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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 24 January, 2023
Expert travel writer: Jeremy Seal

This unique ancient site is home to the evocative Roman-era ruins of Hierapolis, an arresting UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to AD 80.

At its height, thousands travelled from across the Roman Empire to bathe in the medicinal hot springs and the town grew to a population of 100,000. The town was eventually destroyed, first by marauding Persian armies, then later by a devastating earthquake.

Today, it is notable for its fine theatre, impressive necropolis, museum and martyrium of the apostle St. Philip.

While you’re there

Next door, on the same site, are the world-famous, dazzling travertine pools of Pamukkale. Pack you bathers for a swim. The overall experience – of Hierapolis and Pamukkale – is worth every mile of the long haul inland.

Price from: £8
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

It’s at least a three-hour drive inland from either Bodrum, Fethiye or Antalya. There are car parks at either end of the site, with regular shuttle buses into the centre. The travertine pools and Hierapolis are one site at Pamukkale, with one entrance fee.

You don’t need a guide for Hierapolis – there is good English-language signage across the site – and the central tourist office has site maps that are worth picking up.

When to do it

The site is open all year round, Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Monday. Opening hours are much shorter in the winter months. To avoid the crowds, it’s best to go as early after dawn or as late in the afternoon as is possible.

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Pamukkale Hot Springs and Hierapolis Ancient City from Alanya

Pamukkale Hot Springs and Hierapolis Ancient City from Alanya

Alanya

Visit miracle of the world – cotton castle of Pamukkale - white terraces, down of which the thermal water is flooding. Bathe in a thermal an...

€55 | Rating 4.50 / 5 [55 ratings]

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Full-Day Pamukkale Terraces and Hierapolis Ruins Tour From Kusadasi or Selcuk

Full-Day Pamukkale Terraces and Hierapolis Ruins Tour From Kusadasi or Selcuk

Kusadasi

Take a full-day tour to Pamukkale, known for its unreal landscape featuring a series of terraced hot spring basins which look like snow and ...

$55 | Rating 4.33 / 5 [12 ratings]

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Pamukkale Hot Springs and Hierapolis Ancient city from Antalya

Pamukkale Hot Springs and Hierapolis Ancient city from Antalya

Antalya

Visit miracle of the world – cotton castle of Pamukkale - white terraces, down of which the thermal water is flooding. Bathe in a thermal an...

€59 | Rating 4.36 / 5 [11 ratings]

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Pamukkale and Hierapolis Daily Tour...

Pamukkale and Hierapolis Daily Tour...

Antalya

Hierapolis (“Holy City”) was an ancient Greco-Roman city in Phrygia located on hot springs in South West Anatolia. Its ruins are adjacent to...

€68 | Rating 4.54 / 5 [157 ratings]

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Our writer’s recommended tour operators to book with

Peter Sommer Travels

Peter Sommer Travels

Monmouth, Wales, United Kingdom (UK)

Highly-regarded, multi-award-winning cultural tour and upscale gulet cruise expert operating a fleet of boats in Turkey, Croatia, Greece. There’s a range of expert-led themed tours available including foodie, archaeology, hiking and special family tours for small groups or private land-based tours or gulet charters.

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Delightful small-group tours around Turkey, both by gulet and on land, personally led by two top Turkey specialists – leading Turkish travel writer Jeremy Seal, and Turkish archaeologist Yunus Ozdemir.

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Bodrum

Aegean Region, Turkey

A vibrant resort area with the buzzy town of Bodrum at its heart, and picturesque smaller resorts and villages strung out along the adjoining peninsula.

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Turquoise Coast, Turkey

Turkey’s beautiful Turquoise Coast offers an unbeatable mix of mountain-backed beaches, classical ruins and adventure activities, with superb food and delightful owner-run hotels.

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Travertine Pools at Pamukkale

Denizli, Aegean Region, Turkey[0.6 miles]

A natural phenomenon of extraordinary beauty, Pamukkale’s cotton-white travertines, created by carbonated springs, dazzle alongside the evocative Roman-era ruins of Hierapolis.

Best for ages: 6+ | £8

Round-ups that include this experience