Turkey
A white limestone "cotton castle" formed by millennia-old thermal springs, then the third-largest library of the ancient world
Turkey
A journey through south-western Turkey, far from Istanbul and Cappadocia: Pamukkale, literally "cotton castle," whose immaculate white limestone terraces, formed over millennia by calcium-rich thermal springs, have hosted natural hot-water pools since antiquity, then Ephesus, one of the best-preserved cities of the ancient Mediterranean, whose Library of Celsus ranked among the three largest in the ancient world with some twelve thousand manuscript scrolls.
When
April to June | Sept to Oct
Price
From 2 300€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
5 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-2
The first chapter unfolds at Pamukkale, whose white limestone terraces, formed over millennia by the gradual calcification of a thermal water rich in calcium carbonate gushing at over thirty-five degrees, earned this site its nickname of "cotton castle" for its snow-like appearance visible for kilometres around. These cascading natural pools, exploited since antiquity for their presumed therapeutic properties, remain today partially open to bathing under a rotation system designed to preserve the UNESCO-listed geological formation.
Day 1
A swim in the travertine pools
A barefoot swim in the terraced pools of Pamukkale, where calcium-rich thermal water continues to sculpt the white limestone formations, under the same preservation rules as in antiquity.
Day 2
Hierapolis, the ancient thermal city
A visit to the ruins of Hierapolis, a Greco-Roman city founded in the 2nd century BCE atop the terraces to exploit the therapeutic properties of the thermal springs.
Days 1-2
The road to Ephesus, one of the best-preserved cities of the ancient Mediterranean, whose monumental facade of the Library of Celsus, reconstructed in the 20th century from original fragments, ranked in the 2nd century among the three largest libraries of the ancient world with some twelve thousand manuscript scrolls kept in niches protected from humidity. The city, which had up to two hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants at its Roman peak, is also home to the great ancient theatre, capable of holding twenty-five thousand spectators and still used today for concerts.
Day 1
The Library of Celsus and Curetes Street
A visit to the Library of Celsus, a reconstructed monumental facade that once held one of antiquity's largest manuscript collections, then a walk along Curetes Street, lined with Roman remains.
Day 2
The great ancient theatre and the House of the Virgin
A visit to Ephesus's great ancient theatre, capable of holding twenty-five thousand spectators, then an excursion to the House of the Virgin Mary, a pilgrimage site nestled in the surrounding hills.
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