Safranbolu Travel Guide - Weekend Routes

Safranbolu is a historic town close to Istanbul and Ankara, where everyone can find something for themselves, worth a trip in every season. We first went together in the summer of 2017, on a holiday visit. Since Berna is originally from Eflani, Karabük, we thought we'd go often, so we explored it quickly.

In autumn 2018 we found our way there again. In Safranbolu, where we discover new places we love every time we go back, this time we had the chance to see fresh saffron from the new harvest. Let's see what surprises this lovely town will show those who read this post and go?

How Many Days for Safranbolu?

Safranbolu is a town people explore quickly on a Western Black Sea Tour or on the way back from a Black Sea Tour, and the taste stays with them so they come back. We also think that, being close to big cities, it's a weekend getaway town, and quite enough for a full weekend trip. We recommend 1 night 2 days, or if possible 2 nights 3 days. If you have more time, we recommend also seeing Amasra, Bartın and Kastamonu nearby, and Yenice, one of Karabük's districts. We're adding links to the related posts too.

How to Get to Safranbolu?

You can reach Safranbolu in about 4 hours from Istanbul and 2 hours from Ankara. Since there's no air connection, the best option is to go in your own car or rent one. And if you'll do canyon trips, you definitely need a vehicle.

When to Go to Safranbolu?

Under the influence of both the Black Sea and continental climates, Safranbolu is quite dry in summer. In summer the temperature is above 20 degrees, and most rain falls in winter. In short, January and February are very harsh, and July and August are the hottest months of summer.

Our first visit, as it happens, was at the end of August. Yes, the weather was really hot, but at night the stoves are lit; the temperature difference is very large. Even though it was summer there was an unusual cold, so you should go prepared. If time allows, I'd recommend going around September or October. When we went again in October, we realised it's the most beautiful season!

We arrived amid colourful fallen leaves and gorgeous roadside views. We explored under a sweet sun. And we even made it in time for the new saffron harvest.

Where to Stay in Safranbolu?

For Safranbolu, famous for its many lovely mansions, our advice is of course to stay in the iconic wooden mansions. Our favourite is the mansion with a pool, Havuzlu Asmazlar Konağı, but you can stay wherever you like, each special in its own way in the old wooden house concept.

An alternative to the old bazaar is the summer mansions in the Bağlar area. Especially those coming in summer can, like the locals of Safranbolu, choose the cooler Bağlar area.

How to Get to Safranbolu?

There are two options for getting to Safranbolu, the largest district of Karabük.
One is by air: you can fly to Kastamonu Airport and take a bus to Safranbolu. Many small and large buses run to Safranbolu during the day. The Istanbul-Kastamonu flight takes 1 hour 15 minutes.

The other option is to go directly by bus or in your own car. By bus, Istanbul-Safranbolu is 551 km and takes 7 hours; Ankara is 229 km and takes 2 hours 30 minutes. By private car it's 430 km and you can get there in about 4-5 hours.

Safranbolu Food and Drink Tips

The moment you set foot in Anatolia, the variety of food grows and you don't know what to eat where. Safranbolu's flavours are worth trying.

Bağlar Gazozu - Hıdırlık Hill

As we'll mention below when describing Hıdırlık Hill, Bağlar Gazozu, Safranbolu's own brand of soda, will cool you down in hot weather. Especially if you go up Hıdırlık Hill in summer, you can watch Safranbolu from above while sipping your soda.

Safranbolu Simit - Safranbolu Old Bazaar

It's a bit like the Ankara simit, but Safranbolu greets you with a simit flavour you won't find anything like in Istanbul. In the Old Bazaar you can try the famous Safranbolu simit with tea.

Safranbolu Bükme - Kilcioğlu & Doyum Pide Salonu

On the advice of our friends from Safranbolu, instead of Kilcioğlu, where we always go, we went to Doyum Pide Salonu. More low-key and cheaper than Kilcioğlu, the restaurant is especially popular with locals.

So what's in Safranbolu bükme?

They put a filling of minced meat, onion and, depending on the season, spinach or chard inside pide dough and bake it in the oven. A perfect pair with ayran, this dish is always offered to guests at weddings and funeral homes in Safranbolu.

Safranbolu Lokum - İmren Lokumları

My favourite flavour in Safranbolu is lokum (Turkish delight), but you must try and buy it at İmren Lokumları. Our favourite is the chocolate pistachio lokum. We also recommend their double-roasted lokum.

Yayım, Peruhi and Walnut Baklava - Eski Çarşı Ev Yemekleri

Rather than giving one address for yayım, peruhi and walnut baklava in Safranbolu, which is famous for its pastry dishes, you can try them at the restaurants serving local food that you find in the Bazaar.

What Comes to Mind When You Think of Safranbolu

• We can say this town with a long history is an Ottoman town. Aren't the charming wooden houses the first thing that comes to mind when you say Safranbolu? They're very similar to the Greek houses of the period.
• The city's history goes back to around 3000 BC; after the oldest civilisation, the Kaskians, rule passed to the Hittites, Dorians, Cimmerians, Romans, Seljuks, Çobanoğulları and Ottomans.
• The Ottomans understood the worth of this town even back then and made it a staging post on the Istanbul-Sinop Caravan Road and the historic Silk Road. So, as trade developed, it developed culturally too. The houses and inns in Safranbolu bear the stamp of the Ottomans.
• While cultural tourism continues, the number of tourists also grows every year. Safranbolu, which presents its past and present together, was added to the UNESCO Heritage List on 17 December 1994 as one of the 20 best-preserved towns in the world.
• The number of protected buildings in the town is recorded as 1117. Some villages in Karabük have also been taken under protection. To demolish and rebuild village houses, you need permission from the relevant offices and must also pass the occasional inspections by the authority that gives permission. To keep the structure of the old house exactly as it was, inspections will protect the town throughout construction, even until the building permit is issued. Of course, it's hard to say the same for new buildings; those who don't want to deal with these procedures can put up new buildings on new land.

Places to Visit in Safranbolu

There are so many things to visit and see in Safranbolu that, instead of describing them one by one here, we'll talk about the must-see places. We start with the Safranbolu Houses that everyone loves so much.

Safranbolu Houses

Of the 2000 houses built in the town over 300 years of history, 800 are protected today. The structure and features of these houses help us understand things like the size and financial situation of the family living there.
Every house has a stable below, and the upper part greets you with a hall. It's divided into rooms in a hexagonal or octagonal shape: there are parts such as the bread house, the pantry, the harem and the selamlık. Because of the fire risk of wooden houses and for coolness on hot days, some mansions have pools inside the rooms.

The details in the rooms are fascinating and just as surprising. For example, every room has a hearth and a bath inside a built-in cupboard. The ceilings of the houses have wooden motifs, and the shelves called sergen have carvings.

Of course, Safranbolu isn't just the Safranbolu Houses; there are also canyons, caves and highland pastures to see. Ideally it's a place you can comfortably explore in 2 days, and it's one of the top choices for weekend getaways.

Tokatlı Canyon

The canyon, a very short distance from the Crystal Terrace entrance, costs 3₺ to enter. If you follow the canyon along the Tokatlı Stream, a gorgeous walking path awaits you. At the end of the walking route you can come out at Safranbolu Old Bazaar. If you want to enter from the Bazaar gate, entry is free.

İncekaya Aqueduct

The historic aqueduct right beside you as you go down into the canyon was built in the 17th century by Grand Vizier Mehmet Pasha to bring water to Safranbolu. The Tokatlı Stream we mentioned above flows right under the aqueduct.

Cinci Han and Hamam

Built in the 17th century during the Ottoman period by Kazasker Hüseyin, the Cinci Han Caravanserai has kept its historic character to this day and serves us travellers as the 2-storey, 63-room Cinci Han Hotel.

Even though Berna is from Safranbolu, she went inside for the first time with us. Go up to the top floor and watch the Safranbolu view while sipping your tea.

Lonca Bazaar & Yemeniciler Arasta

In the Lonca Bazaar, made up of two streets with guild organisations left from the Ottoman period, you can see handmade products on the stalls. Especially in the area called the Arasta, you should sip Ottoman sherbet and Turkish coffee. There's usually live music on Friday and Saturday evenings. Whenever we happen to be there, we always go, and we recommend it to you too.

According to one story, thousands of yemeni, that is shoes, were made in this bazaar for the army during the War of Independence.

Blacksmiths' Bazaar

In the Blacksmiths' Bazaar, on the street just above the Yemeniciler Arasta, you can buy handmade iron or metal products for yourself and your loved ones.

Bulak & Mencilis Cave

The Bulak Mencilis Cave, below Mount Gayüzü in Bulak Village, is thought to have started forming about 3 million years ago. . The cave is known to be 6 kilometres long, but only a very small part is shown to tourists like us. People with mountaineering training and equipment can go exploring the other parts of the cave.

By the way, to get up to the cave you need to climb 150 steps. It isn't a big problem for us young people, but it can be tiring for older visitors. And especially if you're going inside the cave, be sure to take something like a cardigan with you. We'd say the inside of the cave is ice-cold.

It's 10 km from Safranbolu centre and 5 km from Bağlar

Hıdırlık Hill

If you say you'd like to look at Safranbolu from a hilltop, be sure to stop here! In this town built on a hillside, no house blocks another's view, and especially from Hıdırlık Hill the town is at your feet. Having come all the way up here, you should sip a Bağlar Gazozu while looking down at the town.

Havuzlu Asmazlar Konağı

Serving us travellers both as a hotel and as a café, at Havuzlu Asmazlar Konağı you can sip your coffee in peace either in the garden or inside.

Yörük Village

Yörük Village, an old Turkmen village 20 km from Safranbolu, reminded us of the open-air museums we've seen in Europe. In the village, declared a protected site by a decision taken in 1996, everything is preserved. Of course, time has worn down the structure of the village houses, as it does everything.

There's a famous Aunt Filiz in the village. Although we sensed she'd turned it a bit into a business, the information she gives is very valuable. And if she's free, she takes you to the Old Laundry and tells you lovely details about how laundry used to be washed here. If you're hungry you can eat gözleme at Aunt Filiz's place, but in our view it isn't a must-eat.

We think that in this village, after the village streets, the Sipahi Gezi Evi (Sipahi house museum) must be visited. Inside you can hear the history of the house and of the village from the family that has lived in the house for 8 generations.

Karabük Yenice Forests & Şeker Canyon

For those who want some clean mountain air having come all the way to Safranbolu, we have a little getaway suggestion: the Karabük Yenice Forests

In the forest, 35 km from Safranbolu, you can stay in a tent or visit for the day. A route with lots of walking awaits you in the Yenice Forests. We left our car at the Şeker Canyon entrance and climbed towards the top. We didn't see anyone else the whole climb; after Istanbul, the silence did us a lot of good.

Crystal Glass Terrace

The glass terrace craze, famous almost all over the world recently, has reached Safranbolu too. Although it offers a nice view, sadly in our country, when carelessness combines with the operators' lack of know-how, unpleasant situations can arise. That's why we don't recommend going to the Crystal Terrace. Instead, we recommend exploring the Tokatlı Canyon we mentioned above.

Since you go out on the terrace wearing plastic overshoes, you come across these overshoes on all the slopes throughout the view. Once again we're faced with an operator who has ruined this beautiful place. Entry to the terrace is 3₺.

We've come to the end of our 2-day Safranbolu Travel Guide.. See you in another post..