{"id":31831,"date":"2023-12-28T23:02:30","date_gmt":"2023-12-28T20:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.journeys6senses.com\/pamukkale-turkey\/"},"modified":"2024-05-11T18:17:32","modified_gmt":"2024-05-11T15:17:32","slug":"pamukkale-turkey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.journeys6senses.com\/en\/pamukkale-turkey\/","title":{"rendered":"Pamukkale, Turkey – what to do in two days"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pamukkale without <\/b><\/span>excursions: how to get there by car or public transport, what to do in two days, how much tickets costs to the travertines and ruins of <\/b><\/em>Hierapolis, and where to treat yourself with thermal water.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We went to Pamukalle when we were traveling around Turkey by car<\/strong>. I really wanted to see the travertine terraces with blue water without tourist crowds. The dream has come true!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Pamukkale area?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Pamukkale<\/strong> means “Castle of Cotton” in Turkish. This is also the name of a small village near the city of Dinezli, which is home to one of the famous wonders of Turkey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a huge mountain of white limestone – travertine,<\/strong> which formed at the outcrop of geothermal springs that have been flowing here for thousands of years. The mineral water brings calcium and chalk to the surface, which forms white natural baths <\/strong>of warm blue water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Back in the days of the Roman Empire<\/strong>, which spread to the territory of modern Turkey, the ancient Romans steamed in thermal springs. Above the travertines are the ruins of ancient Roman baths. Here was the ancient city of Hierapolis<\/strong>, which is well preserved to this day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, everyone goes to Pamukkale<\/strong> for this beauty: to walk barefoot on travertines, bathe in thermal water, see ancient ruins, and even get treated with mineral water in local sanatoriums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting to Pamukkale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Most tourists come to Pamukkale on tour buses. They don’t even think about how to get there. We never look for easy ways, but it is still more interesting to travel on your own. So if I’m planning an independent trip myself, I either book a car or look for public transportation that will make it easier to get to the right place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Pamukkale by car<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The most convenient way to travel around Turkey is by car. It has been tested on our own experience and more than once. We traveled to Turkey in our own car <\/strong>and also rented a car<\/a> <\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a completely different experience, but you can definitely drive anywhere (at least where there are roads).<\/p>\n\n\n

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When planning your route to Pamukkale<\/strong>, you need to put a stop at Denizli<\/strong>. It is a large city with Pamukkale in its neighborhood. We were traveling from Antalya<\/strong>, from the city of Isparta<\/strong>, on the D320 highway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are going to Pamukkale from Oludeniz<\/strong>, you should first take the D330, and then in the village of S\u00f6\u011f\u00fct<\/strong> turn onto the E87 to Denizli. This is the route we took, only in the opposite direction, when we were traveling from Pamukkale to Oludeniz<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The road is not easy, it takes about 3.5 hours<\/strong> if you don’t make stops, and it leads through the mountains. Therefore, if you plan to go to Pamukkale on your own and for just one day, you need to leave before dawn. Or plan to spend the night there, otherwise you won’t have time to see anything and will have to return late at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting to Pamukkale by public transport<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It all depends on where you are planning to travel from. If you want to go to Pamukkale from Oludeniz<\/strong>, the nearest large city with buses is Fethiye<\/strong>. There are minibuses (dolmus) to Fethiye from Oludeniz every 15-20 minutes, costing 42 Turkish lira (about $2). You need to get to the main bus station Fethiye Otogar\u0131<\/strong> – it is from here that buses to Pamukkale depart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several bus companies that sell tickets in this direction. Several bus companies run this route, for example: Goltur<\/strong> or \u00c7ameli<\/strong> Koop<\/strong>. The ticket price is $7-10 one way. Sometimes it may take a little longer due to a stop in Denizli. From Antalya there is an even bigger choice of buses going to Pamukkale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re planning a trip to Pamukkale by bus<\/strong>, it’s convenient to see the bus schedule and buy bus tickets in Turkey online<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travertines in Pamukkale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The first thing I wanted to do in Pamukkale was to go to the white travertines<\/strong>. We were lucky, there were no package tourists in the afternoon. They usually arrive in the morning and leave in the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So we walked through these amazing calcium formations together with a small number of tourists who came here on their own. We spent time on the travertines until sunset and saw the water turn from milky blue to golden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I had to choose what time of day to come to the travertines, I would definitely choose the afternoon:<\/p>\n\n\n\n