What's on in Pamukkale (Hierapolis), Turkey through the year

Busy — Semester (winter) break in Turkey, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Quiet winter months (15 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramazan Bayrami, Semester (winter) break in Turkey

• Holiday

  Ramazan Bayrami

  20 Feb – 25 Mar · usuallyRamadan & EidCrowded

  The three-day holiday at the end of Ramadan, often stretched into a week off, sends Turkish families on the road and Pamukkale is an easy stop. It moves about eleven days earlier each year. Source ↗

Still on: Quiet winter months (15 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramazan Bayrami, Second-term mid-break in Turkey

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Ramazan Bayrami (20 Feb – 25 Mar (usually)), Quiet winter months (15 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — Day-tour coach season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Day-tour coach season

  1 Apr – 31 OctDay-tripper crushCrowded

  Coaches from Antalya, Marmaris and Kusadasi land between ten and three, and the terraces are shoulder to shoulder for those hours. Sleeping in the village and walking up at opening avoids the lot.

Peak crowds — Day-tour coach season, Kurban Bayrami

• Holiday

  Kurban Bayrami

  27–30 MayRamadan & EidCrowded

  The four-day religious holiday is when inland Turkey travels, and Pamukkale is the classic family stop between Denizli and the coast. Arriving at opening is not enough on those days. Source ↗

Still on: Day-tour coach season (1 Apr – 31 Oct)

Peak crowds — Day-tour coach season, Summer holidays in Turkey

• Season

  Heat on the terraces

  25 Jun – 31 Aug · usuallyExtreme heat

  The Denizli basin bakes and the white travertine throws it straight back up at you, barefoot, with no shade anywhere on the walk up. The site runs late-evening hours in summer for exactly this reason.

Still on: Day-tour coach season (1 Apr – 31 Oct), Kurban Bayrami (27–30 May)

Peak crowds — Day-tour coach season, Summer holidays in Turkey

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Day-tour coach season (1 Apr – 31 Oct), Heat on the terraces (25 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — Day-tour coach season, Summer holidays in Turkey

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Day-tour coach season (1 Apr – 31 Oct), Heat on the terraces (25 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — Day-tour coach season, Summer holidays in Turkey

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Day-tour coach season (1 Apr – 31 Oct)

Busy — Day-tour coach season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Day-tour coach season (1 Apr – 31 Oct)

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, First-term mid-break in Turkey

• Season

  Quiet winter months

  15 Nov – 15 Mar · usuallyOff-season shutdown

  The coaches thin out, the site closes earlier in the afternoon, and the balloon flights are often cancelled for fog or wind. Walking the travertines barefoot in cold water is the price of having them nearly to yourself.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Quiet winter months (15 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))