Ephesus and Pamukkale Day Trip from Istanbul by Plane with Lunch

Ephesus Ancient City: Curetes Street and the Library of Celsus

Ephesus, near Selçuk about an hour from İzmir airport, is the best-preserved ancient city in the Aegean and the reason most people book an Ephesus tour from Istanbul. Founded by Greek settlers, it became the Roman capital of the province of Asia and a port city of around a quarter of a million people. Your private guide leads you down Curetes Street past the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan, the terrace houses and the public latrines to the Library of Celsus, whose restored two-storey facade is the most photographed monument in Turkey after Hagia Sophia.

From the library, Marble Street leads to the Great Theatre, carved into the hillside with seats for about 24,000 spectators and still used for performances. Allow around two hours for the site; it is mostly open ground with marble paving, so wear comfortable shoes and a hat. Entrance tickets are bought at the gate.

The House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis

On the wooded slope of Bülbül Mountain above Ephesus stands the House of the Virgin Mary, a small stone chapel believed by many Christians to be where Mary lived her final years after coming to Ephesus with the apostle John. It is a place of pilgrimage for Christians and is also respected by Muslims, who honour Maryam in the Quran; visitors of every faith are welcome, and the atmosphere is quiet and shaded, with a spring and a wall of written wishes below the chapel.

Back on the plain near Selçuk is the site of the Temple of Artemis, once one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world and the largest temple of its time. Today a single reconstructed column stands in a marshy field, with the Byzantine Basilica of St John and the Ottoman İsa Bey Mosque on the hill behind it: three faiths in one view, as your guide will point out.

Pamukkale: the white travertine terraces

After lunch the drive east to Pamukkale takes about three hours through the Menderes valley, farm country of figs, cotton and olives. Pamukkale means cotton castle, and from the road the hillside really does look like a cliff of white cotton. The terraces are formed by calcium-rich thermal water that has flowed from the springs for thousands of years, leaving stepped pools and frozen white cascades. Shoes must be removed to walk on the travertines, so bring a bag for them and a towel.

The best time to visit Pamukkale is the late afternoon, which is exactly when this itinerary arrives: the crowds thin, the low sun turns the white calcium pink and gold, and the shallow pools are warm underfoot. The walk up the terrace path takes about twenty minutes and leads straight into the ruins of Hierapolis at the top. Entry to the Pamukkale-Hierapolis site is paid at the gate.

Hierapolis and the Sacred Pool

Hierapolis was the Roman spa city built above the springs, and together with the travertines it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Your guide walks you through the main street to the great theatre, one of the best preserved in Anatolia with its two-storey stage building and carved reliefs, and to the vast necropolis, where more than a thousand tombs and sarcophagi line the road, left by the sick and the elderly who came to take the waters and never left.

At the centre of the site is the Sacred Pool, a warm thermal pool where fallen marble columns lie beneath the clear water; swimming in it is optional and the entry is paid separately on site, so bring a swimsuit and towel if you want a soak. Around two hours are spent in Pamukkale and Hierapolis before the hour's drive to Denizli airport for the evening flight back to Istanbul.

Flights, transfers and how the day is organised

Doing Ephesus and Pamukkale in one day from Istanbul is only possible by air, and this private programme takes care of every connection. Our driver collects you from your hotel between about 04:30 and 05:30, depending on the flight, and drives you to the airport; the flight to İzmir takes about an hour. On arrival you are met and driven to Ephesus in an air-conditioned vehicle, and the same vehicle and guide stay with you until Denizli airport in the evening.

The return flight from Denizli lands in Istanbul in the evening, where our driver waits to take you back to your hotel. The day is long, around twelve hours in total, but the private format means the pace is yours: more time in the theatre at Ephesus, a longer soak at Pamukkale, or an earlier finish if you travel with children. Keep your passport or ID card with you for the domestic flights.