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Major city · Türkiye (Turkey)

Samsun

Give Samsun one full day for the Bandırma ship and Amisos Hill, then use it as a Black Sea stopover: two nights is enough, three with a beach day.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
TRY
Best months
May–Jun, Sep–Oct
avoid Dec–Feb (cool and wet); Jul–Aug are warm but showery
Airport
SZF
Nights
2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 5
  • Türkiye (Turkey) ↗Check whether your passport is visa-exempt; if it is not, apply only at evisa.gov.tr — lookalike sites charge extra and some sell nothing.
  • Türkiye (Turkey) ↗At mosques cover shoulders and knees, take shoes off at the door, and women carry a headscarf; stay out during prayer times.
  • Türkiye (Turkey) ↗Taxis must run the taximeter; refuse flat quotes, or book through BiTaksi or Uber so the ride is logged.
  • Türkiye (Turkey) ↗Carry lira in small notes for tea, markets, tips and toilets; prices move with inflation, so treat every printed price as dated.
  • Türkiye (Turkey) ↗Do not take stones, coins or tiles from ancient sites, and export no antiques without a museum certificate; travellers have been detained at airport customs.

Samsun is the largest city on Turkey's Black Sea coast and the place where the War of Independence began in 1919. It has no old town — fires and earthquakes left a 20th-century city strung 20 km along the shore — so the draw is the Bandırma replica, a handful of small museums, the long seafront and pide. Most travellers pass through on the coast road or the slow train from Amasya; two nights covers it.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Samsun, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee or tea₺40–90 (≈ US$1–3)
  • Taxi, about 5 km5 km taxi₺200–300 (≈ US$5–8)
  • Metro or bus rideTram or bus ride with Samkart₺15–25 (≈ under US$1)
  • Museum or sight ticketMuseum entry (Bandırma)₺20 (≈ under US$1)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per person₺450 (≈ US$11)
  • Mid-range bedMid-range double room, a night, per room₺2,200 (≈ US$55)
  • High-end bedMid-range double room, a night, per room₺4,000 (≈ US$100)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ₺900 (≈ US$25) · Mid ₺1,800 (≈ US$45) · High ₺3,500 (≈ US$90)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

SS Bandırma replica and the 19 May 1919 landingBlack Sea seafront and Atakum beachSamsun pide (Terme and Bafra styles)Amisos Hill and its Hellenistic tombs
Airports
SZF Samsun-Çarşamba Airport (23 km east of the centre; frequent flights from Istanbul IST and SAW, buses and taxis to town and to Bafra)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Samsun: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

11°C

4°C

13 rd

Feb

11°C

4°C

12 rd

Mar

13°C

5°C

13 rd

Apr

15°C

8°C

12 rd

May

19°C

12°C

11 rd

Jun

24°C

17°C

9 rd

Jul

27°C

20°C

6 rd

Aug

28°C

21°C

6 rd

Sep

25°C

17°C

8 rd

Oct

21°C

14°C

10 rd

Nov

17°C

9°C

10 rd

Dec

13°C

7°C

13 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The tram hugs the coast from the stadium through downtown to Atakum and covers nearly all sightseeing; it does not reach the airport. Buy a Samkart travelcard at main tram stops (about ₺70) — valid on trams and buses, not on dolmuşes. Dolmuşes are more frequent than buses. Public transport is poorly mapped in Google Maps; locals use Moovit or the Samulaş app, which needs a Turkish number. Taxis fill the gaps.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Kızılırmak Delta Bird Reserve

go

Door to door: About 1 h 15 min each way

Bus or car west on D010 towards Bafra, about 50 km

Wetland and birdwatching; best in migration seasons. Few facilities — take water.

Amasya

overnight

Door to door: About 3 h

Daily train from Samsun Garı, about 3 h

Whitewashed Ottoman houses and rock tombs; the return train leaves late afternoon, so a night is better.

Ordu

caution

Door to door: About 2 h 30 min

Bus east on the coast highway

A port with a few mosques and museums; only worth it if you are heading east anyway.

Çorum

skip

Door to door: About 4 h

Bus south on D795

Too far for a day; pair it with Boğazkale (Hattuşa) as an overnight instead.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Harbour and Atatürk Bulvarı

Central; walk to the museums, the Bandırma and the tram. Best for a short stay without a car.

Atakum (west)

Beach strip with the tram terminus; quieter, 20–30 min by tram from the centre.

D010 east, near the airport

Highway business hotels; only worth it for an early flight or a car.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
₺900–1,500 (≈ US$25–40) excl. bed
Mid
₺1,500–2,800 (≈ US$40–70) excl. bed
High
₺2,800 (≈ US$70)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Mid-range double room1 × 2 nights × ₺2,200₺4,400
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × ₺1,800₺7,200
Samkart travelcard2 × ₺70₺140
Amisos Hill cable car, return2 × ₺60₺120
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ₺400₺800
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge₺1,266
Trip total≈ ₺3,482 per person per day, bed included₺13,926≈ US$350

2026 estimate in lira; long-distance transport excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Pide (kapalı or kıymalı)₺120–220 (≈ US$3–6)
Çakallı menemen at a roadside restaurant₺150–250 (≈ US$4–7)
Bafra dondurması, one scoop₺40–80 (≈ US$1–2)
Coffee or tea₺40–90 (≈ US$1–3)
Tram or bus ride with Samkart₺15–25 (≈ under US$1)
5 km taxi₺200–300 (≈ US$5–8)
Museum entry (Bandırma)₺20 (≈ under US$1)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Samsun is calm by big-city standards; the real issues are the long unlit stretches of seafront after dark, long-shore currents at Atakum, and winter rain. Use 112 for anything urgent.
  • The seafront is walkable but the city runs 20 km east–west: plan tram hops, not walks, between the centre and Atakum.
  • Atakum beach has no shade and long-shore currents; there are no tides to warn you.
  • Some museums are free but poorly signed in English — carry a translation app.
  • Mert Beach and the aquapark were closed for redevelopment; boat trips from the harbour did not run in 2024 — check before you plan around them.
  • The Sivas train is slow (about 8 h) despite the rebuilt track; do not treat it as a fast link.

Emergency numbers

All emergencies (police, fire, ambulance)
112

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

SamsunSamsun

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

Bu adrese, lütfenTo this address, please

Emergency

  • All emergencies112

Embassy

No embassies in Samsun; most countries keep embassies in Ankara and consulates-general in Istanbul. The US, UK and others: check your embassy's Ankara page for consular cover on the Black Sea coast.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • SZF airport → city centre, bus or taxi: about 23 km; taxi roughly ₺600–900 (≈ US$15–25), bus far less
  • Tram, harbour → Atakum: about 30 min with Samkart
  • Train Samsun → Amasya: about 3 h, once daily

Say or show

  • Merhaba — Hello (merhaba)
  • Teşekkürler — Thank you (teşekkürler)
  • Ne kadar? — How much is it? (ne kadar)
  • Bir pide, lütfen — One pide, please (bir pide lütfen)
  • Tramvay durağı nerede? — Where is the tram stop? (tramvay durağı nerede)
  • Kartla ödeyebilir miyim? — Can I pay by card? (kartla ödeyebilir miyim)

Samsun has no Old Town: fires and earthquakes left a 20th-century city, so plan around the seafront and museums rather than streets.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Samsun. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Jun, Sep–Oct · avoid Dec–Feb (cool and wet); Jul–Aug are warm but showery · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for SZF: last bus and taxi fallback, plus the D010 hotel cluster for early departures.
  2. Walking clusters with tram anchors: harbour and Bandırma, Atatürk Park and the museums, Amisos Hill, Atakum beach.
  3. Place pages with verified hours for the Bandırma, City Museum, Veterans Museum and Amisos cable car, and eat pages with last orders for pide and Çakallı menemen.
  4. Hostile-arrival fixtures: late tram, no Samkart, no Turkish phone number.

Meanwhile

Back to Türkiye (Turkey)

Sources