Pamukkale day trip from Antalya: Hot air balloon option

Float over white travertines and ancient ruins, or walk them on the ground

A full-day tour from Antalya to Pamukkale includes hotel pickup, an English or Russian-speaking guide, lunch, and three hours of free time to swim in the thermal pools, explore Hierapolis ruins, or walk the white travertine terraces. You choose whether to add a hot air balloon ride at the start of the day, which gives you views of the entire landscape before you descend to walk it. The journey takes roughly 3.5 hours each way. Children from age 5 are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Pamukkale day trip from Antalya

• Hotel pick-up in Antalya early morning
• Bus ride to Pamukkale (3.5 hours)
• Optional hot air balloon flight
• Explore Cotton Castle and Hierapolis
• Free time to swim or walk travertines
• Lunch buffet included
• Return bus ride to Antalya (3.5 hours)

The experience

The day starts with pickup from your Antalya hotel before dawn. A comfortable air-conditioned bus carries you toward Pamukkale on a 3.5-hour drive, giving you time to rest or watch the landscape change. If you've booked the balloon option, the bus drops you at the launch site first, where pilots and instructors walk you through the flight before you lift off. You'll rise over the white Cotton Castle terraces, the ancient theaters and temples of Hierapolis, and the thermal pools below: the whole geography of the site laid out from above. The flight itself is the opening act. Afterward, you rejoin the group for the ground experience.

Once everyone is together at Pamukkale, your guide leads you through the main sites. You'll walk the travertine terraces of the Cotton Castle, see the ruins of Hierapolis up close, and have the option to visit Cleopatra's Pool: a warm, mineral-rich ancient pool surrounded by fallen columns (this costs 12 euros extra if you want to swim). Then you get three hours on your own to move at your own pace: swim in the thermal waters, explore deeper into the Hierapolis ruins, or simply walk the white terraces without a schedule.

Lunch is an open buffet included in the package. Drinks cost extra. After you eat and finish your free time, the bus makes the 3.5-hour return journey to Antalya, arriving back at your hotel in the evening. If you booked the balloon and weather cancels it the day before the tour, you get a full refund. If it cancels on the morning of the tour, you get 60 euros back.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off from Antalya.
• air-conditioned transport.
• English or Russian-speaking guide.
• open buffet lunch.
• full insurance.
• three hours of free time at Pamukkale to swim and explore.
• hot air balloon ride if you select that option at checkout.

Options for this experience

2 options

Pamukkale tour without a balloon flightGuide in English or Russian · 04:00Guided Pamukkale tour with lunch included, plus pickup and drop-off transfer; pickup is included

Balloon flight included in the tourGuide in English or Russian · 00:30Guided Pamukkale tour with a 1-hour balloon flight, lunch, and pickup and drop-off transfer; pickup is included

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 00:30 and 04:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Under 5: can't be booked

GroupUp to 35

Live guideEnglish and Russian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 48

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by Hot Air Balloon In Pamukkale

Is this one for you?Choose the balloon option if you want to see the full scale of Pamukkale's white terraces and Hierapolis from above before you walk them. The aerial view frames what you'll stand in front of later. Skip the balloon if you prefer to spend the whole day on the ground, swimming and exploring at your own pace without the early start.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Russian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 11 years). Children under 5 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

Can I swim in the pools at Pamukkale on this tour?

Yes. You have three hours of free time at Pamukkale to swim in the thermal pools, walk the travertine terraces, or explore Hierapolis. The thermal pools are included. Cleopatra's Pool costs 12 euros extra if you want to enter and swim there.

What happens if the hot air balloon gets cancelled because of bad weather?

If weather cancels the balloon flight one day before the tour, you receive a full refund. If it cancels on the morning of the tour, you get 60 euros back and continue the day trip to Pamukkale without the flight.

How long is the drive from Antalya to Pamukkale?

The journey takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes each way. You're picked up from your hotel early in the morning and return in the evening after a full day at the site.

Is lunch included, and what about drinks?

Lunch is an open buffet included in the package. Drinks are not included and cost extra at the restaurant.