Pamukkale is a town famous for its travertine terraces. The terraces have been on my bucket list ever since I saw pictures of them a few years ago. We arrived at Pamukkale around midday. After a quick check-in at our hotel, we headed straight to the travertines. While walking to the travertines’ town entrance, we passed by the town park and got ourselves an ice-cream from a roadside vendor.
The Travertines Terraces (Cotton Castle)
The main town entrance was a bit of a trek inwards. No shoes are allowed in the travertines area. We read about it beforehand and were prepared with a bag for our shoes.
There were hoards of tourists around but that didn’t detract from the beauty of the place. In the bright sunlight, the terraces were blinding and the waters, a pure, light blue.
There was a great view of the town from the travertines.
While exploring the area, we noticed that quite a number of the terraces were dried-up. At the top, there was a whole swarth of empty terraces. I really hope they won’t remain this way forever.
Sunset
At sundown, the cotton castles started to glow.
Early Morning
We woke up early the next morning to make a return visit and the extra effort was so worth it. It was magical having the place to ourselves, with only balloons to accompany us.
Hierapolis
Hierapolis is an ancient city that was famous for its sacred hot springs. The entrance tickets to the travertines allowed us access to the Hierapolis ruins but not the Cleopatra’s Pool, which we chose to skip. We really enjoyed wandering around and exploring the ruins we encountered. The landscape looked straight out of the bible and it must have been poppy season as there were bright red poppies everywhere. They were breathtaking, especially during our next day’s visit at sunrise, when they practically glowed.
Hierapolis Theatre
Perhaps the most famous of the Hierapolis ruins, the theatre was spectacular.
Paragliding
X managed to squeeze in a spot of paragliding before we left Pamukkale.
Hotel Hal-Tur
We stayed at Hotel Hal-Tur. The location was perfect for visiting the travertines as the town entrance was just down the road from this no-frills hotel. Our room was basic, but it was clean and sufficient for a one-night stay. The hotel also had a good restaurant with simple food. The hotel manager was really helpful. He personally walked us to the pickup point for the minibus to the Denizli bus station.
How to get to Pamukkale from Selcuk
We first took a train from Selcuk to Denizli, followed by a minibus (dolmus) at platform 76 (lower level) from the Denizli Otogar (bus station), which was located opposite the train station. The minibus drops off and picks up from the Pamukkale “town centre” below. The bus journey was around 20 minutes.
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