This Ottoman Black Sea town preserves centuries-old stone houses and narrow cobblestone streets. Local artisans still make traditional Turkish lokum and the signature lamb kebab.
In the Black Sea region of Turkey, Safranbolu's narrow streets wind between hundreds of red-roofed Ottoman mansions from the 17th and 18th centuries. Walk through the Shoemakers Bazaar where craftsmen make leather goods by hand, soak in the 375-year-old Cinci Hamam marble bathhouse, or sleep in restored merchant houses with wooden ceilings and secret cupboards. In autumn, the scent of saffron fills the air as farmers harvest the precious spice in the surrounding fields.
Walking Through Safranbolu's Old Town
The old town district of Çarşı sits in a valley between two hills, where cobblestone streets follow the natural curves of the land. More than 800 Ottoman-era houses create rows of wooden frames and red-tiled roofs across the hillside. Each house has two or three floors with six to nine rooms, with wooden carvings decorating the ceilings and walls. Look for the clever architectural details like revolving cupboards that once passed food between rooms and bathrooms concealed inside wall cabinets.
Turkish Bath at Cinci Hamam
Built in 1645, the Cinci Hamam continues to serve as an active bathhouse in the town center. You'll find separate sections for men and women, with marble interiors and a series of hot and cold rooms. Attendants wash and scrub visitors using traditional olive oil soap and kese mitts. Light streams through small glass windows in the domed ceilings, creating shifting patterns on the marble floors throughout the day.
Market District
In the medieval marketplace, craftsmen continue their trades as they have for centuries. Watch shoemakers in the Shoemakers Bazaar cut and stitch leather using tools and techniques passed down through generations. Sample locally-made sweets, including saffron-flavored Turkish delight from the surrounding villages. Stop by the Cinci Han, a restored caravanserai where silk road traders once stored their goods and rested for the night.
Natural Sites Around Safranbolu
You can walk 500 meters into the Bulak Cave system, where water has carved intricate formations of stalagmites and stalactites over millennia. The stone arches of the Incekaya Aqueduct rise 60 meters above the Tokatlı Canyon. A glass terrace built along the canyon's edge lets you look straight down into the gorge and across the surrounding valley.
Getting to Safranbolu
Direct buses connect Istanbul's central bus station to Safranbolu in 8 hours. From Ankara, the journey takes 4 hours. By car, the drive from Istanbul takes approximately 4.5 hours on modern highways. Once in Safranbolu, you can reach most old town sites on foot.
