Pamukkale

Pamukkale

Pamukkale — “cotton castle” in Turkish — is one of nature’s most surreal sights: a hillside of brilliant white terraces formed over millennia as calcium-rich thermal springs spilled down the slope. Walk barefoot across the warm, shallow pools as the water glows turquoise against the white stone, especially magical in the late-afternoon light.

Above the terraces lies Hierapolis, an ancient Greco-Roman spa town where you can swim among toppled marble columns in Cleopatra’s Antique Pool, explore a vast necropolis and climb a grand Roman theatre. Often paired with Ephesus, Pamukkale is a highlight no Turkey tour should miss.