Pamukkale village has some charming hotels and pensions, and despite the constant coach parties it’s a good place to get a taste of village life, if you steer clear of the main road. Several other attractions are within easy reach, including Afrodisias, one of Turkey’s most complete and absorbing archaeological sites, and Laodicea, one of the biblical Seven Churches of Asia.
Long before Unesco, the Romans recognised the appeal of the site and built a large spa city, Hierapolis, to take advantage of the water’s curative powers. The tourist boom of the 1980s and 1990s had a detrimental effect on the site, as a line of hotels above the travertines drained away the waters, leaving the travertines dry, dull and dirtied. In a drastic attempt to preserve the site, all the hotels have been demolished and visitors can no longer bathe in the pools; however, the flow of water is still very slow, and it may be that the real culprits are the many swimming pools in the village below.
Calcium’s not just good for bones. If the many habitués of the spa town of Pamukkale are to be believed, it works wonders on muscles and sinews too. ‘Cotton Castle’, 19km north of Denizli, has built a centuries-long reputation on the restorative qualities of its calcium-rich waters. The unique formations of travertine (calcium carbonate) shelves, pools and stalactites, which hug the ridge above town like a white scar, were created by the area’s warm mineral water, which cools as it cascades over the cliff edge and deposits its calcium. It’s a strange piece of landscape unlike anything else you’ll see in Turkey, and it now appears on the Unesco World Heritage list.
The pools of Pamukkale
Pamukkale,
The shallow pools on the hillside are wonderful but not very deep – also can be hard on the feet so take flip flops. The really lovely bathing experience is in cleopatra's pool at the source of the mineral spring – it is warm sparkling spring water – lovely!
Pamukkale
Overall satisfaction score (0-10). 10.0
Incredible visit to the cotton castle!
The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water.
It is a whole mountain of white deposits and you can walk the terraces and get your feet wet or you can bring your swimsuit and use one…
I don't think there's a need to add to the rave reviews here, so I'll just add some advice that I wish I knew beforehand, and re-iterate some good advice.
– Bring a plastic or waterproof bag – If you want to wade through the pools, and have towels, cameras, shoes, etc. with you, it's really handy to have a…
Great place to visit. Loved it entirely. This is the kind of place that want to make me explore world. What a wonder. Would do it again.
It's first time I saw place like that naturally water and also the places for hot water (thank god he give us these places) the area very good but need more arrangement. Need also more facilities and activities to do.
I recommend every one to visit.
It was a few years ago that i visited Pamukkale and at that time no entry of any kind was permitted into the pools. The reason given was that erosion by bathers and degradation caused by sunscreen were damaging the delicate lime formation. There were still ignorant tourists that went in despite the rules. There is a man-made pool that…
The thermal pools were quite interesting. I think that the travertine flows look great and it was nice to see how Unesco is helping keep the pools clean and flowing. I was not too impressed with the large number of tourists walking around in speedos and bikinis and other skimpy attire. I am not the fashion police but the country…
Visiting Pamukkale really is a once in a lifetime opportunity which if you have the chance you should visit.
Because of it's position in the Country you will always have to travel to it, but as we stayed in Kusadasi we were nearer than we had ever been, approx 6-7 hour round trip.
Bathing in Cleopatra's pool was a good…
The "cotton Castle" (Pamukkale) is one of my favorities places in the entire world.. This is perfect and amazing. Try to go there if you visit turkey !
Just returned from Turkey and those pools are a must see…keep in mind the crowd but it is very interesting and don't forget it is not man made…..