In Turkey’s Aegean region, north of Denizli, you’ll find Pamukkale: justifiably one of the most historically relevant and visually arresting places in the country. Over millennia, the calcium oxide-rich waters flowing down the slope of Caldag to the north of the village, gradually built up deposits of white travertine on the plateau below, dotted with no less than 17 hot springs. The pale splendour of Pamukkale, or ‘Cotton Castle’ as it is dubbed, is visible from the town of Denizli, a full 20 kilometres away. Together with Hierapolis (the ancient city on which it was built, with its ruins still visible today), Pamukkale has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Make sure to see the ancient ruins of Aphrodisias and Laodicea and, as day-tripping crowds dwindle, spectacular sunsets over the snow-coloured mineral terraces.