Antalya to Ephesus: Go Inland by Way of Pamukkale

Antalya to Ephesus is about 400 kilometers (250 miles) by road, and the best way to cover it is not in a straight line. Go inland by way of Pamukkale instead: the white terraces add only a short detour, and they split the drive into two easy days. For the site itself, see our Ephesus tours. You finish at Ephesus and fly home from İzmir, or your driver takes you back to the coast.

Antalya to Ephesus: straight or via Pamukkale?

By road, Selçuk, the town beside Ephesus, lies 399 kilometers (248 miles) from the center of Antalya. Pamukkale lies 235 kilometers (146 miles) from Antalya and 187 kilometers (116 miles) from Selçuk. So the route through Pamukkale adds only a little distance, but it gives you a night among the travertines and Hierapolis.

Is Lake Salda worth a stop on the way?

Yes, if you like landscapes. On the road from Antalya to Denizli, you cross the Lakes Region and pass Lake Salda in Yeşilova. Its water is clear and turquoise, and its white shore is made of minerals, not sand. Since 2019, the lake has been a Special Environmental Protection Area, so you come to look, walk and take photos.

Why stop at Laodicea?

Laodicea lies near Pamukkale, on the road from Denizli. It was a rich city on a major trade route, famous for its black wool. In the Book of Revelation, it is one of the Seven Churches of Asia. Today, you walk its long colonnaded streets in the morning before you drive west to Selçuk. For the ruins, see our page on Laodicea.

Where should you eat in Selçuk?

Selçuk is known for çöp şiş, small skewers of meat grilled over a fire. Şişçi Yaşar’ın Yeri on Atatürk Caddesi grills them over wood, and it also makes handmade köfte. For a relaxed dinner after the ruins, Ejder on Cengiz Topel Caddesi builds its kitchen around the grill, with mezes and yogurt dips. For more, read the best restaurants near Ephesus.

Antalya to Ephesus and back: fly home or drive?

On our Antalya Pamukkale Ephesus tour, you walk past the Library of Celsus to the Great Theater, then drive up to the House of the Virgin Mary. From there, you fly home from İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB), or your driver takes you back to Antalya.

Tell us your hotel in Antalya and your dates, and we plan the road to Ephesus with you.