Pamukkale

Pamukkale, meaning Cotton Castle, is one of Turkey's most extraordinary sights, a hillside cascading with dazzling white terraces of travertine, formed over millennia by mineral-rich thermal springs depositing calcium into pools of turquoise water. Above the terraces spread the extensive ruins of Hierapolis, the Roman and Byzantine spa city, whose theatre and ancient pool make this a UNESCO wonder of nature and history.

What you actually see

• The white travertine terraces - the dazzling pools cascading down the hillside.
• The thermal pools - the warm turquoise water you can wade in barefoot.
• Hierapolis - the Roman spa city ruins and its great theatre.
• The Antique Pool - the thermal pool scattered with ancient columns.

When to go

Spring and autumn for mild weather and the fullest terraces; summer is very hot on the shadeless white slope, and water flow varies with conservation controls. Late afternoon light turns the terraces golden, and the crowds thin.

Honest expectations

To protect the terraces, you walk barefoot and only in certain pools, and water is rotated, so some terraces may be dry; it is not the endless turquoise cascade some photos suggest. It is busy with tour groups midday, and the white surface is dazzling and hot. Hierapolis above adds real depth.

Nearby

Ephesus and the Aegean coast are within reach; the ruins of Aphrodisias are nearby.