We are Brooke and Danielle – two sisters known as Colorful Sisters. Welcome to our article on Pamukkale. As traveling fashion designers, we travel all around the world to unique and beautiful locations and design and create one-of-a-kind clothing pieces just for the destinations.
Travel and fashion design have always been two overwhelming passions of ours. It really is a dream come true to find a way to combine these two passions. We thrive on finding amazing hidden gems, experiencing new adventures and enjoying all the beauty that this world has to offer.
Our Incredible Turkey Adventure
Turkey has always been a dream for us! It’s filled with natural wonders, hidden gems and incredible destinations – the perfect combination of adventure and leisure. We visited for 12 days and had a packed itinerary. We started in Istanbul and visited Cappadocia, Konya, Pamukkale and Antalya before heading back to Istanbul for a few more days.
We hadn’t heard much about Pamukkale before planning our trip to Turkey. We always try to pack our trips with as many amazing places as possible and in our research we found stunning photos of this place. Once we saw how lovely it was, there was no way we were going to miss it!
We even designed a dress specifically to match this beautiful place. We handmade a long teal summer dress to compliment the stunning blue waters of Pamukkale. From a distance, our first impression of Pamukkale was that it was simply unique – unlike any other place we had seen before.
The mounds of white limestone that looked like snow were so unique. However, despite going during the off season, it was super crowded (it’s one of Turkey’s top tourist destinations). We stayed for one night which allowed us to visit the travertines twice. We would highly recommend this.
These unique geological formations of natural thermal pools in snow-like terraces of limestone are unlike any other place in the world. In addition, the history of the travertines is incredible! The healing waters were used as spas in ancient times, going all the way back to the 2nd century BCE. Who wouldn’t want to visit one of the world’s oldest spas at least twice anyway?!
5 Best Things To Do in Pamukkale
Despite being famous for the Travertines of Pamukkale (thermal pools), the area actually has quite a lot more to offer. So when you visit you should consider spending a few more days here to explore some of the other attractions. Below are our recommendations for your trip to Pamukkale:
1. Visit the Travertines of Pamukkale (Thermal Pools)
Pamukkale will forever be known for its epic white travertines that overrun the mountain with warm, mineral waters. Make sure you stay the night at Pamukkale so you can visit the pools without the bus loads of tourists. Visiting at sunset gives you more breathing space to take in nature.
2. Watch a Perfect Sunset over the Travertines
As mentioned above, staying overnight means you won’t be forced to visit on a crowded bus packed with tourists. This means you can explore the travertines at sunset with less crowds. Having this place to yourself during golden hour is a special experience and one that we will never forget.
3. Explore the Roman Theatre of Hierapolis
This theatre gives you a historical snapshot of the ancient city of Hierapolis. At one point the theatre could hold 45 rows of people! It’s an incredible site and provides a different experience to the travertines. Combine your trip to the theatre with a visit to Hierapolis Archaeology Museum.
4. Discover the Hierapolis Archaeology Museum
The Hierapolis Archaeology Museum is housed in former Roman baths and offers museum exhibits from the archaeological site Laodicea. Treasures include Roman-era statues, jewellery, oil lamps, etc. This makes for a great addition to the theatre of Hierapolis. So why not make a day out of it!
5. Go Swimming at the Beautiful Cleopatra Pools
Fed by the same hot springs as the travertines, the Cleopatra Pools are an absolute must-do experience. As the name suggests, you can swim at the exact same place Cleopatra swam at! Enter this modern spa facility and enjoy the historical healing powers of the waters.
The combination of all these things makes for such a well-rounded experience. Understanding the history of the location and enjoying the natural wonders of the thermal pools is really an experience like no other.
Favourite Memory from Pamukkale
Our favorite memory is certainly visiting the travertines at sunset. During our first visit in the afternoon, the pools were packed with people. It was hard to truly enjoy or appreciate the beauty of this destination.
However, we waited around for a few hours, explored the area and then soon discovered that most of the people were leaving. That left us alone at sunset with a view like no other and an experience beyond comparison.
Everything was quiet, the city lit up underneath us, and the limestone transformed into pastel pinks and purples. It was like walking through pools of cotton candy. Swimming in the travertines at sunset was epic!
Where to Stay in Pamukkale
As Pamukkale is a small village, there aren’t too many hotels to choose from. During the 1960s there was also a “hotel boom” that almost led to the destruction of the site. Many of the hotels would drain the water from the terraces and muddy up the limestone. All in all, it led to degradation.
Since then, it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and now there are much stricter rules. Less hotels can be found and the ones that are built are located further away from the travertines. We stayed at Melrose Viewpoint Hotel. It was a 10-minute walk from the site, in a quiet area. A mom and pop hotel with friendly staff. Highly recommended!
Need to Know Before you Go
We recommend going to the travertines either early in the morning or at sunset time. This place can get crazy busy and unless you want to be surrounded by hundreds of people, go early or late. Seriously, Pamukkale is a truly incredible destination but the excess of tourists can be off-putting.
There is a simple solution to avoid the crowds. Stay for a few nights and explore some of the other historical sites surrounding the travertines. Pamukkale is not only home to natural wonders but ancient history too!
