Ed and I bid goodbye to the surreal fairy chimneys of Cappadocia before our third day in Turkey ended. And on our fourth day, at dawn, we said hello to the snow-white travertines of Pamukkale. There are flights between two tourist destinations, from Kayseri (Cappadocia) to Denizli (Pamukkale), but we opted to take the most economical way - via Suha Turizm night bus.
Suha Turizm office in Goreme Otogar |
There are several bus companies with Cappadocia-Pamukkale route. The journey takes 8 hours or a little more. Safety and convenience are very important for us; hence we took the most recommended, or should I say most mentioned, night bus in travel forums.
We bought our tickets in advance at Suha Turizm office in Goreme Otogar. Many travelers have advised purchasing the tickets a day before the trip, but out of the excitement with the tours and hot air balloon ride, I totally forgot about it until our last day. Thankfully, we were able to secure two seats on our preferred travel time.
Goreme to Pamukkale route (image courtesy of Google Maps) |
bus companies in Cappadocia |
One way ticket to Pamukkale, please! ;) |
Suha Turizm has three night buses from Cappadocia to Pamukkale. The first one leaves at 7pm, next at 8pm and last at 9pm. Upon hearing that the 8pm bus has WiFi, Ed and I instantly decided to book it. It's not that we can't leave without internet connection, it's simply because we don't want to get bored in the long trip in case we couldn't sleep. :)
Just to be sure we wouldn't miss the bus, we went to the bus station 30 minutes before departure. The bus arrived a few minutes past 8pm, but immediately went on with the journey as soon as all passengers and luggage were on board.
Traveling via the bus was pretty fine. It was just like being in an aircraft, but with a travel time that is much longer and had several stop overs. Each bus ticket has a seat number, and each seat has an LCD screen, a fold out table, and an ample legroom. It seemed very safe; there were even a few solo female travelers during our trip. Unfortunately, WiFi wasn't stable, but it didn't matter as surprisingly, I had a good night's sleep despite being in moving vehicle!
Suha Turizm bus schedule as of October 2015 |
bus ticket to Pamukkale: 100 Turkish Lira for 2 people! |
on board Suha Turizm Cappadocia-Pamukkale night bus |
At 4am, all passengers bound to Pamukkale were advised to alight somewhere near Denizli. Uhmm I don't know exactly where. Sorry. But, the moment we stepped down the bus, a mini bus was there to take us to our destination. No additional fees charged!
The mini bus dropped us in Pamukkale Bus office right in the heart of Pamukkale town. It was still dark when we arrived, so the staff told us head inside the office, wait for the sun to rise before going to our hotel. Apparently, most hotels in town only open at 7:30am, not 24hrs!
At sunrise, we walked to our home away from home in Pamukkale - Melrose Viewpoint Hotel. There, during breakfast, we caught a glimpse of the famous Pamukkale travetines. And that moment, it dawned on me that the second leg of our #SweetEscapesInTurkey has already began.
Pamukkale Bus office in the town of Pamukkale |
Hello, snow-white travertines of Pamukkale! ;) |
Everything on our itinerary is based on this trip! � Detailed and really helpful post, I made sure to read everything so I was able to map out our own journey in Nov hehe so excited!!
ReplyDeleteWow!I'm so happy to know that you got some useful tips here. Have fun in Turkey!
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