Pamukkale walking tour & city guide

The travertine terraces

Warm, calcium-rich water flows down the slope and leaves white deposits that form terraces and pools. Visitors walk barefoot along a designated path up the travertines, with shallow turquoise pools along the way, to protect the fragile surface. The views over the valley, especially at sunset, are spectacular.

Some terraces are dry and others filled with water, as the flow is managed to preserve the site.

Hierapolis and Cleopatra's Pool

Hierapolis was founded in the 2nd century BC and flourished in Roman times as a spa where people came to bathe in the healing waters. Its ruins include a monumental gate, a long colonnaded street, a vast necropolis with hundreds of tombs and a magnificent theater on the hillside.

The Antique Pool, often called Cleopatra's Pool, lets you swim in warm spring water among fallen ancient columns. The Hierapolis Archaeology Museum, in the former Roman baths, displays sculptures and sarcophagi.

Visiting tips

Arrive early or stay for sunset to avoid the midday tour groups and heat. Bring a bag for your shoes, since footwear is not allowed on the terraces, and sunscreen, as the white surfaces reflect strongly. Pamukkale is about 20 kilometers from the city of Denizli, and the ancient city of Laodicea is nearby.