Ever been to a cotton castle? Well, in Turkey, you can. I recommend spending at least one full day in Pamukkale.
“Pamukkale” Means “Cotton Castle”
Sure, it’s not a real castle, but it still looks like it came out of a fairytale! Pamukkale is this impressively white hill from where you can see the city of Denizli. To me, it doesn’t really resemble cotton, but it seems more like snow.
It’s actually a natural formation of white limestone, created by calcium-rich springs. It’s composed of several white terraces, filled with the warm water that is coming from the hot springs, and where you can bathe. Down the hill, there’s a small lake. Along the path that leads to the top, pink flowers flourish, and their bright colours create an amazing contrast with the white limestone. You can imagine how beautiful it looks! If you can’t, just have a look at the photos I took, or browse Google for more.
A Protected Site
However, be aware that not all areas are accessible. After all, it makes sense, because it’s an incredibly precious site and it needs to be preserved. You can only bathe in some terraces, but you can see the whole place and walk around it. It allows you to enjoy the hot springs, to protect the site, and to take stunning pictures.
Not Exactly As Advertized
Also, know that it’s not as glamorous as it may seem on the Internet. There are a lot of visitors, and some basins are not as blue as pictured. It could be worth coming early to avoid the groups of tourists, and leaving late. It was quite poetic walking alone and bare foot (you don’t have the right to wear shoes on the limestone) in the evening lights.
Ah, and one thing surprised me: the texture of the ground. It looks so much like ice that I expected it to be slippery and cold. But it’s not! It’s easy to walk on it and to get a grip. The only places where it’s slippery is where some algae grew. So don’t walk where it’s brown, walk where it’s white.
Hierapolis: An Ancient City
And if you get tired of tourists instagraming their swimming suits, right behind Pamukkale is Hierapolis. Hierapolis is an ancient Roman city with very well-preserved ruins, including a museum and theatres. That’s why I recommend staying the whole day and not just bathing in the terraces. I had an amazing time looking for each site indicated on the map, even though it was rainy.
Practical info
On the practical side, I precise that the entrance is not free, but it’s cheap: about 8 euros.
The site is located in Denizli. I know that there are other ancient cities around the city, but unless you are an extreme fan of ancient architecture and History, I think that two days are enough, because there’s not much else to do there.
To see more photos of Turkey, you can visit the gallery Turkey.
