Visiting Pamukkale: Is it Worth it? (What to Expect)

The Travertines of Pamukkale are one of Turkey’s most famous tourist attractions. However, they don’t look exactly like the pictures or videos you see on social media—but, is it still worth a visit? In this article, we’ll share 10 things you should know before visiting Pamukkale and our opinion on whether we think it’s worth the trip.

Is it worth to visit Pamukkale? While the Pamukkale Travertines may not look exactly like the photos you see on social media, we still recommend including them in your itinerary, specially if you’re traveling through Turkey by car.

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1. How to Get to Pamukkale?

From Instabul…

If you’re coming from Istanbul, the easiest option is to fly to Denizli Çardak Airport (DNZ). Then, at the airport you can get a bus to Pamukkale.

There’s also a bus from Istanbul to Pamukkale. It will take a long time, but it’s a cheaper option.

If you also want to visit Ephesus…

If you also want to visit Ephesus, fly to Izmir (Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport) instead. Then, go to Selçuk to visit Ephesus. From there, you can get a train to Denizli, where to can get a bus to Pamukkale.

Since we were on a road trip through Turkey, we simply drove our rented car from Izmir to Pamukkale. It took us approximately two and a half hours. We decided to fly from Istanbul to Izmir because we also wanted to visit Ephesus.

There are also day tours from Izmir to Pamukkale like this one, for example.

From Cappadocia…

If you’re coming from Cappadocia, you can get a flight from Kayseri or Nevsehir airports to Izmir. Then, get a train from Izmir to Denizli, where you can get a bus to Pamukkale.

2. What to Do in Pamukkale?

The main attractions of Pamukkale are the white travertines, the Ancient City of Hierapolis that was built around the travertines, and Cleopatra’s pool. These are all on the same complex.

Other popular activities in this area include a hot air balloon ride and pragliding.

Besides this, there isn’t much to do in the city, and one full day or half a day should be enough to see what’s interesting.

3. Pamukkale Ticket

The ticket to Pamukkale includes the travertines, the Hierapolis Archaeological Site, including the museum, and Cleopatra’s pool (if you want to swim you need to pay an extra fee). The price, in my opinion, is quite expensive, 30€ per person (as of December 2024).

If you have a Turkey museum pass, entrance to Pamukkale is included.

Tip no. 1: Before entering, go to the info desk and ask for a free map. This way it’s easier to located yourself on the place, specially if you want to see the points of interest of Hierapolis.

Tip no. 2: You can also have access to an audio guide on your smartphone. You need to install the Museums of Türkiye app on your smartphone. The data signal was a bit bad and sometimes loading the audio took a while.

4. Pamukkale Entrances

There are three entrances to Pamukkale: North Entrance, South Entrance, and City Entrance.

• South Entrance: this is the best entrance for quick access to the travertines and Cleopatra’s Pool. It has the biggest parking lot. So, it’s great if you come by car. This was the entrance that we used.

• North Entrance: if you want to start with exploring Hierapolis first before reaching the travertines. The parking lot is smaller.

• City Entrance: you walk up through the travertines from Pamukkale Town. You need to walk barefoot as shoes are not allowed. This may take a while and the surface of the travertines can be slippery and rough, so I don’t recommend this option if you have sensitive feet.

5. Pamukkale Travertines: What Do They Look Like?

The travertines are a natural place formed by the deposition of calcium carbonate from hot spring water. Over thousands of years, these deposits have created the white terraces. While they’re definitely worth seeing and are a unique geological formation, they don’t look exactly like the photos online.

This is because many of the pools are dry. I’ve read that this is intentional, however, I’m not really sure. I’ve read that it’s to protect the site because constant flow can damage the natural formations over time. But, I’ve also read it’s because they had to reroute the water flow to supply population’s demands. This does take away a bit of the beauty of the place (if you compared it with pictures from some years ago), but it is what it is.

Nonetheless, if you focus on the pools with water, it’s quite a stunning sight. Even the pools without water are quite interesting if you think these were naturally formed.

Don’t expect to swim on the travertine pools

The pools are shallow, so in my opinion, they’re definitely not good to go for a swim but it’s nice to soak your feet in them.

You must walk barefoot on the travertines

To help preserve the few structures with water, you must walk barefoot through the pools. If you have sensitive feet, you might find it uncomfortable because the surface is rough and uneven. Some areas provide good grip, but others can be extremely slippery, so be cautious.

You cannot wear shoes, but if you’re more comfortable, you can wear socks.

Expect Crowds

The travertines are the most popular attraction in Pamukkale, so expect crowds throughout the day. We visited around sunset, and there were fewer people than I expected, probably because the big tour buses had already left. Additionally, the first pools are always the most crowded. The further away you go, the less crowded it gets.

We were able to record some videos and snap some pictures with no one in the background.

If you want to visit without the crowds, go as soon as it opens. In summer, it opens quite early, so there will definitely be very few people.

6. You Can Swim in Cleopatra’s Pool – Antique Pool

Cleopatra’s Pool is located above the travertines of Pamukkale. It is a thermal pool fed by the same mineral-rich water that creates the travertines, and legend has it that Cleopatra once swam here.

Today, the pool contains ruins of ancient roman columns and other remnants submerged in its waters. You can swim in the pool for an extra fee, but entry to the area is free if you just want to sit by the pool.

They’ve built a lot of facilities around the pool like changing rooms and a big cafe/restaurant, which in my opinion takes away the natural beauty of the place and and make it feel overly commercialized. At the time of our visit, the pools were quite crowded and with a weird vibe, so we decided to skip swimming there, even though we’re huge fans of thermal waters.

7. Don’t Miss Hierapolis

Hierapolis is an ancient city located above the travertines (the same entrance ticket) and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The place is quite big and there are many interesting and well-preserved ruins, I was quite impressed. You can see a well-preserved theater, ancient baths, temples and a necropolis with several buildings belonging to different periods of time in history.

One of the places I found more interesting was the Plutonium, a sanctuary dedicated to Pluto, the god of the underworld. This sacred area featured a cave from which toxic carbon dioxide fumes emerged, likely produced by geothermal activity beneath the ground. This cave was believed to be the entrance to the underworld. Strange rites were performed here, including the sacrifice of bulls, which were exposed to the fumes until they suffocated.

Another impressive place for how well preserved it is, it’s the Theatre—don’t miss it out. The stage is decorated with statues, two of them are missing, and the other two are headless, but that doesn’t take away the impressiveness of the place.

8. Bring Your Own Food

There is only one restaurant area inside the whole complex located inside Cleopatra’s pool building. However, there isn’t much variety of food and it is extremely expensive for what is offered.

9. Other Activities in Pamukkale

Pamukkale is also a popular place for a hot air balloon ride (but not as popular as Cappadocia), and for paragliding. If you’re interested in a hot air balloon ride, they happen around sunrise time.

10. Where to Stay in Pamukkale

We spent nearly the entire day exploring Hierapolis and the travertines, so staying overnight in Pamukkale town made sense for us. If you’re not interested in the Hierapolis ancient city, you’ll probably need less time to explore this place. So, staying in Pamukkale town might not be a good choice as there isn’t much else to do. Otherwise, staying in Pamukkale will be a good decision.

We stayed at the Paradise House Pamukkale, a budget family hotel. Everything was clean, the bed was comfortable, and the breakfast was reasonable taking into account the price of the place. It’s a great option for budget travelers and families.

Where to Stay in Pamukkale?

Here are some suggestions:

• Paradise House (budget)
• Venus Suite Hotel (budget)
• Pamukkale Sahin Hotel (medium range)
• Tripolis Hotel (high range)
• Pamukkale Whiteheaven Suite Hotel (high range)

Wrapping Up – Is it Worth Visiting Pamukkale?

Even though most of the Travertines of Pamukkale are dry and don’t look like the same as in old pictures of this place, it’s still quite a unique and impressive geological formation. There will be a few pools with water and you can also walk on some areas of the travertines, so it will still be a good experience.

Additionally, you also have access to the Ancient City of Hierapolis to explore. Even though it’s not as impressive as Ephesus, it also has some incredible structures like the Theatre and the Plutonium.

So, in my opinion, it’s still worth visiting Pamukkale, just make sure you have realistic expectations.

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