Samsun

Samsun, in the Central Karadeniz region of Turkey, is the largest city on the Turkish Black Sea coast.

Understand
Samsun has a special place in the republican history of Turkey, as this is where the republic's founder, Kemal Atatürk, set foot to start the War of Independence in 1919.

Orientation
Samsun is a long sprawling city which extends along the coast towards the Kızılırmak ("Red River") delta to the west and the Yeşilırmak ("Green River") delta to the east.

In the city center and close to the seashore is the city's main square, Cumhuriyet Meydanı, north and south of which are Kazımpaşa Caddesi and Cumhuriyet Caddesi.

The city has grown fast: land has been reclaimed from the sea and many apartment blocks and shopping malls have been built. Industry is tending to move (or be moved) east, further away from the city center and towards the airport.

Climate
Samsun has a rather warm oceanic climate, like most of the eastern Black Sea coast of Turkey. Summers are warm and showery, although Samsun generally avoids the heaviest of the rainfall during this time. Transitional seasons are pleasant, while winters are cool and wet. Snow is relatively uncommon for the Black Sea coast, but can sometimes fall.

By bus
There are frequent and reasonably priced buses to Ankara and eastwards along the Black Sea coast to Trabzon and beyond.

By train
The Hattı train runs once a day from Sivas, which has fast trains from Ankara, and slow trains from the east of Turkey. Trains each way set off around 08:30 and take 8 hours via Amasya and Havza. One other train leaves Amasya early morning and takes 3 hours to Samsun, returning late afternoon - this is shown on the regional or Bölgesel part of TCDD timetables, while the Hattı is a mainline or Anahat train.

The first couple of hours out of Samsun are a slow scenic winding wooded climb crossing and recrossing the small Mert River.

This line was closed for years for track upgrading, with the promise of speedy journeys once the work was complete. Passenger services resumed in April 2023 but are as slow as ever; it's not clear if further work on the line is in hand to improve this.

(Samsun Garı) is central, next to the harbour.

Get around
The city has a network of trams, buses, dolmuşes, and taxis.

The city travelcard is called Samkart and can be bought at the main tram stops and some shops. It can be used on buses or trams but not dolmuş.

Frequent trams run along the city parallel to the coast, between 19 Mayis University and the stadium, and the tramway may be extended to the airport. Only the main tram stations sell travelcards or tokens.

There are four numbered Dolmuş routes within the city and they are much more frequent than buses - you can always ask the driver details on where to get off, etc. There are also larger dolmuş with higher fares for destinations a little outside the city.

On foot
Vehicles rarely stop at the pedestrian crossings without lights.

By bike
The central seafront is very easy and pleasant to cycle along as is the Mert River, but there is no connection between the riverside and seaside cycle paths. There is also a separated bike path to Tekkeköy, but again it does not connect to any other bike path. There are private bike rental shops, mainly in Atakum. Bicycles cannot taken on a tram during peak hours (06:00-09:30 and 16:00-19:30).

By scooter
There are Binbin stand up dockless scooters for rent near and along the seafront. Probably safest to stick to the seafront cycle path, but even there beware as even small faults in the surfacing can bump the tiny wheels.

Do

 * Sea front — Good for walking or cycling, or you can take a ride in a horse drawn carriage.
 * Boat trip. A trip along the coast which takes 2 hours, on a boat named Samsunum ("my Samsun").

Beaches
Atakum Beach is long, free and sandy and has nice cafes across the small road from the beach, however there is little shade. Children and weak swimmers should beware of the variable depth, especially when there are big waves with rip currents possible, and check whether there is a rope in the sea and a lifeguard on duty.

Fener Beach is women only, has a small daily charge and is suitable for small children in that the water is shallow, it has shade and showers and is sheltered from waves. It is open 08:00-18:00 in summer. Access by public transport involves crossing a busy road, so unless you are staying at the Sheraton you may prefer to take a taxi if you have small children.

Bandırma Beach and Mert Beach are closed as of 2020.

Parks
In summer locals love to barbecue in the big parks and drink tea from samovars.

Theater

 * Arts. If you are interested in arts, you will find a thing or two that you might like. There is a very large and interesting opera building with very cheap weekly shows.

Sports

 * Go Karting. There is a go kart course in Batıpark (West Park)
 * Fishing. The Black Sea is rich in fish varieties.
 * Horse riding. There is a center just before Ondokuz Mayis University going out of town.
 * Paintball. There is a paintball ground in the locality known as Körfez, somewhat far from city centre.
 * Wakeboarding. In summer water skiers are towed around by an overhead circuit, near Dogupark (East Park)

Events

 * Festivals. Two festivals are celebrated annually in the city. Some competitions are held during the Bike Festival. On the other hand, concerts of popular singers are to be found during the Festival of OMÜ (Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi). Both festivals are usually celebrated around the end of June.

Nearby geothermal spas
Not being in an earthquake zone, there are no geothermal spas in the city itself. But if you are coming from or going to Ankara or Boğazkale on your own wheels, a relaxing journey break or overnight stopover is possible in Amasya Province or Samsun Province. There are a couple of spas and some hamams clustered in the same area in the town of Havza http://havza.gov.tr/havzada-bulunan-termal-tesisler-ve-kaplica-isletmeleri







Buy
If you are a walker or cyclist heading onwards towards villages with fierce unruly dogs you can buy pepper spray in hunting shops here: let us know if it works.

There are plenty of modern hospitals if you need a quicker or cheaper op than you can get at home. Many doctors and dentists are women if that is important for you, but not all have good English.

Eat
Pide is one of Samsun's delicious 'events' and has four different types available Kapalı, peynirli-yumurtalı (cheese&egg), pastırmalı-yumurtalı (spicy bacon&egg) and sucuklu-yumurtalı (Turkish wurst&egg) although there are some further varieties also possible such as spinach, and kavurmalı.

The local people all eat pide every Sunday almost ritualistically. These pides are totally unique to the city, so don't expect to find them anywhere else.

Fried anchovies are delicious in winter.

Drink
Tea: always but not only after anchovies. If you find the tea too strong then "çay açık olsun" is the phrase you need.

If arriving by air internationally (direct, or via Istanbul and you have not yet cleared customs) you will need to walk across to the terminal on your right to collect your baggage, and buy duty-free alcohol if you wish.

Sleep
There are some hotels close to the beach, for example Hotel Serra.

Budget
You can "couchsurf" or there are plenty of small hotels near Ataturk Park (get off your bus or tram at Cumhuriyet Meydan). Or try the "öğretmenevi".

Splurge
Sheraton or Hotel Amisos.

Internet

 * Wi-Fi at the airport is slower than the local tortoises.

Go next

 * Kızılırmak Delta bird reserve Kızılırmak (literally "red river", due to its colour). The delta is great for birdwatching.
 * Kızılırmak Delta bird reserve Kızılırmak (literally "red river", due to its colour). The delta is great for birdwatching.
 * Kızılırmak Delta bird reserve Kızılırmak (literally "red river", due to its colour). The delta is great for birdwatching.
 * Kızılırmak Delta bird reserve Kızılırmak (literally "red river", due to its colour). The delta is great for birdwatching.
 * Kızılırmak Delta bird reserve Kızılırmak (literally "red river", due to its colour). The delta is great for birdwatching.
 * Kızılırmak Delta bird reserve Kızılırmak (literally "red river", due to its colour). The delta is great for birdwatching.
 * Kızılırmak Delta bird reserve Kızılırmak (literally "red river", due to its colour). The delta is great for birdwatching.