Samsun
Samsun, in the Central Karadeniz region of Turkey, is the largest city on the Turkish Black Sea coast. In 2021 it had a population of 710,000, with about as many more in its surrounding province.
Understand
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Samsun in antiquity was Sampsounta or Amisos. A long line of conquests culminated in the Ottoman takeover in 1420. The city traded around the Black Sea and beyond, and still does, and in the 19th century it exported the local tobacco, described as a pungent but premium product. Its mosques were stone-built but its wooden secular buildings burnt again and again, notoriously in the great fire of 1869. This plus earth tremors means that the city lacks an "Old Town" and is mostly 20th century medium-rise.
Samsun has a special place in the republican history of Turkey. In 1919 Mustafa Kemal Pasha and some 50 officers and soldiers were sent in the ship Bandırma to supervise the disbanding of defeated Ottoman troops in the east. Meanwhile the Greeks were seizing Turkish territory and looked likely to capture Ankara. He landed on 19 May 1919 and proclaimed that the fight-back had begun; he rallied the troops, drove back the Greeks and secured Turkish independence on far better terms that the original peace deal. For this he became revered as Atatürk, "father of the Turks", and 19 May is celebrated nationally as "Atatürk's birthday".
In the late 20th century Samsun became a beach resort - mostly domestic tourism and weekend second homes, as western package tourists preferred the Med coast. The city nowadays sprawls for 20 km along the coast.
The climate is warm and oceanic. Summers are warm and showery, although Samsun doesn't have high mountains to draw the clouds so it avoids the heaviest of the rainfall. Spring and autumn are pleasant, winters are cool and wet and snow is uncommon.
Get in
[edit]Samsun is 410 km northeast of Ankara by D795. The Black Sea coast highway runs east to Trabzon (325 km) and west to Zonguldak (530 km).
By plane
[edit]1 Samsun-Çarşamba Airport (SZF IATA), Çınarlık Blv (23 km east of city), ☏ +90 362 844 8830. Flights are frequent from Istanbul (both IST and SAW), daily from other major Turkish cities, and a few international flights in summer, mainly from Germany. Buses and taxis run to city centre and to Bafra for the Kızılırmak Delta. 
By bus
[edit]Buses from Istanbul run every couple of hours, taking 12 hours via Ankara, Kirikkale and Çorum; some continue to Trabzon. Buses also run from Kayseri (6 hours), Antalya (15 hours) and Izmir (14 hours). Bus lines on these routes are Metro Turizm and Flix Bus.
2 Samsun Bus Terminal is at the D795 / D010 junction 5 km west of city centre. Frequent dolmuşes run downtown.
By train
[edit]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 2023 but are as slow as ever.
3 Samsun railway station 
Get around
[edit]
The city straggles east-west for 20 km. The seafront is a pleasant walk or cycle, but to get around you need to take a tram, bus, dolmuş or taxi.
The city travelcard is called Samkart and can be bought at the main tram stops and some shops. It can be used on buses and trams but not dolmuşes.
The tram line hugs the coast, from the football stadium east through downtown to OMÜ Yurtlar Atakum to the west. Extension to the airport has been debated forever.
Dolmuşes are much more frequent than buses, and ply within the city and nearby villages.
A dozen outlets hire bikes or e-scooters.
See
[edit]- 1 Amisos Hill is a small hill and park with sea views and Hellenistic tombs. The simplest ascent is from the west off Hendek Cd, or take the cable care from Baruthane north side.
- Amazon Museum recreates the Amazon women who supposedly dwelt in this region, but it's more like a hokum theme park. It's in Baruthane near the foot of Amisos Hill cable car, open M 12:00-19:00, Tu-Su 08:00-19:00.
- Batıpark is the adjacent seafront park, with a karting track.
- 2 National Struggle Museum (Kuva-i Milliye Müzesi), Çifte Hamam Cd 57, ☏ +90 362 432 4000. M-F 08:00-17:00. Shambolic museum of the independence struggle, in which nothing works. Where's a strong capable leader when you need one?
- 3 Central Great Mosque (Büyük Camii) on Necip Bey Cd was built in 1884 after the great fire destroyed its medieval predecessors.
- 4 Kurşunlu Mosque is a stubby stone building of 1494 AD, dwarfed amidst high rise along 100 Yıl Blv. Its name means "leaded" for the roof.
- Bedestan was the historic market place, but it's just a neglected tatty mess on Namık Kemal Cd, 100 m west of North Point Hotel.
- 5 Veterans Museum (Gazi Müzesi), Gazi Cd 62, ☏ +90 362 435 7535. Tu-Su 08:30-16:30. "Gazi" also translates as "heroes", and this documents Atatürk's activities in Samsun, with old photos, maps and personal items. Free.
- 6 Statue of Honour is the centrepiece of Atatürk Park, rearing up on its hind legs. It was erected in 1932.
- 7 City Museum (Samsun Kent Müzesi), Atatürk Blv 22, ☏ +90 362 234 3454. M 12:00-17:00, Tu-Su 08:30-17:00. This was a hotel when Atatürk stayed, and it later served as accommodation for railway construction workers. In 2011 it became a museum of city history.
- 8 Surgical Instruments Museum (Cerrahi Aletler ve Sağlık Müzesi), Fuar Alanı Kümesi 47, ☏ +90 549 191 9362. Tu-Su 09:00-17:00. Odd museum in a former railway station, including a macabre collection of foetuses. Free.
- 9 Replica of SS Bandırma, Belediye Evleri, ☏ +90 362 238 0023. M 12:00-17:00, Tu-Su 08:00-17:00. Launched in Paisley in 1878, this small freighter-cum-ferry plied the Med, and took its best-known name (for a Marmara sea port) in 1910. In 1919 it conveyed Mustafa Kemal Pasha here to supervise the disbanding of defeated Ottoman troops; but instead he rallied the troops and began the war for Turkish independence. The ship retired in 1924 and was scrapped, but a full-scale replica was built, and opened in 2006 as a museum of those days. Adult 100 TL.
- East Park is next to the Bandırma museum and has a skatepark.
- 10 Toy Museum (Canik Oyuncak Müzesi), Girne Sk 52, Canik, ☏ +90 542 225 1445. Tu-Su 10:00-16:30. Old toys of all kinds, mostly dolls. Free.
- 11 Göğceli Mosque, Terme Cd, Çarşamba (in Göğceli cemetery 30 km east of city). 24 hours. Looking like an Alpine chalet, this remarkable wooden mosque was built in 1206 AD, intricately fitted with not a single nail.
Do
[edit]
- Theatre: Samsun Art Theatre is midtown off Lise Cd.
- Hamams - traditional Turkish baths - are just north of Grand Mosque on Necip Bey Cd, and 200 m west on 100 Yıl Blv near Kurşunlu Mosque.
- Samsun sea front stretches for several km northwest from downtown, with a firm surface for cycling or skating.
- 1 Atakum Beach is the best, long and sandy but narrow and lacking shade. No tides, but beware long-shore currents.
- Fener Beach just north of Sheraton Grand is for women and small children only.
- Mert Beach by the Surgical Instruments Museum is closed for re-development, along with the Aquapark.
- Boat trips putter out from the harbour in summer, but none sailed in 2024.
- Fly Samsun take you paragliding, with tandem rides launching from hills around the city.
- 2 Çakırlar Grove, Sinop Yol. Daily 08:00-23:00. Small nature reserve with boardwalks over wetland forested with ash and elm. Picnic and sports area, restaurant and toilets. Free.
- Football: Samsunspor play soccer in Süper Lig, the top tier. Their 19 Mayıs Stadium (capacity 34,000) is 5 km east of the city off D010. Their former stadium of that name in Canik has been demolished.
- Horse riding: Vadi Binicilik Merkezi (Valley Equestrian Centre) is 3 km southwest of city centre.
- Samsun Paintball is in Çobanözü, 2 km inland from Atakum Beach.
Buy
[edit]Lots of small supermarkets, Migros and Carrefour are the main chains.
Eat
[edit]
- Pide is eaten here in industrial quantities. Common styles are kapalı ("covered", ie folded over into a patty), peynirli-yumurtalı (cheese and egg), pastırmalı-yumurtalı (spicy bacon and egg) and sucuklu-yumurtalı (Turkish sausage and egg).
- Fried anchovies are a winter treat.
- Cafes and restaurants line the harbour and beach, no stand-out.
Drink
[edit]No free-standing pubs, but cafes and restaurants serve alcohol.
Sleep
[edit]- Samsun has lots of accommodation. There's a hotel strip along the north coast, a cluster by the harbour, then a straggle east towards the airport.
- 1 Ramada Plaza by Wyndham (formerly Serra), Rıhtım Blv 3 (by port entrance), ☏ +90 362 425 0055. Comfy, central and usually clean. B&B double 3000 TL.
- 2 Sheraton Grand, Atatürk Blv 55, ☏ +90 362 312 0000. Great reviews for comfort and service. B&B double 5000 TL.
- Grand Atakum 200 m south of the Sheraton is simple, clean and inexpensive.
- 3 North Point Hotel, Atatürk Blv 156, ☏ +90 362 435 9595. Boxy modern hotel by the harbour with restaurant. B&B double 3000 TL.
- 4 Hampton by Hilton, Atatürk Blv 260 (on D010), ☏ +90 362 311 0707. On main highway east, convenient for airport. B&B double 2500 TL.
- 5 Samsun Airport Resort Hotel, Atatürk Blv 346 (on D010), ☏ +90 362 256 3365. Mostly good reviews for this business hotel, spacious rooms. B&B double 2500 TL.
- Park Inn 500 m west on Akal Sk pongs of cigarette smoke.
Connect
[edit]Samsun and its approach highways have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of Oct 2024, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.
Go next
[edit]- Kızılırmak Delta Bird Reserve 50 km west is within a day trip from Samsun.
- Sinop further west is an ancient fortified port perched on a peninsula.
- Ordu east is a port with a handful of mosques and museums.
- Trabzon further east has impressive Islamic architecture.
- Amasya to the south has whitewashed Ottoman houses and ancient tombs.
- Sivas further south has a fine Madresa complex, and is a transport hub towards central and eastern Anatolia.
| Routes through Samsun |
| Akçakoca ← Zonguldak ← Amasra ← Sinop ← Kızılırmak Delta Bird Reserve ← | W  E |
→ Ünye (  S) → Ordu → Trabzon  |
| END ← | N  S |
→ Havza (  W / E) → Merzifon (  W / E) → Çorum |