Daily Pamukkale Tour from Manavgat – Hierapolis & White Travertines

Pamukkale and Hierapolis Day Tour from Manavgat

This daily Pamukkale tour from Manavgat takes you to one of Turkey's most extraordinary landscapes: the brilliant white travertine terraces of Pamukkale, the Cotton Castle, and the ancient spa city of Hierapolis above them. Together they are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for both cultural and natural value. With hotel transfers, a guide and lunch included, this daily excursion makes a long but rewarding journey easy.

• Pamukkale travertines: white terraced pools formed by mineral-rich thermal water
• Hierapolis: an open-air museum of baths, temples and Greek and Roman monuments
• Necropolis: one of the largest ancient cemeteries, with more than 1,200 sarcophagi
• Great Theatre: the impressive Roman theatre of Hierapolis
• Tomb of St. Philip: the burial place of the apostle, an important early Christian site
• Cleopatra Pool: an optional swim in the antique thermal pool (extra fee)

Pamukkale's terraces were created by warm spring water, around 35°C, rich in calcium bicarbonate. As the water flows down a cliff almost 200 metres above the plain, it releases carbon dioxide and leaves behind limestone, building up petrified cascades and shallow basins over thousands of years. The result is an almost unreal scene of white stone and turquoise water.

Hierapolis was founded as a thermal spa by the Attalid kings of Pergamon. Its ruins include the Roman baths, a gymnasium now serving as a museum, the Temple of Apollo, the Great Theatre and the vast necropolis, where some tombs are as large as small houses. This Pamukkale day trip includes free time afterwards for Turkish crafts such as leather, textiles, onyx, jewellery and Turkish delight. Comfortable shoes, sunglasses and swimwear are advised.