Of all of the interesting places that we visited during our trip to Kusadasi was the day trip that we took to see Pamukkale. It is both a destination for locals and visitors to spend time in the soothing hot springs or to glide off of the cliffs in a hang-glider as well as the location of several ancient ruins. If you take a tour to Pamukkale, feel free to bring a bathing suit and relax in the warm waters, which are rich with minerals and are said to provide healing qualities. You can also just take your shoes off and walk through the shallow pools that overlook the valley below.
We would definitely recommend making the hot springs your last stop during a tour of Pamukkale as you will do quite a bit of walking as you must walk all of the way to one end of the ruins and then return back to the parking area, which can take an hour or two. The ruins themselves are not the most impressive, but the ancient amphitheater is probably the highlight of the sites that you will see. The stunning pools with their white cliffs made up from the calcium from the water is what makes this location a worthwhile visit. In addition to the gorgeous springs along the cliff, there is also the Cleopatra Pool where you will find the largest number of bathers enjoying the beautiful surroundings.
We were fortunate to have several days in the port city of Kusadasi, so taking the day trip to Pamukkale was certainly worthwhile. We would recommend going to Ephesus and Aphrodisias before going to Pamukkale, but it was definitely an interesting destination to visit. As with many of the sites in southwestern Turkey, it is a World Heritage Site, making it a popular location for tourists to visit.
