How to go to Pamukkale from Cappadocia?

When you’ve finished exploring all the cave dwellings, churches and underground cities at Cappadocia, you might want to visit another amazing natural wonder known as Pamukkale or ‘Cotton Castle’. Its travertines filled with water from underground springs are nice to paddle in and its unique appearance make it a good photo opportunity. So, how to travel from Cappadocia to Pamukkale? .

Travel By Bus

You can travel directly from Cappadocia to Pamukkale if you take the bus. These buses are quite large and comfortable. They are air conditioned and often have small TV screens in the back of the seats in front with TV, films, music, a USB port to charge your phone and a socket to plug in a laptop between the two seats. There may be free Wifi but you can’t count on getting a good signal. Tea, coffee and soft drinks are usually served on the bus. Not all buses have toilets but they stop at restaurants every few hours.

Buying a bus ticket

You can get a ticket at the bus station or buy online. Metro Turizm goes from Nevşehir in Cappadocia to Denizli, the nearest town to Pamukkale, for 100 Lira/£12. If you are a Turkish citizen you can buy a bus ticket through one of the websites (e.g. Kamil Koç or Öz Elbistan Seyahat). If not, you can shop around for the best deal at www.biletall.com. It’s a good idea to reserve a seat next to someone of the same gender, as this is the norm when travelling on long-distance buses. Your passport number is required if you’re not a Turkish citizen, and shown as proof of I.D. at the bus station when collecting your ticket 30 minutes before the bus leaves.

By train and bus

There is no direct train between Cappadocia and Denizli so you have to take a bus from Göreme to Konya (3.5 hours) and the train from Konya to Denizli (about 9 hours), changing at Afyon Ali Çetinkaya in Afyonkarahisar. It’s best to check train times beforehand. If you want to enjoy the scenery by day and don’t mind changing it’s ok, but if you prefer to travel overnight the bus is a better choice.

By plane and bus/taxi

You can fly from Nevşehir airport to Denizli via Istanbul. Nevşehir-Istanbul (1 hour) a few hours wait at the airport then Istanbul-Denizli (1 hour). You can book through www.turkishairlines.com (also available in English). The price is about 250-700 Lira/£30-£90. There are shuttle buses from Denizli airport to Pamukkale.

By car

If you want the freedom to stop when and where you please, you might prefer to hire a car for the pleasant journey from Cappadocia to Pamukkale. There are interesting touristic places to visit like Konya, home of Mevlana and the whirling dervishes. It costs around 500-700 Lira/£65 – £90 for the fuel and the journey takes around 7 – 9 hours depending on stops and driving speed.

READ MORE – Excursions in Pamukkale

READ MORE – Excursions in Cappadocia