Are you ready for Pamukkale?

After enjoying the first three days in Istanbul it was time for me to experience the mineral-rich thermal waters and visit the ancient Roman ruins at Pamukkale. 

Pamukkale is a small town in western Turkey known for the mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down white travertine terraces on a nearby hillside. Its neighbors Hierapolis, an ancient Roman spa city founded around 190 B.C. Ruins there include a well-preserved theater and a necropolis with sarcophagi that stretch for 2km. The Antique Pool is famous for its submerged Roman columns, the result of an earthquake.

Watch a short video: 

How to get there?
You’ll have to fly from Sabiah Gocken Airport, Istanbul to Denizili Airport. To get to Sabiah Gocken you can take Havas Bus from Taksim for 18 TL.

As soon as you exit Denzili aiport you will find Pamukkale tourism bus in the parking lot. It takes 60 mins and 35 TL/person to get to Pamukkale.

Where to stay?
This small town has everything kind of accommodation for every kind of pocket. From expensive resorts for deep pockets to moderately priced hotels to Airbnbs for others. Find an accommodation closer to the Park.

What to see in Pamukkale?
Apart from visiting the travertines and Hierapolis there is nothing else to see. It costs 30 TL to see both places. Deep pockets who like to fly high can go paragliding or in a hot air balloon over the travertines. The hot air balloons are much cheaper (150 Euros) to fly here compared to Goreme, Capadoccia. So, 1-day is a more than enough to finish Pamukkale and take a bus or flight to your next destination.

Other tips
- While travel agents may push you to join a tour, you can do it by yourself
- Start early as this place can get crowded and tourist go crazy in the travertines
- Wear light-colored clothing as the place gets warm and remains sunny 365 days a year
- Wear a flipflop as you will have to remove while you pass through the travertines
- Be wise to carry a water bottle, sunglass, hat, sunscreen
- You don’t have much food options on the top, so carry your own food
- Walk around the town in the morning to discover pomegranate trees in every yard
- This is a good place to buy carpets (bargain ruthlessly, don’t pay more than 50% of what they ask)

Where to eat?
There is just one street (Kale Mahallesi Ataturk Cadesi) in Pamukkale where you can find restaurants, tourism office, carpet and grocery stores. Avoid Hotel Mustafa – both food and service is awful.

When you are ready to leave…
You can book yourself on a bus from Pamukkale using this site http://busticketline.com/index.php/pamukkale-tourism-bus-company.html or fly out of Denizili to your next destination.

I took a complete rest day at Pamukkale. I woke up late, watched a few episodes of my favorite show on Netflix, walked around the town without any agenda, had a long conversation with the locals about their life and organized my notes for this blog.

Here are some pictures from my clicks: https://photos.app.goo.gl/FAofbQzQg4cuDSbc7

I'll catch you at my next destination, Kusadasi.