Pamukkale Day Trip from Antalya: Travertines, Hierapolis & Lunch

Pamukkale day trip from Antalya: the key facts

This is a guided group day trip from Antalya's coast inland to Pamukkale. After an early hotel pick-up and a drive of about three hours, you walk the white travertine terraces and then tour the ancient city of Hierapolis with a licensed guide: the Necropolis, the Frontinus Gate and Street, the bath and basilica, the Latrina, the Northern Byzantine Gate, the Fountain of the Tritons and the Temple of Apollo. Lunch at a local restaurant is included, and you are driven back to your hotel in the evening.

It suits resort guests who want one complete change from beach days and do not mind a long day on the road. The price is from $86 per person. Transfers, the guide, lunch and entrance fees on the itinerary are included. A swim in the Cleopatra Pool and paragliding are extra.

How early is pick-up, and how long is the day?

The FAQ says the tour begins at 06:15 and finishes at around 20:00, which is close to 14 hours door to door. The overview puts Pamukkale about three hours inland, so roughly six of those hours are on the road. The booking form, however, offers start times from 08:00 to 14:00. Those slots cannot work for this route, so ignore that field and ask us to confirm your pick-up time in writing. The overview also says you are back "by nightfall"; with a 20:00 finish, outside the summer months you will be driving back after dark.

Which Antalya hotels do you collect from?

The inclusions say pick-up and drop-off are included for hotels in the "Antalya pickup areas mentioned in the program", but no program or list of areas appears on the page. Antalya's resorts are spread along a long stretch of coast, so this matters for both your pick-up time and whether a transfer is included at all. Send us your hotel name with the booking and ask us to confirm in writing that it is inside the pick-up area. Our Antalya destination guide describes the main resort areas.

What do we see at Pamukkale and Hierapolis?

You walk on the white calcium terraces and then follow the guide through Hierapolis, the large ancient city above them. The FAQ lists the Necropolis, the bath and basilica, the Frontinus Gate and Frontinus Street, the Latrina, the Northern Byzantine Gate, the Fountain of the Tritons and the Temple of Apollo, ending at the Cleopatra Antique Thermal Pool. The page also offers extra time for photos on the terraces. Our page on the Pamukkale travertines and Hierapolis gives the background.

Is the Cleopatra Pool included?

Not the swim. Entrance fees on the itinerary are covered, and the FAQ lists the Cleopatra Antique Thermal Pool as the last stop, but the exclusions say swimming there is "payable on-site". So you can see the pool, with its sunken ancient columns, as part of the tour, and pay a separate fee at the pool if you want to go in. The page does not give that fee. Bring cash or a card for it. Paragliding is also offered at Pamukkale but is not included; ask us if you want it added.

What should we wear and bring?

You cross the terraces barefoot, as shoes are not allowed on the travertines, so bring a bag to carry your shoes. The calcium can be rough in places and wet. If you plan to swim, wear swimwear under your clothes and bring a towel. Hierapolis is a large open site, so a hat, sun cream and water help, and comfortable shoes for the walk through the ruins. Bring something to sleep or read on during the long drive.

Is it a group tour, and what language is it in?

It is a group tour with daily departures and no minimum group size, so you share the vehicle and guide with other travellers and follow a fixed timetable. The FAQ says the tour is guided in English only. If you want a slower day with your own guide and vehicle, compare the private Pamukkale tour from Antalya, from $180 per person. You can also see our Pamukkale and Hierapolis tour from Antalya with lunch and tickets, from $90 per person.

Can we stay a night or continue to Kusadasi?

This tour returns to Antalya the same day. If you would rather not do the drive twice, the Antalya to Kusadasi via Pamukkale tour, from $132 per person, visits Pamukkale on a one-way day and drops you on the Aegean coast for Ephesus. Staying near the terraces lets you add the Pamukkale hot air balloon flight, from $263 per person, the next morning. More choices are on our Antalya tours and Pamukkale tours lists.

How do I book the Pamukkale day trip from Antalya?

Choose your date and number of guests in the booking form on this page and send it, or message us on WhatsApp. Add your hotel name and address in Antalya. We check the guide and vehicle for that day and send you the plan in writing, with the pick-up time, confirmation that your hotel is in the pick-up area, and the total price. You pay only after you have read and confirmed it. The tour is run by Get Turkey Tours, TÜRSAB licence A-15751.