Planning a Trip

Getting There

All agencies offer day tours into the area from Izmir, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Marmaris, and Antalya (to name just a few), but after a 4-hour road trip each way, it's hardly worth the trouble. Plan on at least an overnight in a hotel with a thermal spring; otherwise, what's the point?

By Bus -- The only direct service into Pamukkale by bus is provided by Pamukkale, the ubiquitous bus line that arrives from virtually everywhere in Turkey (tel. 0212/444-3535). Count on about 3 1/2 to 4 hours from anywhere on the coast with fares under 20YTL/$15. The bus stops in Denizli first. Make sure when you buy your ticket that the final destination of Pamukkale is written on your ticket; otherwise, you may get stranded here. The bus arrives at the bottom of the travertines on the edge of the village, but unless you plan on sleeping in dingy quarters above one of the local eateries, you'll need to catch a dolmus up to the entry of the ancient site of Hierapolis or continue on to more appealing accommodations in nearby Karahayit.

If you've taken one of the other bus lines into Denizli, you'll need to change for a municipal bus to Karahayit (which passes by Pamukkale village) or to Pamukkale. The distance from Denizli to Pamukkale is about 25km (16 miles), and regular bus service runs throughout the day until about 10pm. Try not to get stuck in Denizli overnight. If all else fails, a room at the four-star Grand Otel Keskin next to the bus station (exit the station to the left and turn left again; the hotel is on your left), equipped with a Turkish bath, sauna, and swimming pool, will provide a morning view of why you should have left the previous night.

By Train -- The train is a cheap alternative only if sitting in an upright position for 15 or 6 hours sounds appealing (12YTL/$9 from Istanbul, 5YTL/$3.70 from Izmir). A bed in a sleeper car with water basin is available on the overnight Istanbul Pamukkale Ekspresi train for 64YTL ($47); if you're traveling as a pair, it'll cost 49YTL ($36) per person. For more information, contact the train station in Istanbul (tel. 0216/336-0475, or in Izmir 0232/484-8638).

By Plane -- Flying into Denizli (actually into Çardak, a little over an hour away by car) is not the most convenient; it's about 90 minutes by private car over a desert expanse to Pamukkale. The Turkish Airlines bus will only get you as far as Denizli, for about 24YTL ($18). The only other way to get out is to hire a taxi for a cool 135YTL ($100), but this will only get you as far as Denizli; another taxi from Denizli to Pamukkale or Karahayit will cost around 40YTL ($30). You may want to have a tour guide or driver waiting at the airport -- you must arrange this in advance with a local travel agent. If you decide to rent a car, Avis, and others, will send the car to the airport.

Visitor Information

The Tourist Information office is located at the top of the travertines (tel./fax 0258/272-2077).

Orientation

The terraces lie along the base of the Çaldag Mountains some 200m (656 ft.) above the Curuksu Plain. The upper plateau includes the ancient ruins of Hierapolis, a prosperous city in its heyday owing to the natural healing water sources and the local textile industry (cotton grows like weeds in these parts), the same industries that propel the local economy today.

There are two entrances to the historic and natural site, one leading from the village of Pamukkale to the southern entrance and the other about 2.5km (1 1/2 miles) past the village up a windy road to the northern entrance. You can also walk up to the Southern Gate from the edge of the village of Pamukkale, straight uphill alongside the terraces of travertines.

If you plan to skip the necropolis (you shouldn't), the Southern Gate is more convenient because the parking lot is closer to the travertines and some of the main attractions of Hierapolis. If you're walking in from Karahayit, you'll be entering at the Northern Gate, which will add an extra 2.5km (1 1/2 miles) past an impressionable cemetery (the Necropolis), a bath/basilica, and the Monumental Gate before you get to the center of the site. Admission to the ancient ruins of Hierapolis (top of the travertines; where you'll find the Pamukkale Thermal and a secondary museum) is 5.50YTL ($4); admission to the enclosed archaeological museum located in the old Roman Baths is 2YTL ($1.50).

Getting Around

The northern entrance of Hierapolis is only .8km ( 1/2 mile) away from the arch announcing the Karahayit "city limits," easily walkable until you factor in the .8km ( 1/2 mile) from the hotel entrance to the city line and the additional 1.6km (1 mile) or so from the entrance to Hierapolis to the travertines (times two if you plan on going home). Even if you're driving, you'll have to leave your car in the parking lot near one of the two entrances to the site, and although the southern entrance is considerably closer to the travertines, you'll still have to backtrack the full distance on foot to see all of the ancient ruins.

You can hire a scooter or negotiate a driver in either the village of Pamukkale or Karahayit (good for looking into the roadside textile factories); buses and dolmuses serve the solitary road between the two villages and to Denizli.