How to Get to Pamukkale in Turkey (Türkiye)

If you’re planning your trip to the stunning travertine pools of Pamukkale and the ancient city of Hierapolis without a tour, then you might want to know how to get there from certain destinations.

In this guide, you can read about how to reach Pamukkale from many popular tourist destinations such as Istanbul, Selcuk, Antalya, Fethiye and Cappadocia. We’ll detail the different modes of transportation you can take from each of these places, and provide you with links to websites where you can check timetables and ticket price information.

How to Get to Pamukkale from Popular Places in Turkey (Türkiye)

There are a few ways to get to Pamukkale, depending on where you’re coming from. You can either fly, take a train or bus, or rent a car. Possibly the most direct way to get there is to travel to Denizli first, which is the nearest big city to Pamukkale.

Below we discuss how to reach Denizli from many major tourist destinations such as Istanbul, Selcuk, Antalya, Fethiye and Cappadocia, then we’ll detail how to get to Pamukkale from there.

Travelling from Istanbul to Denizli and Pamukkale

The fastest way to get to Pamukkale from Istanbul is to fly direct to Denizli. You can fly direct from either Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) to Denizli Cardak Airport (DNZ). Both Pegasus and Turkish Airlines operate daily flights between the two cities.

If you’re not in a hurry and don’t fancy flying, then consider taking a bus from Istanbul. Long distance buses leave from Otogar, Istanbul’s main bus terminal. You can check bus operators, timetables and ticket prices on either Busbud or Flixbus. The journey takes anywhere between 9 to 12 hours.

Travelling by train to Denizli from Istanbul is also possible. However, there isn’t a direct train between the two cities. You would need to take the Istanbul to Ankara morning train, and disembark in Eskisehir. From there, you can change to a train to Denizli. The train journey to Denizli will be over 12 hours in total. You can check out the TCDD’s website for train times and routes.

Travelling from Selcuk to Denizli and Pamukkale

If you’ve just been exploring the ancient city of Ephesus, just outside of Selcuk, then your next stop might be Pamukkale.

The easiest and most comfortable way to reach Denizli from Selcuk is by train. From Selcuk Train Station there are quite a few daily services running between the two cities. The journey time is just under 3.5 hours. You can check out the timetable on the TCDD’s website.

You can also take a bus from Selcuk Bus Station (Selcuk Otogari) to Denizli if you wish. The journey time should be similar to the train, but if you add road traffic, then it will most likely be longer. You can use Busbud to see some bus options.

Travelling from Antalya to Denizli and Pamukkale

Another city you can travel to Pamukkale from is Antalya. Located along the Turkish Riviera, it is a very popular holiday destination.

However, the easiest and most direct way to get to Denizli from Antalya is by bus. There are regular daily bus services between the two cities. You can take the bus from Antalya Coach station (Antalya Otogari). The journey time is between 3 and 3.5 hours. You can check either Busbud or Flixbus for timetables and bus operators.

Note that there are no trains between Antalya and Denizli. There are also no direct flights between the two cities.

Travelling from Fethiye / Ölüdeniz to Denizli and Pamukkale

Another well-visited travel destination along the Turkish Riviera is Fethiye. The quickest and most direct way to get to Denizli from here is by bus. There are a few bus services running daily between the two locations.

You can get the bus from Fethiye Bus Station (Fethiye Otogari). The journey time is between 3 and 3.5 hours. Check either Busbud or Flixbus for timetables and bus operators.

Note that there are no trains or flights between Fethiye and Denizli.

Travelling from Cappadocia to Denizli and Pamukkale

Just like Pamukkale, Cappadocia (Goreme) is a place that’s on many travellers itineraries when they’re in Turkey (Türkiye). If you’re short on time, then you might just want to see Pamukkale and Cappadocia after spending a few days in Istanbul. You can most certainly travel between the two locations.

The easiest way to get to Pamukkale from Cappadocia (Goreme) is to take a direct bus from the bus station to Denizli. There are a few direct services showing up on Busbud, but we recommend asking if they’re running at the bus station in Cappadocia (Goreme). Alternatively, you can also take a local bus to Nevsehir first, and from Nevsehir bus station there is a direct bus to Denizli.

The journey time can be between 9 and 11 hours, so you may want to opt for an overnight bus to save on accommodation if possible. Check either Busbud or Flixbus for timetables and bus operators.

How to Get from Denizli to Pamukkale

Once you’re in Denizli, you can take a minibus (dolmus) from Denizli Otogar, the main bus station. That’s going to be the most affordable way to reach Pamukkale. The minibuses leave regularly from Platform 76, located on the lower level of the terminal. The upper level is for intercity buses, where you’ll most likely arrive to if you’re coming from further afield by bus. The main train station is also just across the road from the bus terminal, so you won’t need to walk too far if arriving by train.

The journey time between Denizli and Pamukkale is about 20 minutes. The minibuses can get a bit crowded, so you might be a bit uncomfortable depending on the time of day you’re travelling.

If you’re flying to Denizli Cardak Airport (DNZ), then you can take a direct shuttle to Pamukkale from there, or get to Denizli bus terminal first and take a minibus from there. Alternatively, you can also take a taxi, but it’ll cost you a lot more.

You can always rent a car and drive around Turkey (Türkiye) if you want to do a more independent road trip.

Final Thoughts on How to Get to Pamukkale from Different Cities in Turkey (Türkiye)

As you can see, there are multiple ways you can get to Pamukkale. We were travelling from Selcuk at the time, and found our journey to be pretty straightforward to Denizli. From Denizli, we took the minibus from the main bus station. The whole journey was very quick and efficient.

From Pamukkale we were travelling on to Fethiye, so we took the minibus back to Denizli and got on an intercity bus from there. It was very crowded on the minibus but, luckily, it’s not a very long distance.

Have you ever been to Pamukkale before? If so, how did you get there? If not, then we hope that this guide has given you a good idea on how to plan your own journey to this unique place in Turkey (Türkiye).