PAMUKKALE TOUR FROM ANTALYA

• We invite you to an exciting trip to a special paradise spot in southwest Turkey called Pamukkale, also known as "Cotton Castle." Discover the white terraces made by nature and time, and enjoy amazing views. Swim in hot springs and learn history by visiting the ancient city Hierapolis, the city of the dead, an old museum, and St. Philip's Church. Finish your adventure at Lake Salda with its white beach, called the "Turkish Maldives." Don't miss the chance to explore Pamukkale's wonders – book your tour today!
• Check the current price and detailed program on our website. Book the trip today and pay on the bus. We made sure our trips are not only interesting but also comfortable. The price includes transfers from hotels in Kundu, Lara, Kaleici, Antalya, Konyaalti. Enjoy your vacation with us.

Tour program

• Tourists pick-up from hotels at 05:00 - 06:00 (After booking confirmation, the exact pick-up time will be added to your e-ticket.)
• 20-minute breakfast stop at a restaurant.
• Visit Lake Salda.
• Lunch stop at a buffet restaurant.
• Arrival in Pamukkale.
• Guide's talk about Pamukkale and ancient city Hierapolis.
• Tickets for Cleopatra's Pool and storage room keys given.
• Free time (3 hours) to visit ancient city (theater, museum, necropolis), Pamukkale travertine terraces, and Cleopatra's Pool.
• Return keys and go back to the bus.
• Gathering on the bus.
• Optional group choice: visit a wine cellar or onyx shop. Taste and buy fruit wines: pomegranate, cherry, blackberry. Pomegranate wine is famous in the region, and pomegranate plantations are seen on the way to Pamukkale. Buy onyx products or jewelry as gifts or souvenirs.
• Dinner stop at a buffet restaurant.
• Return to hotels at 21:00 - 22:00

More about the tour

• During our trip to Pamukkale, our tourists do NOT visit sponsor shops. This means you'll have more free time to explore natural and historical sights (Salda Lake, travertines, ancient city of Hierapolis ruins, Cleopatra's pool). If the group wants, we can visit a wine cellar or onyx factory. For example, visiting a wine cellar lets you taste and buy fruit wines like pomegranate, cherry, and blackberry. The region is famous for pomegranate wine, and you'll see pomegranate farms on the way to Pamukkale. The onyx factory is near Pamukkale Park. Here, you'll learn how the mineral is mined, used, and made into products you can see and buy.
• Our tour starts at 05:00-06:00. We'll pick you up at your hotel's security gate and go to Pamukkale. On the way to the Cotton Castle, you'll pass towns like Acipayam with almond groves, Korkuteli where people grow mushrooms, and Denizli – the region's most developed city. The guide will also share interesting stories about these places.
• First stop is a roadside local restaurant for breakfast, which is included in the price. Then, we continue to Salda Lake. You'll have free time to swim, take photos, and try mud treatments from the lake's rich shores.
• After enjoying one of Turkey's natural attractions, you'll go to another. It's 100 km from Salda Lake to Pamukkale. But first, you'll stop for lunch at a restaurant to regain your energy.
• When you arrive at Pamukkale Park, the guide will tell you about the area's history and rules for being on the travertines. Then, you'll have free time. You'll see the ancient city of Hierapolis ruins, including a well-preserved Roman theater, the world's largest necropolis, city walls, and St. Philip's Church. The tour price also includes entry to the Archaeological Museum, where you'll see artifacts from excavations. You'll walk on the white travertines and take memorable photos, and for an extra fee, swim in Cleopatra's pool filled with mineral water from the springs.
• At the time set by the guide, you'll return to the bus and start your way back. If the group wants, you can visit a wine cellar or onyx factory. You can taste wine, see beautiful natural stone products, and buy great souvenirs for yourself and loved ones.
• On the way back to the hotel, you'll stop for dinner, which is included in the tour price.
• You'll arrive back at the hotel around 21:00 - 22:00.

Included in the price

• We pick you up from your hotel.
• We will drop you back to your hotel.
• Insurance
• Guide services
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Entrance ticket to Pamukkale: white travertines, ancient city, archaeological museum ($20)
• Entrance ticket to Salda Lake

Not included in the price

• Personal expenses (photos, souvenirs, etc.)
• Any drinks during the tour
• Cleopatra's Pool (optional). The approximate price is $10-11, as the dollar exchange rate changes daily. During the tour, the guide will tell you the exact price for Cleopatra's Pool.

Please bring

• Camera, water
• Towel, swimsuit
• Sunscreen, sunglasses
• Money for personal expenses

Distance

• Distance from Konyaalti to Pamukkale: 245 km - 3 hours 20 minutes
• Distance from Antalya Center to Pamukkale: 247 km - 3 hours 25 minutes
• Distance from Kaleici to Pamukkale: 248 km - 3 hours 30 minutes
• Distance from Lara to Pamukkale: 255 km - 3 hours 35 minutes
• Distance from Kundu to Pamukkale: 257 km - 3 hours 35 minutes

Watch tour video

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Important Information

Early booking discounts

• Book early!
• Book this tour at least 7 days before the trip starts and get a 4% discount.
• Book this tour at least 30 days before the trip starts and get a 5% discount.

Extra Information

• The guide has the right to change the tour order without changing the overall program.
• Children who join the tour for free do not get separate seats on the bus. They share seats with adults (sit on their laps).
• If you want your child to have a separate seat on the bus, book them as a paid child during the reservation.
• According to the rules set by the Turkey Ministry of Tourism, kids under 8 years old get discounts when visiting museums and must have a passport for registration.
• To calculate the discount, they use the birth year, not the birth date (for example, 2022-8=2014). The parent or guardian is responsible for giving the correct age of the child when booking a tour.

Things to do

What does Pamukkale mean?

• Pamukkale means cotton fortress in translation.

Where is Pamukkale located?

• Pamukkale covers an area of 1,077 hectares and is located in the Denizli province in southwest Turkey.

The Legend of Pamukkale

• An old legend about titans living in this area has been passed down. The titans used to gather cotton and dry it in the sun. But one day, they forgot to pick it up. The cotton was left behind, hardened over time, and turned into white mountains.

How Pamukkale Was Formed

• 400,000 years ago, an earthquake happened in this area, and a crack formed in the Earth's crust. Hot mineral waters, rich in different minerals and chemicals like calcium, came out of the crack.
• The water evaporates under the hot sun, and the calcium settles, creating strange formations that look like snowdrifts, fortress walls, or steps and terraces. These terraces are called travertines.
• There is nothing else like this natural wonder in the world. However, people used to walk on the travertines with shoes, which damaged them. Since 1988, UNESCO has protected the area, allowing visitors to only access 5,000 square meters. The rest of the terraces are closed and regularly watered with water from the ancient source that emerged 400,000 years ago.
• You can also enjoy the views of the white mountain of Pamukkale, walk on the travertines, and take beautiful photos. It feels like you're standing in summer clothes or swimsuits against a snowy background. People who haven't been to Pamukkale might not believe your stories that it's not snow and the water is very warm. It's said that if you haven't been to Pamukkale, you haven't been to Turkey.

Cleopatra's Pool

• Also called the ancient pool, it has ancient columns from the main street of Hierapolis at the bottom.
• The water temperature reaches 36 degrees Celsius. It's very pleasant and slightly fizzy, making it feel like you're bathing in warm champagne.
• People say the water in Cleopatra's Pool has a unique rejuvenating effect. After bathing, you'll feel 10 years younger. But don't overdo it - for medical reasons, you can only stay in Cleopatra's Pool for a maximum of 2 hours.
• The water is heavy and full of minerals. It helps with bone and joint issues, skin diseases, weight problems, and sunburns.
• If you drink the water, it can help with stomach and intestinal issues. You can drink from a tap near the pool. It tastes like Borjomi mineral water and cleanses the intestines well.

Ruins of the ancient city Hierapolis

• The name Hierapolis comes from Greek and means "holy city." Hierapolis was founded in the 2nd century BC and was part of the Great Roman Empire. It was built as a spa resort because of its healing calcium water. People came here to improve their health, and the city's population grew quickly to about 100,000 people, which was a lot in ancient times.
• There were several earthquakes here, and each time the city was rebuilt. In the 12th century, the Seljuk Turks conquered the city, and during the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, the city was destroyed by earthquakes again and was abandoned. Romans, Byzantines, Seljuk Turks, and Ottomans all lived in this area.
• Since the late 19th century, archaeological excavations have been ongoing. The first dig was led by German scientist Karl Humann, and after the 1950s, Italian professor Paolo Verzone continued the work. In 1988, Pamukkale and the ruins of Hierapolis were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Hierapolis Museum

• The museum displays coins, sarcophagi, and other items found during excavations in the ancient city of Hierapolis. The museum building used to be a Roman bath.

City of the Dead (Necropolis in Hierapolis)

• A necropolis is a city of the dead. They were built outside the city for hygiene and to not disturb the souls of the dead. The necropolis in Hierapolis is the largest in Asia Minor. It has three types of burials: Phrygian mounds, sarcophagi, and vaults.

Theater in Pamukkale

• In Turkey, there are 206 Roman theaters. The theater in Pamukkale was built in the 2nd century AD and could hold 15,000 people. It is the third largest theater after Ephesus and Aspendos. Today, the theater is still used, for example, during the Pamukkale Festival.

Church of Saint Philip

• In the 1st century, Saint Philip (a disciple of Jesus Christ) came to Hierapolis to spread Christianity. However, he was not understood or accepted by the locals. In Hierapolis, he died as a martyr. In the 5th century, during the Byzantine Empire, a church was built in his honor where he was crucified. For 30 years, Italian researchers looked for his grave. At a distance of 40 meters from the church, they found the ruins of a basilica and his grave.

Korkuteli

• The city of Korkuteli has a population of 53,000 people. Korkut, the brother of Ottoman Sultan Selim I, lived here. The city was named after him. In Turkish, "Korkuteli" means "city of Korkut." The people of Korkuteli grow mushrooms. About 1,000 families are in this business, and 70% of Turkey's mushrooms come from this city. They harvest mushrooms six times a year.

Acipayam

• The city of Acipayam has 55,000 people. The name comes from the almond trees growing in the area. Locals call almonds "payam," and "acı" means bitter. So, Acipayam means bitter almond. People in Acipayam mostly grow melons, watermelons, and tobacco.

Serinhisar

• The city of Serinhisar has 15,000 people. They make a famous Turkish snack called Leblebi (roasted chickpeas) with different flavors. They also make clay products.

Denizli

• The city of Denizli has over one million people. It is one of the most developed industrial cities in Turkey. Denizli is rightfully called the textile capital of Turkey. There are more than 200 factories making home textiles. In Denizli, they produce robes, towels, and bed linens from cotton and bamboo.

Average Temperature in Pamukkale

• Weather in Pamukkale in January: +10
• Weather in Pamukkale in February: +12
• Weather in Pamukkale in March: +15
• Weather in Pamukkale in April: +20
• Weather in Pamukkale in May: +26
• Weather in Pamukkale in June: +31
• Weather in Pamukkale in July: +35
• Weather in Pamukkale in August: +35
• Weather in Pamukkale in September: +29
• Weather in Pamukkale in October: +23
• Weather in Pamukkale in November: +17
• Weather in Pamukkale in December: +12