Pamukkale and Hierapolis Day Trip from Bodrum Including Lunch

Experience the geological wonder of Pamukkale and the ruined city of Hierapolis on this day trip from Bodrum. Witness the spectacular white terraces and pools of Pamukkale, known as ‘Cotton Castle’ to the Turks, which have been formed by the calcium of cascading hot springs. Then, explore Hierapolis, a Greco-Roman city built near the springs. View its colonnaded roads, theater and necropolis, and perhaps swim in Pamukkale’s modern thermal pools or Roman-built Cleopatra’s Pool (own expense). An included lunch adds an extra enjoyable touch.

Start your tour in the early morning with a pickup from your centrally located Bodrum hotel. Settle into your air-conditioned coach and head for a local restaurant to enjoy a delicious breakfast (own expense). Then, continue to Pamukkale, roughly 2.5 hours away. On arrival, admire this spectacular UNESCO-listed geological site, whose name translates as ‘Cotton Castle’ in Turkish, and whose bright white terraces, pools and other formations bring to mind shimmering fairytale castles. With time here spent at your leisure, perhaps walk around and take photos of these stunning, calcified terraces, and marvel at how they were formed from calcium-rich hot springs solidifying as they cascaded down the 656-foot (200m) cliffs. Next, explore the archaeological site of Hierapolis: the ruins of a Greco-Roman spa city above Pamukkale. Stroll around the ruined temples and streets, and see the 12,000-seater Roman theater and haunting necropolis — a cemetery of 1,200 tombs. Enjoy free time to perhaps take a swim in Pamukkale’s modern thermal pools or Cleopatra’s Pool (own expense), a Roman-carved pool littered with submerged marble pillars. Next, visit a restaurant for an included buffet lunch. Enjoy a wide choice of salads, main courses and desserts, all washed down with drinks that are available at your own expense. Afterward, watch a demonstration at a carpet weaving center, and then return to Bodrum, with a break for refreshments (own expense) on route. Your tour ends with an early evening hotel drop-off in Bodrum.