I recently visited Pamukkale and Hierapolis in Turkey, and there were so many things I wish I’d known before I visited. I tried to find information online, but a lot of what I read was outdated, inaccurate or missing essential information. Honestly, I felt more confused after reading most posts than I did before I started researching!
So, I thought I’d sit down and write about ten things I wish I’d known before I went to Pamukkale and Hierapolis, in hopes that it would help other travelers visiting this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
1. It’s the same ticket for Pamukkale and Hierapolis.
This is really important to understand! There is only one ticket for Pamukkale and Hierapolis, and it is valid for one entry only.
Pamukkale refers to the travertines, or the limestone terraces made from minerals in the nearby hot springs. It’s name translates to “cotton castle”.
Hierapolis refers to the Ancient Greek city built at these hot springs, above the travertines.
Cleopatra’s Baths are an ancient mineral pool that are now open to the public for swimming.
When you’re planning your visit to Hierapolis and Pamukkale you need to think about how much time you’ll need to see the travertines, the ancient city, the Hierapolis museum and Cleopatra’s Baths, since they’re all inside the ticketed area.
You also need to think about how much time you can spend outside in the heat, if you’re visiting in the summer. There is very little shade at Pamukkale and Hierapolis (though keep reading to learn some secret places where you can cool down!).
Personally, I would recommend planning to spend three to five hours at Pamukkale and Hierapolis. You’ll need less time if you don’t go for a swim in Cleopatra’s baths, and you’ll need more time if you decide to explore all of Hierapolis on foot.
How much do Pamukkale and Hierapolis tickets cost?
As of Summer 2026, admission to Pamukkale and Hierapolis is €30 (yes, pricing is in euros on the official Turkish government website). That is approximately 1,600 Turkish lira, but I don’t know how they convert the price if you pay in local currency.
We had previously purchased fifteen-day Turkey Museum Passes in Istanbul for 2500 TL*. The pass includes skip-the-line entrance to Pamukkale and Hierapolis. To skip the line, just walk to the turnstile gates and scan your pass. Remember that you only get one entry!
* Speaking of inflation, we bought our Turkey Museum Passes for 2500 TL. Less than one month later the price had gone up to 3500 TL. Today? They’re now pricing in euros and the cost is €165, which is equivalent to almost 9,000 Turkish lira!
Where can you buy Pamukkale and Hierapolis tickets?
You can buy tickets to Pamukkale and Hierapolis at either entrance to the site (see below) or online through the official Turkish Ministry of Culture website (I’m not clear on how they get delivered, though, so I wouldn’t go this route).
If you want to purchase a Turkey Museum Pass, it is valid for 15 days and be bought at the first participating site that you visit (for us, that was Topkapi Palace in Istanbul).
2. There are three entrances to Pamukkale and Hierapolis…
The travertines at Pamukkale tumble down a hillside, and the ancient city of Hierapolis runs along the top ridge of that hillside. There is one entrance to the site at the lower end of the travertines (near the town) and there are two entrances at the top, with the ancient ruins.
In my opinion, the best entrance to Pamukkale and Hierapolis is the upper entrance labeled as the “South Gate” on Google Maps. This entrance is closest to the travertines, Cleopatra’s pools and many of the ancient ruins of Hierapolis. I believe that the easiest thing to do is to enter and exit through this gate.
There is ample paid parking at the South Gate if you are arriving by car. Alternately, your hotel can arrange a shuttle service or taxi to bring you up the hill to the entrance. We stayed at Venus Suites Hotel in Pamukkale and can highly recommend it – it’s a lovely property and they can help you sort out transportation to the site.
The other gate up top is called the “North Entrance”. The disadvantage to this gate is that it’s further from town and it is where most of the tour buses come, but the advantage is that you have a nice view of the entire site below you as you come in. Some travelers like to enter the site here and then exit through the South Gate (this would require a shuttle or taxi).
Finally, there is an entrance to Pamukkale and Hierapolis in the town of Pamukkale. If you enter here you have to walk barefoot up the travertines to the archeological site. It is steep, slippery and rough, but it does give you a perspective that most other travelers will miss out on. Carry your shoes in a backpack so that you can put them on when you reach the top.
It is quite popular to enter Pamukkale and Hierapolis through one of the two upper gates and then walk down the travertines to the town exit. Make sure you have a back-up plan (taxi or shuttle) to get home if you start walking down but ultimately decide that it’s too slippery or jagged.
3. Rent a golf cart to see Hierapolis!
We visited Pamukkale in July, when the temperature was still above 35° Celsius (95° Fahrenheit) in the late afternoon. There is almost no shade throughout most of the Hierapolis ancient city part of the site. This means that to see the ancient city of Hierapolis you have to walk a very long way in the very hot weather…
… or you could just rent a golf cart, which I would say is absolutely worth it. They have golf carts in various sizes and the rental prices are very affordable when compared to dragging yourselves around in the crushing heat. I can’t remember the exact price in Turkish lira, but I remember that it would have cost us less than $10 USD per person (as a group of three) to rent a cart for the late afternoon.
You may be able to rent a golf cart when you arrive at the site (they had one left when we arrived at the South Gate in the late afternoon) but I also wrote down the golf cart company’s contact information, and they confirmed they can take reservations:
- Yucel Arzu Dagli Website
- + 90 553 890 9654 (WhatsApp)
- Facebook Page
(Please don’t make a reservation unless you’re sure you can show up at the time you have booked – they are an independent company and in light of Turkey’s economic situation it’s not fair for them to lose out on income if your travel plans change.)
4. The truth about the turquoise pools at Pamukkale
The sad truth about visiting Pamukkale is that most of the travertine terraces are now empty. Climate change has left Turkey dangerously dry (we saw several brush fires as we drove around the region in the summer) and the water in most of the travertines has now evaporated.
When you see stunning photographs of the pristine white pools filled with turquoise water (and mysteriously devoid of people) you may be looking at a photo that is 20+ years old, or that has been heavily edited.
Today, the local authorities funnel what remains of the natural spring water into specific pools (all in a single line, as shown in the photo below). These are the only pools that are open to the public for walking, wading and taking photos. They aren’t deep enough for swimming and due to the rough texture of the mineral deposits they’re not particularly comfortable for sitting or even standing either.
Personally, I expected there to be crowds at Pamukkale and wasn’t surprised that the few pools that had water were quite crowded. My understanding is that if you want Insta-worthy selfies with nobody else in the pool you need to be at the South Gate a few minutes before it opens (usually at 6:30 am but double-check based on your travel dates) and then you need to run to the travertines to get there before the crowds. Within minutes, you’re likely to be surrounded by other tourists (including tour bus groups)… is it really worth it?
The Best Views of Pamukkale
If you want the best views of Pamukkale without being surrounded by crowds, you might want to splurge on a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the travertines and archeological site. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that rivals the famous hot air balloons of Cappadoccia!
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5. No shoes and socks in the Pamukkale pools
In the past, visitors were allowed to enter the travertine terrace pools with socks on their feet. However, as of July 2023 (the time of my visit) this was no longer permitted. You could only enter the pools with completely bare feet, and security guards were actively enforcing this rule.
The floor of the pools can be very slippery (especially at the entrance, where the water is shallow enough to allow algae growth). The parts that aren’t slippery are somewhat jagged and rough, which can hurt the soles of your feet after a while.
If you’re planning to walk down to town through the travertines you really need to have excellent balance and resilient feet (and possibly a dry bag for your important stuff in case you do slip). I absolutely wouldn’t attempt the walk down with children, anyone who has a mobility impairment or expensive camera gear.
6. Are Cleopatra’s pools worth it?
For me, Cleopatra’s Pools were a definite highlight of my trip to Pamukkale and Hierapolis. Cleopatra’s Pools are not built into the travertines. Rather, they are in the Hierapolis ancient city site, where actual ancient pools used to stand. The pools are filled with authentic ruins of broken columns and other monuments, now submerged underwater and perfect for resting upon as you float around the pool.
Entrance to the pool complex is included in your ticket to Pamukkale and Hierapolis. However, to get in the water there is an additional ticket required, which currently costs 400 TL (as of late July 2023). I think that a ticket to Cleopatra’s Pools is definitely worth the money, as there are few other places on the planet where you can swim with ancient ruins!
The water in the pools is very warm (like a hot tub) and naturally high in minerals. Most of the pool is about one meter deep, but there is also a roped-off area that is three meters in depth.
While you may find websites that say Pamukkale’s spring water is pure enough to drink, I think they meant it was pure enough to drink before hundreds of tourists dipped their sweaty bodies in it! In other words, do not drink the pool water!
7. There are free cold showers in Cleopatra’s pools!
Even if you don’t go for a swim, it’s worth going inside the Antique Pool complex as there are excellent facilities that are free to use. The entire area is shaded from the sun and there are some fans blowing cool air around.
Inside the pool complex you’ll also find a fast-food style restaurant, coffee shop, ice cream shop and souvenir stand to occupy people who are waiting for swimmers.
If you walk past the shopping and restaurant area you’ll find facilities for swimmers that are actually open to everyone, including clean toilets and, most importantly, cold showers! If it’s a hot day, feel free to cool off your hands, feet, neck and face under the ice-cold water!
8. Is the Pamukkale museum worth visiting?
For us, a disappointment was the Hierapolis Archeological Museum. Because it was noted separately in our Turkey Museum Pass guide, we had expected it to have a larger and better-displayed collection than what we found. Fortunately they no longer charge extra to enter the museum at Hierapolis, as that would probably cross the line into being a rip-off.
Basically, the Hierapolis Archeological Museum is two big rooms (without air conditioning!) showcasing many of the artifacts that have been excavated at Hierapolis and some of the surrounding ancient sites. There are also some artifacts around the exterior of the building, but nothing particularly memorable.
Since it’s free, it’s worth popping into the museum rooms, but don’t plan to spend more than 20-30 minutes here. If you’re looking for a better archeological museum, I recommend the ones at Ephesus and even Aphrodisias.
9. What to bring to Pamukkale and Hierapolis?
Because your ticket only grants you one entrance to Pamukkale and Hierapolis, you have to show up with everything you need for your entire visit. Here’s what I recommend packing:
- A swimsuit and towel. Even if you think you don’t want to swim in Cleopatra’s baths, you might change your mind when you get there. I always travel with a Cacalca Turkish Beach Towel because it’s so lightweight and fast-drying; this is the exact towel I carried with me to Pamukkale.
- Sunscreen and a hat. Again, there’s almost no shade throughout most of Pamukkale and Hierapolis. Come prepared.
- A big bottle of water. You can buy food and drinks in the Antique Baths complex but you’ll save money by bringing your own water.
- Running shoes. We tried a lot of different footwear at Turkish archeological sites but we all agreed that running shoes were the best on slippery old cobblestones and aging stone stairs. I don’t recommend flip-flops and I will personally come smack some sense into you if you try to visit Pamukkale or Hierapolis in high heels!
10. You have to visit the archeological sites around Pamukkale and Hierapolis too!
The area around Pamukkale and Hierapolis is also home to many other archeological sites that are all very easy to visit if you have a car. A few that I recommend visiting include:
- Tripolis – On the day we visited this nearby ancient city, we were the only people in the entire archeological site!
- Laodicea – Less than fifteen minutes away from Pamukkale, this ancient city has a famous church (currently being excavated with excellent signage and information) and a stunning theatre (shown above)
- Aphrodisias – About one hour down the road from Pamukkale, Aphrodisias was built to honor the goddess Aphrodite. It has a pretty walking route leading to a spectacular stadium.
Check out all of my Turkey travel guides for tips on traveling around Istanbul and the archeological sites in Western Turkey.
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