Laodicea

Tickets and tours: which to book

Nothing is sold online for Laodicea on its own. Entry is a simple gate ticket bought at the visitor centre, and the site is included in the Museum Pass Turkey and the regional pass for the Aegean, which pays off if you also visit Hierapolis, Aphrodisias or Ephesus. Prices for foreign visitors in Turkey have risen sharply in recent years and are now often quoted in euros, so check before you go.

Most visitors arrive on their own by taxi or car, or as one stop on a day tour of the Pamukkale area. Tours sold from Pamukkale village, Denizli and from coast resorts such as Kusadasi, Bodrum and Antalya usually cover the Hierapolis ruins and the travertine terraces, with a shorter visit to Laodicea added on some itineraries; transport and a guide are included, while lunch and entry fees vary. Pilgrimage groups following the seven churches of Revelation make it a fixed stop.

There is no audio guide, but signs in English are good and the main buildings are well explained. For most people the best plan is to visit independently in the morning, then move on to Pamukkale for the afternoon and sunset on the terraces.

A short history

A Seleucid king, Antiochus II, founded Laodicea between 261 and 253 BC on an older settlement and named it after his wife Laodice. After 133 BC it passed to Rome and grew rich on banking, trade and black wool, and it had a well-known medical school. An earthquake destroyed it in AD 60, and the citizens rebuilt it without imperial help. It became an early Christian centre and the seat of a bishop. Byzantine emperors fought the Seljuks for it in the 12th century, and it was finally abandoned after Turkish and Mongol raids. Pamukkale University has excavated and restored it since 2002; it joined the UNESCO tentative list in 2013.

Getting there

Laodicea is about 6 km north of central Denizli, close to the village of Eskihisar and the main road to Pamukkale. Denizli Cardak airport, with flights from Istanbul and Ankara, is about an hour away by car or airport shuttle. Denizli also has a large bus station with coaches from Izmir, Antalya, Istanbul and the coast, and a railway station with trains from Izmir. From the bus station, minibuses and dolmus towards Pamukkale can drop you at the Laodicea turn-off, from where the visitor centre is a walk of about 1 km; a taxi takes about 15 minutes. By car, follow the signs from the Pamukkale road and use the free car park at the entrance.

Rules and what to bring

Stay on the marked paths and walkways, do not climb on columns or the restored walls, and do not step on the mosaic floors in the church. Drones need permission. There is almost no shade on the long walk between buildings, so bring a hat, sunscreen and more water than you think, and wear firm shoes for the marble and gravel. Toilets and drinks are at the visitor centre; Denizli and Pamukkale have plenty of places to eat.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the best seasons. From April to June the fields are green and the snow lingers on Honaz Dagi behind the city, and September and October bring settled weather. In July and August afternoon temperatures in the Lycus valley often pass 35 degrees, and the open site becomes punishing, so arrive at opening or come for the last hours of the day. Winter is mild and quiet but can be wet and grey.

Laodicea is rarely crowded. Day-tour coaches heading for Pamukkale sometimes stop in the late morning, and church groups come throughout the season, but even at peak times the site absorbs them easily. Hierapolis and the travertines are far busier, so many people do Laodicea first and save Pamukkale for late afternoon and sunset. Allow two to three hours to walk the main streets, church and theatres.