Turkey · Black Sea · Travel guide
What two days in the most beautiful river town in Anatolia cost, which konak you should sleep in and why the royal tombs look best at night.
Photo: Serkan Atay / Pexels
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Estimates for orientation, not booking prices. Flights and hotels vary strongly by season: current prices are behind the links below.
Money & payment: You pay in Turkish lira (TRY). The exchange rate moves a lot, which is why all prices here are given in francs and euros. Cards are accepted almost everywhere; you need cash for the dolmuş, markets and tips. Flight time: 3 to 4 hours.
Nine options in three price ranges, each among the best-rated on Booking.com.
Budget
The oldest guesthouse in town, a restored riverside house with a courtyard, wooden rooms and a proprietress who has been hosting travellers from all over the world for decades. The rooms are simple and a little old-fashioned; the courtyard and the atmosphere are what it is all about. Breakfast in the garden under the vines, tea all day long.
Small hotel in a lane on the north bank, rooms with balcony and a view of the mountain and the rock tombs at guesthouse prices. Plain furnishings, small bathrooms, but clean and quiet. Breakfast buffet with local produce, garden and free parking. For the price there is hardly a better location in Amasya, but only a few rooms, so book early.
Restored Ottoman wooden house in the row of riverside konaks with a courtyard, wooden ceilings and a ground-floor restaurant that draws non-guests in the evening too. Rooms vary in size, and the river side is clearly the nicer one. Good value for money, everything within walking distance, parking on the riverbank nearby.
Mid-range
Small guesthouse right on the waterfront promenade, several rooms with a balcony facing the river and a view of the rock tombs. Simply furnished but clean, quiet despite the road in front, and with a breakfast that guests praise regularly. One of the best-rated places in town, only a few rooms, booked out early on spring and autumn weekends.
Konak with generous rooms, wooden floors and a courtyard where tea is served, in the second row behind the riverbank and therefore quieter than the houses right on the river. Well-kept bathrooms, helpful hosts, parking nearby. Practical for travellers with a hire car, breakfast in the courtyard.
Three-star hotel in a restored caravanserai from 1699 right in the centre, with thick stone walls, a courtyard and a ground-floor restaurant. Air-conditioned, quiet rooms, helpful staff, guarded parking. No river view, but history you can touch and everything within walking distance. A good choice when the small konaks are booked out.
Luxury
The biggest hotel in town, on a hill above the valley with views of the castle, the river and the tombs. Pool, spa, hamam and a restaurant with a panoramic terrace. Not in the old town, so you need a taxi or shuttle. By Amasya standards the most complete comfort package, especially in summer with the pool and in the evening with a view of the illuminated tombs.
Boutique hotel with the most complete spa in town: indoor pool, hamam, sauna, whirlpool and gym, plus restaurant and bar. Air-conditioned rooms, some with mountain views. It is three kilometres from the castle, so not in the old town, with parking nearby. For travellers who put comfort above konak atmosphere after a day of sightseeing.
Boutique hotel in a restored konak on the river with carefully furnished rooms, wooden balconies over the water and a breakfast that showcases local produce. In Amasya, luxury means a konak with a river view and personal service, not marble. Here you get exactly that, at a price that is small by Swiss standards.
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Five rock tombs high above the river, a 15 minute climb from the north bank. Go up in the afternoon, when the old town is in the light. Floodlit at night and, seen from the riverbank, the landmark of the town.
Fortress on the mountain above the tombs with views over the whole valley. By taxi or in an hour on foot. The best spot for sunset, with remains of walls and cisterns at the top.
The row of Ottoman riverside houses on the north bank, one of them set up as a museum with the living quarters of a wealthy 19th-century family. Do not skip the evening stroll along the riverbank; entry to the museum house is cheap.
Ottoman complex of 1486 with mosque, madrasa, library and plane-tree courtyard on the south bank. The heart of the City of Princes, freely accessible outside prayer times. Allow about half an hour, cover shoulders and knees, take off your shoes.
Small museum with Hittite and Pontic finds and the mummies of 14th-century Ilkhanid governors, which lie in a mausoleum in the garden. One hour, low entry fee, a good choice in rain.
The channel from the legend of Ferhat and Şirin, cut into the rock on the edge of town. A short walk, in the evening with views over the valley. Not a great monument, but the place every Amasyan knows and shows with pride.
Two hours to the east lies Tokat with castle, old town, the Gök Madrasa museum and Tokat kebab, a lamb and vegetable kebab from the clay oven. A full day by bus or hire car, with buses leaving Amasya hourly.
Apple harvest in the valley orchards in October, and year-round bakla dolması, keşkek and toyga soup in the eateries behind the Bayezid Mosque. A dinner costs CHF 10 to 15 (about EUR 11 to 16), a little more with a river view.
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Amasya cooks Central Anatolian and rustic: stuffed broad beans, wheat porridge with meat, soups made from dried okra flowers and yoghurt, plus the small red Amasya apple that fills the markets in October. The eateries behind the Bayezid Mosque cook for locals, the restaurants on the river for the view of the royal tombs.
Young broad beans in the pod, filled with rice, onions and herbs, cooked in olive oil and served cold with yoghurt. The dish of Amasya, CHF 4 to 6 (about EUR 4.30 to 6.50) per portion.
Tip:In spring when the beans are fresh; the rest of the year from frozen pods, when keşkek is the better choice.
Wheat cooked and beaten for hours with lamb or chicken, creamy like a risotto, topped with melted butter and paprika. A wedding dish, CHF 5 to 8 (about EUR 5 to 8.50) per plate.
Tip:Order at lunchtime, keşkek is started in the morning and often gone by evening; from Ali Kaya you look onto the rock tombs while you eat.
Soup of dried okra flowers, which hang threaded on strings to dry, with lamb broth, lemon and tomato, tangy and light. A bowl CHF 2 to 4 (about EUR 2 to 4.30).
Tip:A string of dried çiçek bamya costs CHF 3 to 5 in the bazaar and is the lightest souvenir from Amasya.
Yoghurt soup with wheat, chickpeas and mint, served warm, mild and filling. CHF 2 to 3 (about EUR 2 to 3.20), in many lokantas the dish of the day at lunch.
Tip:In the morning or at lunch, with a squeeze of lemon and plenty of bread; it is rarely served in the evening.
Small, red, sweet and crisp, fresh from the tree in October, otherwise dried, as juice or as apple tea. A kilo of fresh apples CHF 1 to 2 (about EUR 1.10 to 2.10), dried apple rings CHF 4 to 6 per kilo.
Tip:During the October harvest buy directly from the farmers who sell in the orchards of the valley.
Round, flat yeast bread with nigella and sesame, sometimes filled with poppy seed, from the wood oven. CHF 1 to 2 (about EUR 1.10 to 2.10) each, the town's breakfast.
Tip:Warm from the oven in the morning, with white cheese and tea, then across the bridge to the rock tombs.
Black tea or apple tea made from Amasya apples in the tea gardens on the Yeşilırmak, with a view of the Ottoman houses and the floodlit tombs. CHF 0.40 to 1 (about EUR 0.45 to 1.10) a glass.
Tip:After dark, when the royal tombs are lit up; the best seat in town costs a glass of tea.
Amasya lies in a narrow gorge of the Yeşilırmak, wedged between rock walls, and precisely because of that it was a seat of power for over two thousand years. The kings of Pontus made the city their capital in the 3rd century BC and had their tombs carved high into the rock face above the river, where they still tower over the old town today. The geographer Strabo was born here around 64 BC and described his home as impregnable. After Romans, Byzantines and Danishmends, Amasya came under the Seljuks and in 1392 under the Ottomans, who gave the city its second great role: the princes of the House of Osman, among them the future sultans Mehmed the Conqueror, Bayezid II and Selim the Grim, were sent to Amasya as governors to learn how to rule. Hence the nickname Şehzadeler Şehri, City of Princes. The madrasas, the Bayezid Mosque and the tradition of scholarship date from this era. In 1919 Atatürk stayed here and drafted the Amasya Circular, the first call to the War of Independence. The wooden houses on the river, the Ottoman Yalıboyu konaks, have been restored over recent decades and today make Amasya one of the most beautiful small towns in Turkey.
The difference between a good and a forgettable Amasya visit lies in your choice of accommodation. The restored Ottoman wooden houses on the north bank of the river, the Yalıboyu konaks, are today small hotels and guesthouses with courtyards, wooden ceilings and views of the river and rock tombs. A night costs CHF 40 to 90 (about EUR 43 to 96), hardly more than a room in the new hotels on the edge of town. The best houses have only six to twelve rooms and are booked out at weekends in spring and autumn, so reserve early. Make sure the house actually sits on the river and does not just carry the name konak. At night the rock tombs are lit up, and from the balcony of a riverside house that is the best view in town, without a franc of entry fee. Most houses will arrange a taxi from the bus station on request, so ask when booking.
The five rock tombs of the Pontic kings are reached in 15 minutes via a stairway from the north bank, entry around CHF 3 (about EUR 3). The path leads through a small park and past the remains of the Kızlar Sarayı, the Maidens' Palace. From the tombs you see the whole town in the bend of the river. Best to go up in the late afternoon, when the old town is in the light and the rock face in shadow. Much further up, on Mount Harşena, lies the castle, reachable by car via a switchback road or in a good hour on foot. From there you overlook the whole valley, and in clear weather it is the best spot for sunset. After dark the tombs and riverside houses are floodlit. A taxi to the castle and back costs around CHF 10.
Ottoman Amasya lies on the south bank and can be explored on foot in a morning. The Sultan Bayezid II Mosque of 1486 with its plane-tree courtyard is the centrepiece, next to it the library and the madrasa. The Seljuk Gök Madrasa and the Bimarhane, a hospital from 1308 where the mentally ill were treated with music, are the two most important older buildings. The Archaeological Museum is small but has a curiosity: the mummies of 14th-century Ilkhanid governors, entry around CHF 3 (about EUR 3). The Hazeranlar Konak on the north bank shows how a wealthy Ottoman family lived. The Şehzadeler museum trail with wax figures of the princes is nice for children and skippable for adults. Everything lies within a few hundred metres; Amasya needs no bus. The bazaar between mosque and river is small, but with apple products, copper and spices it is a good place for souvenirs without a tourist mark-up.
Amasya has two local legends: the love story of Ferhat and Şirin, in which the stonemason Ferhat had to cut a water channel through the mountain to prove his love, and the Amasya apple. The channel actually exists and is called Ferhat Su Kanalı, and a walk there is worthwhile in the evening. The Amasya apple is small, red, sweet and crisp, harvested in October and known throughout Turkey. Outside the season you get it dried or as apple tea. In the kitchen, Amasya is known for bakla dolması, stuffed broad beans, for keşkek, a wheat porridge with meat, and for toyga çorbası, a yoghurt soup. The restaurants along the river charge a little more for the view, but even there a dinner costs CHF 10 to 15 (about EUR 11 to 16). In the lanes behind the Bayezid Mosque you eat more cheaply.
Amasya has a small airport in Merzifon (MZH), 40 kilometres away, with only a few flights a week from Istanbul. Usually more practical is Samsun (SZF) on the coast with several daily connections from Istanbul; from there buses take two hours to Amasya for around CHF 8 (about EUR 9). If you combine Amasya with other destinations, you have good options: Tokat with its castle and old town lies 110 kilometres to the east, Safranbolu around 300 kilometres to the west, Cappadocia 400 kilometres to the south. With a hire car from Samsun you are flexible, and the roads are well built. In Amasya itself you do not need a vehicle. The bus station lies outside town, and the bus companies' shuttle buses take you to the centre for free. For day trips there are taxis that charge a flat fee, with the price negotiated in advance.
Two nights is ideal: an afternoon and evening for the riverbank and the floodlit tombs, a full day for the royal tombs, castle, mosques and museum. If you want to add Tokat as a day trip, stay three nights. Longer is only worthwhile as a rest stop on a road trip.
April to June and September to October. In spring the orchards in the valley blossom, in October it is apple harvest and the poplars turn yellow. Summer is hot but drier than on the coast, winter cold with occasional snow on the rock tombs.
With a connection in Istanbul to Samsun (SZF, two hours by bus to Amasya) or directly to Amasya-Merzifon (MZH), which has only a few flights a week. Expect CHF 320 to 450 (about EUR 340 to 480) for a return flight. Alternatively as part of a road trip by hire car from Ankara, around 330 kilometres.
No, it is around 15 minutes on well-made steps and paths from the riverbank. For the castle on Mount Harşena you need an hour of steep uphill walking or a taxi for around CHF 10 (about EUR 11). Both are doable for families with children, only in wet weather the steps are slippery.
Only partly. The town shows its face in the evening, when the rock tombs and riverside houses are lit up, and in the early morning by the river. A day trip sees only the touristy midday hours. If you make the journey, sleep at least one night in a konak.
Very little. Entry to the tombs, museum and Hazeranlar Konak comes to under CHF 10 (about EUR 11) in total, food for the day costs CHF 20 to 30, and transport is nil apart from the taxi to the castle. Amasya is one of the cheapest towns in this guide.
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