Pamukkale & Salda Lake 2-Day Tour from Avsallar
Roman spa guests and Christian pilgrims once travelled to Pamukkale for its warm springs and holy sites. From Avsallar you follow them over the Taurus to Salda Lake and the white terraces, spend the night in a thermal hotel and see the red springs of Karahayıt on the way home.
- Duration
- 1 days
- Operating days
- Daily
- Pickup
- From your hotel – time confirmed after booking
- Destination
- Pamukkale
Day one: over the Taurus from Avsallar
The tour runs every day. We confirm your exact pickup time after booking. The bus follows the coast towards Antalya, then climbs into the Taurus to Korkuteli for breakfast and crosses the Lakes District to Salda Lake – one of the deepest and clearest lakes in Turkey, with white shores and water in every shade of turquoise.
In the afternoon you reach Pamukkale. Shoes come off for the travertines, where warm, calcium-rich water has been laying down white limestone terraces for thousands of years. Above them the kings of Pergamon founded Hierapolis in the 2nd century BC, and under Rome it became a celebrated spa town: you walk past the great theatre, colonnaded streets and a necropolis of more than a thousand tombs. The city also holds the Plutonium, a cave sanctuary whose deadly volcanic gas was thought to be the breath of the underworld, and a shrine to the apostle Philip, who according to tradition died here. If you like, you can swim among fallen marble columns in the Antique Pool (extra charge). The evening belongs to your thermal hotel – dinner, the warm pools and a night’s rest. On the second morning you see the Red Water of Karahayıt, where iron stains the hot springs rust-red, a village mosque and a carpet workshop; then the bus heads back to the coast with a lunch stop and brings you to Avsallar in the late afternoon.
Packing for two days
- Your passport or ID card: check-in at the hotel is not possible without it.
- A swimsuit, because the thermal hotel has warm pools.
- Sandals or flip-flops that slip off easily, and sunglasses for the dazzling white limestone.
- Cash for lunch on both days, drinks, the Antique Pool and the Red Water entrance.
Pickup and drop-off at your hotel in Avsallar, the air-conditioned bus and guide, and the night in a 3-star thermal hotel with dinner and breakfast are included; entrance to Pamukkale and Hierapolis comes with the package that includes entrance fees. You pay on the tour day. Prefer volcanic valleys and balloons? See the 2-day Cappadocia tour from Avsallar.
Highlights
- White travertine terraces of Pamukkale (UNESCO)
- Ancient Hierapolis with theatre and necropolis
- Photo stop at turquoise Salda Lake
- Optional swim in the Antique (Cleopatra’s) Pool
- Red Water thermal springs of Karahayıt
- Night in a thermal hotel with dinner and breakfast
Hotel pickup from Avsallar
Pickup times depend on where your hotel is and change from season to season, so we confirm your exact pickup time by WhatsApp or e-mail after booking. Please be ready at the hotel entrance 5 minutes early.
Hotels we pick up from in Avsallar
- Rubi Platinum Spa Resort & Suites
- Alan Xafira Deluxe Resort & Spa
- Vikingen Infinity Resort & Spa
- AQI Pegasos Royal
- Senza The Inn Resort & Spa
- White City Resort Hotel
- Haydarpasha Palace
- Yalihan Una
- Ramira Beach Hotel
- Selene Beach & Spa Hotel
- Arabella World Hotel
- Pegasos Club Hotel
- Miarosa Incekum Beach
- Yalihan Aspendos
- Annabella Diamond Hotel & Spa
- Annabella Park Hotel
Your hotel is not on the list? No problem – just tell us its name when booking and we will arrange your pickup.
Itinerary
-
Day 1
Hotel pickup
Pickup from your hotel in Avsallar – we confirm the exact time after booking.
-
Breakfast stop
Break in Korkuteli after crossing the Taurus Mountains.
-
Salda Lake
Photo stop at the turquoise lake.
-
Lunch break
Lunch at your own expense.
-
Pamukkale travertines
Barefoot walk over the white terraces.
-
Hierapolis
Theatre, necropolis and colonnaded streets.
-
Antique Pool (optional)
Swim among ancient columns.
-
Thermal hotel
Check-in, dinner and overnight stay.
-
Day 2
Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel and check-out.
-
Red Water
Iron-rich thermal springs of Karahayıt.
-
Village mosque & carpet workshop
Traditional hand-weaving demonstration.
-
Lunch break
Lunch at your own expense.
-
Hotel drop-off
Transfer back to your hotel in Avsallar.
Included / Not included
Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Alanya and surroundings
- Air-conditioned bus and professional guide
- 1 night in a 3-star thermal hotel
- Half board: dinner and breakfast at the hotel
- Entrance to Pamukkale and Hierapolis (only with the ‘with entrance fees’ option)
Not included
- Lunches (2) and drinks
- Entrance fees (with the ‘without entrance fees’ option)
- Antique (Cleopatra’s) Pool
- Red Water entrance fee
- Tips and personal expenses
Good to know
Good to know
- Shoes must be taken off on the travertine terraces – you walk barefoot.
- Long drive of about 380 km each way from Alanya.
- A passport or ID is required for the hotel check-in.
What to bring
- Passport or ID for the hotel check-in
- Overnight bag with toiletries and a change of clothes
- Swimwear and towel for the thermal pools
- Comfortable shoes and a bag to carry them on the travertines
- Sunglasses, hat, sunscreen and a light jacket
Frequently asked questions
Does the tour run every day?
Yes, it departs daily.
Do I have to walk barefoot?
Yes – to protect the limestone, shoes are not allowed on the travertine terraces.
Which meals are included?
Dinner and breakfast at the thermal hotel; the two lunches and drinks are paid on the way.
Can I swim in the Antique Pool?
Yes, it is optional and paid separately at the pool.
