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Pamukkale is a small town at the base of its namesake travertine terraces and ancient city of Hierapolis. It makes a great base for that and a few ancient cities in the region.
Getting to Pamukkale
Pamukkale is well-connected by bus to major cities including Istanbul and Izmir. I used Pamukkale Turizm, which has an office in the center of town.
The nearest airport is Denizli Çardak Airport, which is a little less than an hour away. There’s only service to both airports in Istanbul. To get into Pamukkale, you can take a taxi or organize an airport shuttle through your hotel. It’s also possible to get to the bus terminal in Denizli with the Hava Ulaşım bus, then hop on a public bus to Pamukkale.
Getting Around Pamukkale
The famous travertine terraces and city of Hierapolis are accessible on foot. You can walk to the base of the travertines, then walk up to Hierapolis at the top. You can also take a taxi to one of the upper entrances to Hierapolis and walk down to the town after exploring the ruins.
To get to further away sites like Laodicea or Aphrodisias, if you don’t have your own transportation you can join an organized tour or go by public bus. Laodicea is only about 15 minutes away while Aphrodisias is about 75 minutes away.
Where to Stay in Pamukkale
There’s not much to do in the town itself, but there’s plenty of accommodation for all budgets as well as restaurants. I’ve stayed overnight there twice.
Dört Mevsim Hotel
For my first stay in Pamukkale in November 2011, I stayed at the Dört Mevsim Hotel. It’s a small family-run budget hotel. The hotel has clean rooms and is a friendly place just a short walk from the both the town center and the travertine terraces. There’s also a pool filled with natural spring water as well as a restaurant offering home-cooked meals throughout the day.
Venus Suite Hotel
For my second stay in June 2022, I stayed at the Venus Suite Hotel. It’s actually right around the corner from the Dört Mevsim Hotel and also has a pool. The rooms, clean, comfortable, and quiet at night. Staff is friendly and helpful.
We appreciated the big breakfast spread in the morning. It’s served in the dining room. There’s also a full-service restaurant with a big menu. We ended up eating in after our arrival in the evening, and the food is delicious. I had a vegetable stew cooked in a clay pot.
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Park
At the bottom of the terraces is a park with a large pool where water has collected. It’s possible to rent paddle boats and a trail follows the perimeter of the pool. There’s also a picnic area as well as a few swimming pools filled with thermal waters.
