Getting from Pamukkale to Cappadocia
Pamukkale is Turkey's most popular thermal tourist destination. It is famous for its snow-white thermal pools (travertines), Cleopatra's Antique Pool, hot air balloon rides, and the magnificent Hierapolis Ancient City.
On the other hand, Cappadocia (map) is another well-known tourist location in Turkey, famed for its magnificent fairy chimneys, hot air balloon rides, ancient underground cities, and valleys.
Thousands of people travel to both of these popular destinations each year, making them some of the top tourist sites in the country. As a result, many tourists want to visit Cappadocia and Pamukkale together.
Traveling to Cappadocia from Pamukkale
It's 530 km (330 miles) between Pamukkale and Cappadocia, making the whole trip a drive of seven or eight hours or a night bus trip of about 10 hours.
Keep in mind that there are no direct flights or trains, so you must go by bus or car.
1. Traveling to Cappadocia By Bus
There are direct buses all the way from Denizli (Pamukkale) to Nevşehir (Cappadocia). The trip takes about 10 hours, and the bus departures start at noon and continue until midnight at 2-hour intervals.
We recommend using overnight buses, meaning you will arrive at Denizli Bus Station the next morning after boarding at midnight. Also, for this trip, we advise taking a direct bus from the Metro Turizm and Isparta Turizm companies or using other reliable bus firms that operate long-distance bus services in Turkey.
If a 10-hour journey is too long, you can choose to spend a night in Konya along the way, with direct buses for both segments of your trip. This means you will travel from Pamukkale to Konya (5 hours), and after spending the night here, you will go from Konya to Cappadocia (5 hours).
2. Traveling to Cappadocia By Car
Using a rental vehicle service is usually simpler and more practical than taking public transportation because you have more flexibility when you have a car.
While it is 530 km (330 miles) from Pamukkale to Cappadocia and takes eight hours, you can divide your journey much better with a personal car. We advise taking the following itinerary for a happy trip to Cappadocia:
When traveling through Turkey's lake region, Konya is only 306 km (190 miles) east of Pamukkale. So, first, voyage to Konya from Pamukkale via D320 highway, which is a drive of about 5 hours.
If you have time, stop at Eğirdir, a beautiful lakeside town with amazing sights, for lunch and enjoy the scenery around the lake of the same name.
After, stay the night at Konya to see its great Seljuk Turkish buildings (especially the Mevlana [Rumi] Museum), then on the next day continue along the ancient Silk Road via Sultanhanı to Nevşehir, Cappadocia. (221 km, 137 miles, 3 hours)
For more details, see our 5-Day Ephesus—Cappadocia Driving Itinerary.
3. Traveling to Cappadocia By Plane
While there are no direct flights from Pamukkale to Cappadocia, it is possible to use transit flights to reach Istanbul and get on a direct flight to Cappadocia.
Turkish Airlines has daily one-hour nonstop flights between Istanbul's Atatürk Airport and Denizli Airport (DNZ) in the early morning and late evening—unfortunately, not the most convenient times to make connections to or from such places as Cappadocia.
Similarly, AnadoluJet and Pegasus Airlines have daily one-hour nonstop flights between Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) and Denizli Airport (DNZ) at similarly less-than-convenient times for connections.
4. Traveling to Cappadocia by Train
Sadly, there is no direct railway from Pamukkale or Konya to Cappadocia. If you wanted to use a train to get to Cappadocia, your best choice would be to first get to Konya, then travel to Ankara, and then transit to Kayseri (a city near Cappadocia) to finally reach Cappadocia. As you can understand, this would be time-consuming and confusing.
Travel to Cappadocia, Turkey
Traveling to Cappadocia from Pamukkale is a popular choice among travelers who want to experience both places on the same trip.
The most ideal method to cross between two destinations is to use a rental car service or intercity buses. Also, it is possible to use transit flights from Istanbul. Regardless of your choice, remember to enjoy your time.
—by Tom Brosnahan, updated by Can Turan
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