Visiting Pamukkale, Turkey: Top Sights on Foot

The best things to do in Pamukkale are to see its brilliant white travertine terraces, explore the ancient city of Hierapolis, and visit the archaeological sites and museums connected with this remarkable landscape. Together, Pamukkale and Hierapolis combine mineral springs, ancient history and Roman remains in a UNESCO World Heritage site. Neywo has a free audio guide for Pamukkale with 11 narrated places, available in 11 languages.

What to See in Pamukkale

Pamukkale’s white travertine terraces

Pamukkale means “cotton castle” in Turkish, a fitting name for the gleaming terraces that descend along the mountainside. For thousands of years, hot, mineral-rich water has flowed down the slope, leaving carbonate deposits as it gathers, spills across the terraces and collects in pools.

The formation stretches for about 2,700 metres, is around 600 metres wide and rises to roughly 160 metres. Its white surface can be seen from the hills across the valley, near Denizli, about 20 kilometres away. The terraces are the natural centrepiece of the destination, but the ancient city above them gives the landscape its deeper historical significance.

Hierapolis

Built on top of the travertine formation, Hierapolis was an ancient Greek city founded in the third century BC on the site of a Phrygian cult centre dedicated to Cybele, the Anatolian mother goddess. It later became a Hellenistic Greek settlement in the region of Phrygia and was known as the Holy City.

The ruins stand above the hot springs that shaped both the landscape and the life of the city. Their remains include streets, monumental structures, baths and a large necropolis, offering a sense of the scale and importance of this ancient settlement.

Theatre of Hierapolis

The Theatre of Hierapolis is an ancient Roman theatre located in Denizli. Its surviving structure is one of the major landmarks within the archaeological site and an essential stop when exploring Hierapolis.

Pamukkale Archaeological Museum

The Pamukkale Archaeological Museum occupies the ancient city’s former Roman Bath building. The building was restored and converted into a museum, which has served in this role since February 1, 1984.

Its setting makes the museum part of the archaeological site it explains. Visiting it adds context to the remains of Hierapolis and the history of the area.

South Byzantine Gate

The South Byzantine Gate is a monumental city gate in Pamukkale District. Its imposing remains provide another perspective on the historic city and its entrances.

Laodicea on the Lycus

Near the modern city of Denizli, Laodicea on the Lycus preserves the remains of a wealthy ancient city. It was founded in the third century BCE by the Seleucid ruler Antiochus III, who named it after his wife, Laodice. Before that, the settlement was known by names including Diospolis and Rhoas.

The city’s prosperity came with a practical challenge: Laodicea had no reliable local water supply. Water was brought through pipes from hot springs farther south, and deposits left by that water can still be seen around the ruins. Laodicea also played an important role in early Christianity as one of the Seven Churches of Asia.

Denizli City Museum

Denizli City Museum explores the cultural, social and economic heritage of Denizli, from prehistoric periods to the present day. It opened to visitors on March 13, 2024, following the restoration of the historic stone workshop buildings of the former Şehit Yusuf Batur Industrial Vocational High School.

The buildings themselves are regarded as important examples of Early Republican architecture, giving the museum a historic setting as well as a local focus.

Akhan Caravanserai

Akhan Caravanserai, also known as Akhan Kervansarayı or Ak Han, stands in the Akhan district of Pamukkale, beside the Denizli, Afyonkarahisar and Ankara highway. Its enclosed section was completed in 1253, while the courtyard followed in 1254.

The caravanserai was commissioned by the governor Seyfettin Karasungur bin Abdullah. Along with other caravanserais, it has been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status under the name Seljuk Caravanserais on the Denizli to Doğubayazıt Route.

Akköy Yukarı Camii and Allı Cami

Akköy Yukarı Camii, also known as the old Yukarı Mosque of Akköy, is a mosque in Denizli’s Pamukkale area. Allı Cami is another mosque in Pamukkale, Denizli. Both offer smaller points of interest beyond the major archaeological sites and terraces.

Denizli Grand Mosque

Denizli Grand Mosque, also known as Denizli Ulu Cami, is another mosque to notice in Pamukkale, Denizli. It adds a more recent religious landmark to a destination otherwise strongly associated with ancient history and natural formations.

Explore Pamukkale with a free audio guide

A Pamukkale self-guided walking tour is a simple way to connect the terraces with the ruins above them. Neywo’s walking tour, “The Cotton Castle and the Holy City”, covers 2.93 kilometres in about 81 minutes and includes five narrated stops: Pamukkale, the South Byzantine Gate, the Pamukkale Archaeological Museum, the Theatre of Hierapolis and Hierapolis.

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Download Neywo to explore Pamukkale with a free audio guide and discover the site as you walk. You can also continue planning your journey through Turkey.