Thermal baths in Turkey
Turkey has two bathing traditions. Hot springs rise across Anatolia, from the Marmara coast to the Aegean hinterland and Central Anatolia, and have drawn bathers since antiquity: people have come to the springs at Hierapolis, the ancient city near Denizli, for thousands of years, and spring-fed baths, kaplıca in Turkish, still serve for cure and for leisure. Istanbul's hammams heat their water instead; the Ottomans built them beside mosques and markets, many with separate sections for men and women, and a visit follows a set order: the warm room, a scrub with a kese glove, then a foam wash on the heated marble.
- Baths17
- Cities and towns7
- Water39°
- Hot rooms40 to 48°
Towns with baths in Turkey, A to Z
Every bath in Turkey, by region
Pool temperature as the operator publishes it, and the first ticket on its price list.
Istanbul 10
- Ağa HamamıHammam · IstanbulTRY 1,800about €33
- Cağaloğlu HamamıHammam · Istanbul€95
- Çemberlitaş HamamıHammam · IstanbulTRY 3,200about €58
- Çukurcuma Hamamı 1831Hammam · Istanbul€90
- Galatasaray HamamıHammam · IstanbulTRY 2,000about €36
- Gedikpaşa HamamıHammam · Istanbul€50
- Hürrem Sultan HamamıHammam · Istanbul42 to 48°€110
- Kılıç Ali Paşa HamamıHammam · IstanbulTRY 4,300about €78
- Süleymaniye HamamıHammam · Istanbul38 to 40°€90
- Zeyrek Çinili HamamHammam · Istanbul€80
Elsewhere in Turkey 7
- Yeni KaplıcaThermal bath · BursaTRY 500about €9
- Medrese Hamamı, HaymanaThermal bath · Haymana
- Kızılcahamam Büyük KaplıcaThermal bath · KızılcahamamTRY 400about €7.5
- Kızılcahamam Küçük KaplıcaThermal bath · KızılcahamamTRY 200about €3.5
- Sultaniye KaplıcalarıThermal bath · Köyceğiz39°
- Pamukkale TravertinesHot spring · Pamukkale€30
- Yalova Termal KaplıcalarıThermal bath · TermalTRY 700about €13
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Questions about Turkey
Which Istanbul hammams can you reach by tram?
Most of them, on the T1. Get off at Gülhane or Sultanahmet for Cağaloğlu, Sultanahmet for Hürrem Sultan and Çemberlitaş for the Çemberlitaş hammam. Tophane serves Kılıç Ali Paşa and Galatasaray, and Beyazıt-Kapalıçarşı or Eminönü Süleymaniye. For Zeyrek Çinili, take the M2 metro to Vezneciler or Haliç.
Are Turkish hammams fed by hot springs?
Some are. Istanbul's hammams heat their water, and Süleymaniye is still heated by an oak-fired furnace under the marble. In Ankara province, Kızılcahamam's two municipal baths and the Medrese Hamamı at Haymana are filled with thermal water, in separate sections for women and men. The operator at Kızılcahamam says its water is for bathing only, as it carries arsenic.
Which Istanbul hammams have been restored?
Several reopened after long closures. Süleymaniye closed in 1924 and reopened in 2004, Kılıç Ali Paşa reopened in 2012 after seven years of restoration, and Zeyrek Çinili in 2023 after thirteen. Hürrem Sultan closed in 1910 and held prisoners and then carpets before its restoration began in 2008.
Can you walk on the Pamukkale travertines?
Partly. Most of the white terraces are closed off for preservation, and visitors keep to the open sections. One ministry ticket covers the travertines and the ruins of Hierapolis above them, a city founded in the 2nd century BC.
Do you need a swim cap at Yalova Termal?
Yes, in the open-air pool, which is filled entirely with the site's thermal water. Children up to 6 go free, and the operator advises that a parent supervises children in the pools.
What do you wear at the Kızılcahamam thermal baths?
A swimsuit and a swim cap. At Büyük Kaplıca women wear a swim cap and swimsuit and men a swim cap and shorts, and Küçük Kaplıca asks for a swim cap and a swimsuit or shorts too. Both have separate sections for women and men, and boys up to 3 may come into the women's section at Büyük Kaplıca. Families can book a private cabin instead, and Büyük Kaplıca asks for a marriage certificate for these.