When I first saw pictures of Pamukkale in Turkey, I knew we had to go there. The striking white travertine pools look like something out of a dream, not to mention the surrounding historical sites.
But when I started researching, I saw very mixed reviews of Pamukkale (also called the Cotton Castle), with the primary complaint being “It’s crowded.” I remember seeing one review that said, “If you don’t go when it opens at 6:00, don’t bother going at all,” because the crowds were so intense. I was not deterred, but did try to be strategic about our visit to Pamukkale so that we would have the best possible experience, and it worked! We had an incredible few hours exploring Pamukkale, so I decided to write this guide to help anyone else who wants to see the Cotton Castle without the crowds.
Getting to Pamukkale
We visited Pamukkale by car, which is without a doubt the easiest way to get there unless you are doing some kind of group tour. After a full day of sightseeing at the ancient ruins of Ephesus, we hopped in the car and drove two and a half hours to Pamukkale. We arrived in the early afternoon and checked into our hotel before venturing out in search of dinner. I recommend trying to arrive in Pamukkale in the evening so you can get a good night’s rest before heading out to the pools first thing the next morning.
Get Up for Sunrise
As with most places in the world, the key to avoiding the crowds is getting up for sunrise. Now, the information online about when Pamukkale opens is not only confusing, but outright contradictory, so I’m going to do my best to present this information in the most straightforward way possible.
There are three entrances to Pamukkale, the north gate, the town gate (also called the lower gate), and the south gate. If you want to go for sunrise, you must use the south gate. The south gate requires a car to reach, but this entrance opens at 6:00, three hours before the other entrances. (For the record, Google Maps says the south gate opens at 7:00, but I’m 90% sure they let us in at 6:00.) We were visiting in August, during the high season, and were not the only ones there when the gate opened, but there were few enough people that it was possible to get photos without other tourists in the shot.
The Travertine Pools
The number one thing to see in Pamukkale are the famous travertine pools. Watching the sun rise over these pools was a truly magical experience, exactly the thing I came to Pamukkale to see. You must take your shoes off to walk on the travertine, which looks like it might be slick, but it is actually rough, so no worries about slipping. The water in the pools is warm, not hot-tub hot, but very pleasant, the perfect spot for an early morning soak.
It is worth noting that many of the natural pools are dry for much of the year, and the ones that have water are artificially made and filled. This doesn’t make them any less beautiful, but just make sure you set your expectations correctly.
Hierapolis
While the travertine pools are undeniably beautiful, I can’t believe how few people are talking about the amazing ruins of Hierapolis! Hierapolis is the ancient city that was originally built around the hot springs, and visiting the ruins is included with your entrance ticket to the pools. We were shocked that we were the only tourists exploring this vast area, even later in the morning once the pools started to get busy. It seems like most people only visit the theatre (if they visit anything), which is a real shame, because the ruins are super impressive. We loved being able to walk through the ancient city streets and imagine what the city must have looked like in its prime. Of the four hours we spent in Pamukkale, at least three of them were spent wandering around Hierapolis without another tourist in sight!
Cleopatra Pool
The Cleopatra Pool is located close to the travertine pools, but requires an additional ticket. The pool was supposedly built for Cleopatra by Marc Antony, though it’s uncertain if she ever actually visited the spot. The pool looks beautiful, but we opted not to visit in order to rush back to our hotel to catch the end of breakfast.
Even though we only had a few hours to really soak up all there is to see at Pamukkale (you see what I did there), we thought it was well-worth the effort, especially if you are combing a trip to Pamukkale with other destinations in the southwest corner of Turkey. The Cotton Castle was a truly magnificent sight, and the ruins of Hierapolis were icing on the cake. I think that Pamukkale is one of those places that your enjoyment is totally dependent on your expectations, so don’t believe the negative reviews you see online. We loved Pamukkale and believe it is a worthy addition to any Turkey itinerary.
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