Full Day Pamukkale and Hierapolis Tour from Izmir
Description
Enjoy a one day excursion that brings together the wonders of nature and of the ancient world and a perfect extension to your stay in Izmir. Explore the picturesque Pamukkale. Visit the ruins of the UNESCO site of Hierapolis including the largest Necropolis of ancient Anatolia. Walk in the natural white travertine terraces. Take the optional lifetime chance to swim in the antique Cleopatra's Pool. P.S Cleoparta Pool is under renovation and closed temporarily.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Explore the healing waters of the travertines and Hierapolis of Pamukkale on this day tour. With an early start be picked up from your hotel in Izmir sit back in the comfortable vehicle and enjoy the four hours drive to Pamukkale.
Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish, is one of the natural wonders of Turkey, a hillside of white terraces or travertines formed over thousands of years by the minerals bubbling up through hot springs feed from the depths of the earth. Start exploring the ancient city of Hierapolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city is unique from all other ancient cities in being built not on earth or rock but on solid limestone layers formed by mineral rich waters that flowed for millennia over this raised level plateau. Hierapolis means “sacred city” and it was given this name because of the large number of temples located here.Today, the theatre, the Temple of Apollo and the Necropolis are among the most significant sites of interest in Hierapolis. During the tour you will see the Necropolis (Cemetery) of Hierapolis, one of the largest ancient burial sites in Anatolia; a Roman bath, the Gate of Domitian, the main street of the ancient city, the Byzantium Gate and the Ploutonion.
Enjoy the healing waters of Pamukkale and walk in the natural warm water terraces, which were formed by running warm water rich in calcium. The temperature of the water is about 35 Celsius year round. You will have the chance to see the gleaming white travertine terraces of Pamukkale, located next to the ruins of Hierapolis. The extraordinary effect is created when the water from the hot springs sheds the minerals it contains as it flows down the slopes, leaving deposits of limestone. The layers of white calcium carbonate, built up in steps on the plateau, gave the site its name of 'cotton castle'. Take the OPTIONAL chance to have a swim at the antique pool of Cleopatra's.
Enjoy a local lunch after the tour and take the chance to have look at the Turkish traditional handcrafts.
At the end of a memorable day you'll be dropped back to your hotel in Izmir around 19.30 - 20.00 pm.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Meeting point might be arranged depending on the location of the hotel after the booking. Pick up time for Izmir hotels is between 06.30 - 06.45 am Please confirm the exact pick up time and location one day prior to departure
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Suggested to bring swimming suit, towel, sunscreen and extra clothes
- Attention needed while walking in the travertines. The ground is mostly slippery.
Reviews(127)
It's fabulous but there just isn’t enough time to do everything considering the long drive from Izmir. The guide was knowledgeable and personable. I did enjoy seeing the countryside on the drive. The travertine pools are treacherously slippery. Cleopatra's pool was the highlight for me. It was a busy day so had to wait in line before and after swimming to use one of the limited changing rooms. I chose to pay for a golf cart ride to the theatre instead of walking. It was well worth paying for in order to have more swimming time. I got a round trip ticket and when we got to the top the driver said I had 15 minutes to take pictures. I hadn't noticed any signage informing me of this detail. Unless you are really into museums I would say skip it. The Buffet lunch was good. Be aware that there is always a "shopping experience " included with a tour.
Thank you for your kind review 😊
There is other tours with later start date that might be better, avoid this one, a normal drive to pamukkale would take 3 hours but with this operator it turns into a 5 hour ordeal, you start in a van with not many people then you make 1 random stop, then another stop to join a bus with 25 other people (they join people from different citiies) then on the way to pamukkale expect many other small stops, once there (we arrived around 11 am) you are given 1.5 hours of free time to enjoy the travertines, museum and swim... Honestly if it wasn't because it became a huge group it might have gone more smoothly. The worst part is that as it was not enough to to cut time at the place, you get forced to go to an onyx stone store... those 45 min I would have rather had at the archeological site. It feels rushed, like they are trying to save money and very tiring
Thank you for your review. This is a group tour with 3 different departure opitons Izmır, Selcuk / Kusadasi and Pamukkale.. The first pick up is always Izmir. Because it is quite a distance the departure time is early. It is not so easy to organise one tour from each location for any travel agency because the traveller numbers are never enough for a guarantee departure. The total nomber was 23 so not a huge group. A huge is group is 45 and more. Pamukkale is a unique site with its travertines and travellers like to spend time in the pools. Our guides give the historical information about the site and after showing the ruins they give free time to enjoy the hot springs. And the onyx part should not be a surprise because it can be seen in the itinerar when read carefluuy. For your next tours it is suggested to read the itinerary in details and see what you book Safe travels
Rafael was an absolutely incredible tour guide — knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about every detail of the experience. He made the tour unforgettable with his energy, humour, and personal touch, and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for an amazing and memorable adventure!
Thank you for your kind review 😊
There were 4 couples and Rafael was tour guide. He was excellent in his knowledge and very kind, considerate and leading us through all the sites. We enjoyed the tour tremendously and will recommend this tour to our family and friends.
Thank you for your kind review 😊
Amazing experience! The trip was perfectly organized, and everything exceeded expectations. The information provided throughout the tour was clear, detailed, and very helpful, making it easy to understand the history, significance, and everything we were visiting. It really added so much value to the experience. A special thank you to Mustafa for the kindness, professionalism, and for making the day even more enjoyable. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Pamukkale!
Thank you for your kind review 😊
We had a great trip to Hierapolis and Pamukkale. Mustafa was a great guide. He provided great history and gave us ample time to take pictures. The ruins are fantastic. The Taverines of Pamukkale are beautiful. Our pickup from the Izmir hotel was on time and the ride was very smooth.
Thank you for your kind review 😊
Raphael is an excellent tour guide. knowledgeable with a sense of humour. highly recommend a tour with him!
Thank you for your kind review 😊
Raphael did an amazing job. Very kind,knowledgable and friendly. Explain everything in detail.
Thank you for your kind review 😊
Rafael is a very good tour guide, people are very good, and take care of everyone, I strongly recommend that every Taiwanese can participate in this tour
Thank you for your kind review 😊
I’ve been on a few tours in my time but this one definitely blows all the rest away. From start to pick up me and my wife felt self and secure on the road with our top notch driver Nazif. The road trip was smooth and un-eventful, just the way I like it. He made our 2 hour+ drive as comfortable as possible. Our guide, Rafael, was next level. His knowledge of Hierapolis was both profound and insightful. I wasn’t just was blown away by his encyclopedic knowledge of Anatolia and Greek mythology but by the way he was able to spin that knowledge into a great story that had all of us hanging on the edge of our seats. Both Rafael and Nazif were friendly and personable and our group had an absolute blast. Trust me, if you’re going to take one of these tours, you’ll be doing yourself a great disservice if you don’t ask for Rafael by name. All together from booking to tours end, this experience has exceeded our expectations in every way!
Thank you for your kind review 😊
