Samsun
Discover 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. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk landed here with his ship Bandırma and its crew on 19 May 1919, and hence where the Turkish War of Independence began. The city is very proud of this, and loves to commemorate the landing any chance it gets. 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.
What to Experience in Samsun
Taste of Samsun...
No free-standing pubs, but cafes and restaurants serve alcohol. Samsun and its approach highways have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of Oct 2024, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsSamsun 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). 41.256536.55391 Samsun-Çarşamba Airport (SZF ), 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. (updated Oct 2024) 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. 41.287236.28932 Samsun Bus Terminal is at the D795 / D010 junction 5 km west of city centre. Frequent dolmuşes run downtown. The Hattı train runs once a day from Sivas, which has fast trains from Ankara, and slow trains from the east of Turkey....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The city straggles east-west for 20 km. Except for east of Doğu Park and the short diversion around the port the seafront is a pleasant walk or cycle. If you don’t have a Turkish phone number you may find it too fiddly to register for the turqoise Binbin e-scooters or yellow Fazı ebikes. However there are a dozen outlets which hire bikes or e-scooters. Otherwise to get around you may need to take a tram, bus, dolmuş or taxi. Unfortunately, Samsun's public transport system has not been integrated with Google. Instead, locals use Moovit or Samulaş but the latter is not user-friendly for tourists. The city travelcard is called Samkart and can be bought at the main tram stops and some shops for 70TL (€1.70). It can be used on buses and trams but not dolmuşes. It is possible to register a virtual card on the Samulaş app, but this requires a local number. The tram line hugs the coast, from the football stadium east through downtown to OMÜ Yurtlar Atakum to the west.
Where to Stay
Samsun and its approach highways have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of Oct 2024, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.
Money & Budget
Lots of small supermarkets, Migros and Carrefour are the main chains. No free-standing pubs, but cafes and restaurants serve alcohol. Samsun and its approach highways have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of Oct 2024, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.
Safety Information
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Samsun
brown rock formation on body of water during daytime
white daisy in bloom during daytime
ocean waves crashing on rocky shore during daytime
persons hand on blue ocean water during daytime
Into to the wild
a yellow sign on a white wall
brown grass field during sunset
a couple of men walking along a beach next to the ocean
Instagram: justdoait
a woman walking along a beach next to the ocean
brown rock formation on body of water during daytime
white daisy in bloom during daytime
ocean waves crashing on rocky shore during daytime