Izmir to Pamukkale and Aphrodisias: Private day trip

Pamukkale and Hierapolis are a double-threat, showcasing both a stunning natural landscape and historic ruins. Pamukkale (Cotton Palace) is a series of white travertine basins formed over millennia by mineral-rich hotspring waters. Visitors are free to walk through the basins (barefoot only), and bath in the vibrant blue waters before heading to the 2nd century BC spa town of Hierapolis. Built by the Attalid kings, this Grecco-Roman retreat became an important Christian site after St. Philip was martyred here in 80 AD. Several ruins still survive, including the city’s monumental arch, necropolis, and nymphaeum. However the most impressive are the theatre, with its intricate backdrop, and ‘Cleopatra’s pool’, where you can bathe among fallen columns.

Aphrodisias began as a Temple to Aphrodite in the 3rd century BC, with a city growing around it 100 years later. Made wealthy from its marble and the sculptors who worked it, the city survived until 1402 when it was sacked and abandoned. The well-preserved ruins have attracted visitors since the 18th century, and 1961 has been excavated under the direction of NYU - Professor Kenan Erim is even buried here. Today the ruins are still being excavated, but there is plenty to see. The centerpiece is of course, the Temple of Aphrodite and the elaborate Tetrapylon, or monumental gate. You’ll also find the remains of a Byzantine bishop's palace, and other civic buildings. Aphrodisias also has a beautiful marble odeon, and what’s believed to be the world’s largest ancient stadium, and one of the best preserved.