your own, snapping photos of the eerie landscape and taking in pool after pool.

In the nearby city of Hierapolis, step into the ancient world: see ruined temples and spa-like baths, a towering arch, necropolis and theater. Learn how the inhabitants paid their respects to local nymphs in the nymphaeum, then see how the pagan structures gave way to churches and St. Philip’s martyrium. Soak up views of the landscape on the return trip to the coast, then finish the day at your Selçuk hotel.

Pamukkale

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Pamukkale Theater

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Hierapolis Apollon tapınağı

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Pamukkale Thermal Pools

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
Infant meals not included
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.4

based on 25 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Entertaining tour

Joel_A, Oct 2025

This was a very entertaining and educational tour, we had a great time. Pamukkale is such an amazing place and natural wonder.

Awful experience, please read below

Sheldon_H, Oct 2024

I've taken enough tours to know what to expect and most have booked through Viator. This review is soley about the tour guide and unfortunately he represents the entire tour company. I will start with his ability as a guide then move to why this is a 1 star rating. I wish I had his name, it is difficult for me to remember Turkish names and I don't want to mistakenly use the wrong name. In truth, the guide makes or breaks a tour, the places/event usually handle themselves but it is the role of the guide to ensure everyone is engaged and enjoying themselves. It is a skill. As a guide he was quite knowledgable but his delivery of the information was done facing forward looking out the front window and speaking into the microphone and delivering a monologue. It was like listening to a recording, no breaks, pause or interaction with the people. For a 3 hour ride, it was painful and everyone fell asleep. Because of this there was no chemistry on the bus and it did not feel very welcoming. Now the big reason I would give 0 stars if I could....his first comment to people is that everyone needed cash to pay for extra events not included in the ticket. He said Turkyie doesn't readily accept credit cards which is untrue, especially going to tourist attractions. This seemed very strange and then I realized why he said that. He asked to pay him in cash for any events and he would name the price. People thought he was making things easier for them and being a helpful guide. This didn't sit with me because of his credit card comment so when I decided to pay for the thermal pool swim as an extra, I went to the ticket both myself and paid by credit card. I then realized he was overcharging people. For this extra activity he asked for 860 Lira cash for 2 people. When I went to the ticket counter to pay by credit card, I paid 640 Lira. He then asked for 80 Lira to get a locker for your things and you had to bring the key back to him when done. I gave my key back to the person hosting the lockers and when he asked where my key was, he showed some panic and went back to the locker attendant to talk to him. Strange. To top it all off he never offered water, which he had for the tour, and expected people to buy there own when we stopped for a break. I knew water was available and asked him for it and his response was people usually buy there own but if I wanted, he could get me a water. He was strangely discreet about it. I would ask 2 more times on the trip and each time it was like I was bothering him. It was 32 degrees celsius! Not that size matters, but they were the tiny 330ml bottles not the normal 500ml. And last but not least, the company took all our hotel names so we could be picked up and dropped off at our hotels. No one was picked up at their hotel but someone did come to collect each of us at our hotel and everyone needed to walk to a bus convienient spot, some people walking 15 min. Some were elderly. After almost a 12 hour day can you imaging having to walk back to your hotel because they dropped everyone off where you walked to in the morning. Young or old, it is a bit of a chore, and it was at night. I felt so bad for some people, they looked very disappointed but didn't really say much. As you can imagine it was hard to truly enjoy ourselves as I knew what was going on behind the scenes but decided to not cause a mutiny and leave my comments here. I hope that reprecussions come to the guide and the company for allowing this to happen.

Wonderful day trip to Pamukkale from Selcuk

gourabb1986, Mar 2024

Wonderful small group tour from Izmir/Kusadasi/Selcuk to Pamukkale/Hierapolis. Comfortable ride, knowledgeable guide Mr Fais, sumptuous Turkish lunch and the beautiful Pamukkale. Just a regret, only if the tour was about an hour long would've been perfect.

...

Trevor_S, Nov 2023

Eran was a good guide, lots local and Turkish nowledge, the hot springs were a very comfortable warm temperature

Pamukkale tour from Selcuk.

Ewa_K, May 2023

Unique site, but many of the pools did not have water in them. Despite this, we enjoyed our time exploring; tour guide was knowledgeable, he showed us around the main sites, then we had free time to explore. Prompt pick up from our hotel, comfortable journey- interesting landscape en route and excellent lunch. Yes, would recommend this tour.

Great things to see....

Christie_N, Jun 2022

Great things to see. Guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Long day trip but terraces and Cleopatras pool was great. Heiroplois theater one of the best I've ever seen.

This tour was disappointing. The one...

Rachel H, Jun 2017

This tour was disappointing. The one benefit was that tourism is really slow in Turkey right now June 2017 so it was less crowded than it probably could have been I can't imagine what this would be like during a busy time, Blech!. The calcium terraces are very visibly worn by the volume of people visiting them, so they don't look as striking as the photos suggest. I think the water source is also diminishing, so the flow has slowed and shrunken the pooling area. Hieropolis was a neat site, and is all in the same place as the cotton castle. The guide that I had for this tour contributed to its disappointment. He was nice, but clearly not excited about being there that day maybe just an off day for him, who knows?, so he hardly told us anything interesting that we couldn't have just read on a sign. All in all, the sign was not worth the length of the trip and expense to get there.

Picked up right outside my hotel...

Michael_O, Jul 2016

Picked up right outside my hotel ,excellent tour guide ,funny and excellent atmosphere ,great group of people on the tour bus ,stopped for buffet style lunch on the way ,shown in a shop how marble is made into ornaments and then drove to pamukkale ,amazing sight to see,well worth the long drive