Itinerary for Istanbul, Fethiye, Ephesus, and Pamukkale

Hmmmm ... Selcuk to Pamukkale, 2.5+ hours each way, would make for a really long day trip. Then, the next day, you would have a 5 hour drive from Selcuk to Fethiye. That's a lot of driving and a lot of backtracking, at least for me.

So, you have 4 days in Istanbul, and you will lose the better part of a day 5 getting from Istanbul to Selcuk/Izmir, which leaves you with days 6-10 for Ephesus, Pamukkale and Fethiye.

Just thinking out loud a bit:

Day 5: Istanbul to Selcuk; night in Selcuk

Day 6: Ephesus, night in Selcuk

Day 7: Selcuk to Pamukkale. Afternoon at Pamukkale/Hierapolis. I would be inclined not to return to Selcuk that night. Instead, I would most likely spend the night in Pamukkale or thereabouts. (The drive is about the same from Pamukkale to Selcuk as from Pamukkale to Fethiye.)

Day 8: Pamukkale to Fethiye. If you get an early start, you perhaps could fit in a side trip to Laodicea or Aphrodisias (or you could do Aphrodisias on the way to Pamukkale and spend the morning at Pamukkale). Night in Fethiye.

Day 9: Fethiye; night in Fethiye.

Day 10: Fethiye; night in Fethiye.

Day 11: Return home via Dalaman.

I dunno. It's just an idea.

We did almost that exact tour except we flew from Istanbul to Goreme for a few days of Cappudocia for only $30.

Pamukale did not look like photo and claiming it in bare feet was not that much fun. It was fun to see bus hot air balloon.

At times we took trains, big buses, mini-buses, and hired a driver. All dirt cheap.

Hope to go back again.

Don’t befriend the numerous wild dogs as I did. Your flirting with rabes.

Thank you, Marie. You are right about the drive back and forth to Pamukkale in one day. I hadn't thought about the return trip for some reason. :) I think we'll stay one night in Selcuk, see Ephesus, and then drive to Pamukkale and stay there. And from there we'll go to Fethiye.

And thank you, RailRider, for the warning about needing water shoes of some sort.

By the way, they don't allow socks or water shoes on the travertines at Pamukkale. You have to do it barefoot. It was around 37° when I did it last April. My feet were painfully cold at the start of the hike. As you get closer to the top, though, the water gets warmer (and the travertines more slippery).

Thank you! I was just reading through online reviews and saw that info about the water shoes -- thanks for confirming -- lots of details to brush up on, that's for sure. We will be there in early May, so I'm guessing it will be quite cold, although maybe not as cold as when you were there in April. It also sounds like we should plan to bring our own towels.

Honestly, I had mixed feelings about Pamukkale. I am absolutely glad that I went, but it's not on my list of places I want to visit again.

I loved the hike from the village to the top of the travertines, even though it was brutally cold at the outset. It was an absolutely otherworldly and unique experience. As you get to the top of the travertine path, however, the crowds become almost unbearable. Everyone was jostling to get their Instagram minute of fame.

Don't expect it to look like the photos you see online. There is a narrow strip of eight or so artificially fed pools along the eastern side, which is where you hike, and there are a couple of small pools in the village. All the other pools are bone dry. This has been a fairly recent change, maybe within the past decade or so.

Definitely bring a towel and sunglasses. I would also recommend a swimsuit for the Antique Pool at the top. Not being able to reconcile a swimsuit and 37° weather, I left my swimsuit back at the hotel and regretted it.

I had great food in the evenings in the village, and I enjoyed the modest hotel where I stayed. The food within the park is very bad, very boring and frightfully expensive.

Hierapolis, the ruins next to the travertines, are very good, but very spread out. It really takes the better part of a day to explore them fully. Of course, coming from Ephesus, you might not want to explore the whole site.

I am more visual than verbal. Photo are here:

• Travertines: https://mariematthews.smugmug.com/Ancient-Turkey/Pamukkale-Travertines
• Hierapolis: https://mariematthews.smugmug.com/Ancient-Turkey/Hierapolis

Wow, your photos are fantastic!
They also make it quite clear that it will be quite crowded, even in the springtime.
I appreciate your assessment of the experience of Pamukkale. I was worrying that maybe it was too touristy, but it seems like one of those places that that's kind of the deal to see something a lot of people want to see. I think we'll still want to go, but it's good to be forewarned what to expect!
I don't mean to take up any more of your time, but if you are so inclined and have any tips for Fethiye, that would be greatly appreciated! (But also no worries if you're too busy.) Thanks so much for all the insight you've given me!

Pamukkale is very touristy, no doubt about it. Still, I have no regrets about going. It's unique.

I don't know as much about Fethiye proper except that that part of Turkey is gorgeous. We did a 4 night gulet cruise from Gocek to Fethiye, and it was spectacular. We hiked in the mountains, visited Kayakoy, went to the Lycean rock cut tombs on the Dalyan river, and explored the ruins on Gemiler Island. There is a lot to do in and around Fethiye, but all I have done is the gulet cruise.

You can also book Pamukkale Day Trip From Fethiye