Hello fellow travelers! The plans are coming along well for our trip to Turkey, but I need your opinion on the last leg of our trip. After 5 full days in IST, my husband and I will be flying to Izmir then taking the train/bus to Selcuk. We will arrive there early afternoon, and have the entire next day to explore the city and see Ephesus. The day after we plan on taking an early afternoon bus to Denizli, then on to Pamukkale where we will stay for the night. We will have an entire day to see the travertines and Hierapolis and spend the night again in Pamukkale. So, after spending the night, we still have nearly another full day as our flight back to IST does not leave until 7:55pm. That leaves us with nearly 2 full days in Pamukkale. Is that too much time?? Should we try to spend another night in Selcuk or is there a day trip we can take from Pamukkale/Denizli? Thank you for your help!!
Posted by
Bellevue, WA, USA
811 posts
i spent about 2 days last year in pamukkale. didn't get into any parasliding, but just to climb it and walk the ruin took the entire time. because it's hot and dusty with wind in the ruin, i swam in the ancient pool a lot (you can swim and go as many times as you want in one day). Hierapolis is a pretty big site with many things still to be unearthed, so if you walk the site it can easily take a day with plenty breaks in the pool helps a lot.
Posted by
Ottawa
234 posts
We spent a day in Pamukkale this past Sept. We arrived late morning toured the Tavertines and then Hierapolis. We enjoyed it very much, but for us, 1 day was plenty.
We enjoyed Selcuk very much. I would rather spend the extra day there. You might be better off to head straight for Pamukkale and then Selcuk as you will be closer to the airport for your flight to IST.
Posted by
Dunwoody, Georgia
338 posts
There are some nice day or half day trips around Selcuk and Izmir. Bergama/Pergamum is north of Izmir and would take a day to see including driving from Izmir. Sirence is a nice half-day trip from Selcuk to a Greek village. There are also several ruined cities further to the south of Selcuk (e.g. Priene, Miletus). I know less about the Hierapolis and Pamukkale areas. You might try looking at the Lonely Planet guide for Turkey. It's got information on the minor sites and might help you decide where to spend your day.
Posted by
OP
Raleigh, USA
49 posts
Thank you all for your input! We have decided to stay an extra night in Selcuk. That will allow for some extra sight seeing there. Again, many thanks!