Pamukkale
★ 4.8🇹🇷 DenizliSuggested visit 2-3 hoursBest season April to June and September to October, with mild weather
World HeritageNatural wonderHistoric site
Snow-white travertine terraces formed by hot springs, inscribed with the ancient city of Hierapolis above.
Overview
Pamukkale means cotton castle: calcium-rich hot springs have deposited layer upon layer of white travertine pools down the hillside, each holding pale blue-green warm water. Above them stand the ruins of Hierapolis, a Greco-Roman city with a theatre, a temple of Apollo and a large necropolis. It was inscribed in 1988 as a mixed natural and cultural World Heritage Site, and wading is now limited to protect the travertine.
History
The travertine formed from the hot springs, Hierapolis was founded in the 2nd century BC and flourished as a spa town under Rome and Byzantium, and the site was inscribed in 1988.
Highlights
- •The white travertine pools
- •The theatre at Hierapolis
- •The necropolis and Temple of Apollo
- •The Cleopatra antique pool
Practical tips
- •The travertine must be walked barefoot — the surface is slippery
- •Sunrise and sunset give the best reflections
Practical information
- Best time
- April-June, September-October
- Tickets
- About EUR 30
- Opening hours
- 8:00-19:00 (summer)
- Local food
- Turkish kebab, Denizli roast chicken, baklava
- Getting around
- About 30 minutes from Denizli, 3.5 hours from Izmir.
- Visa
- A visa is required and an e-visa is available.
Traveller reviews
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