💎 Hidden gems remaining: 7
Pamukkale – or as you may know it, "cotton castle" – is a small city outside Denizli, which is mostly known for sky-blueish water inside cotton-like pools. Preserved under UNESCO, it is a must-see place for every turist visiting this region. Of course be prepared to pay an expensive entrance fee and face a snake of people winding between the pools waiting for their moment to snap an instagram picture.
A booked Flixbus (operated by Kamil Koç) picked us up at the Selçuk bus station. It was comfortable and had a power socket (which automagically started working when we asked the stevard, although he spoke no English and did not understand what we were saying – good job, driver 😉). We were not just on-time, but even a few minutes ahead of time! What a time traveller! We were offered cookies and a beverage.
But our accommodation was 6 km away from the Denizli bus station. We started walking as we didn't know which Dolmus to take. We asked a few strangers and then hopelessly waved at every bus driving by. Some of them never stopped. Some stopped 50 m before or after a bus station to drop off some locals, and as we started to run towards them, they just drove off.
In the middle of our jurney, one friendly driver finally had mercy on us, but it was not the most suitable bus for our destination, so we still had to walk for a good kilometre after disembarking at the nearest stop.
Cooking breakfast in the shared private kitchen in Luxurious Suites
Our accommodation was very Luxurious. By the name, at least. It had a kind of build it yourself vibe: no towels, no toilet paper, holes instead of kitchen equipment, shower head not connected to the pipe, towel holders not mounted etc. But we managed to survive. The receptionists kindly provided us with all missing equipment and allowed us to use their "shared" kitchen (which was probably meant to be private).
We dropped our luggage here, repacked our backpacks and went on yet another journey: Pamukkale.
To get to Pamukkale, we first needed to get back to the Otogar Taksi main bus station – the same one we were at when reaching Denizli. Luckily, our host gave us clear instructions which bus (3,5 TRY) to take, so it was hassle-less. Well, yes for us, but not for the bus driver. It was the highlight of his day as some tourists who don't speak Turkish kept answering all his Turkish prompts with "bus station". At one occasion, he gestured us to duck down, probably to make some more fun of us 😂.
From Otogar, we took a minibus to Pamukkale (5,5 TRY), which took us 20 min.
White flooring
Sandstorm over ponds
Muddy hands
The most characteristic part of Pamukkale is the white flooring that was formed because of a combination of carbon dioxide and calcium. In order to protect it from degradation, tourists are kindly asked to remove their shoes and continue bare-footed. But do not worry. The floor does not get super hot, so it is perfectly manageable to walk on there. And you can still cool down in the water. Inside those ponds of wonders, there is special white mud. So be prepared to feel a bit weird when stepping inside.
Entrance fee to Pamukkale is 110 TRY.
A picture is worth a thousand of words. To protect the nature, tourists are prevented from entering natural pools. For this reason, artificial pools were built.
Natural beauty
They are said to turn pink when wet
Is the item in the hands holdable? /
In theory you could also take a bath in those small artificial ponds along the climb, but they are pretty shallow and crowded. That is why there is another option to "refresh" yourself in Pamukkale. You can swim in Antique pool on the top of the hill. Probably it will not be refreshing as water can reach as much as 40 °C, but you can give it a shot if you are more of a person.
It comes at extra cost though. The fee for swimming is 50 TRY.
Antique pool
What is this city doing this close to those ponds? We do not know. But we liked the addition of a mix of cultural and natural heritage all in one sight. You can visit a museum, divided into few sections, where you will see similar things to those in Selçuk. But everything is in proportions here 😉😉. Still beheaded though.
Then you can follow poorly marked, but beaten tracks, leading you through history. You will see ruins, ruins – and you guessed – ruins. The most attractive of them all is the stunningly preserved amphitheatre, but there is no access to the stage to test the acoustics, leider.
There is no entrance fee. It is included in the Pamukkale ticket. So pay a visit.
Amphitheatre, well-preserved
Didn't we say "beheaded"?
Ruins of the Hierapolis
Special kebap & normal pepperoni
As we only had a shared private kitchen, we decided to find a local taverna for dinner. We visited Denizli Kebap Evi and were stunned by the food and the service family provided.
Pizza & pepperoni