Most of Amasya's sights cluster in the city centre, on both banks of the Yeşilırmak and at the foot of Harşena Mountain. This proximity makes it possible to see the city in a single day, but giving the museums the time they need, lingering along the river and absorbing the narrow streets takes at least two. A two-day plan divides itself naturally: the first day for the buildings and museums along the river, the second for the citadel, the mansions and the old quarters. The stops are introduced briefly here, while their detailed histories and source debates are found in the related articles on this site.

A Centre Best Explored on Foot

Amasya's centre is small and does not depend on an extensive public transport network; the stops in the city centre are mostly visited on foot. The Yeşilırmak, which runs through the city, is also the backbone of the route. On the north bank the Yalıboyu houses line the water, the rock-cut royal tombs rise directly behind them, and the citadel stands higher still. The south bank holds the bazaar, the bridges and the museums that face the river. Crossings between the two banks are made over the bridges, and each crossing links one part of the day to the next.

It is wise to be cautious about distances, since walking times vary from person to person and the sources available give no minutes. Even so, the stops that stand side by side are clear. The Şehzadeler Museum (Princes' Museum) stands right at the foot of the Alçak Köprü (Low Bridge). The area known as Kızlar Sarayı (Maidens' Palace) and the royal tombs lie on the same slope, and the Yalıboyu houses extend at the base of it. The distance between the Archaeology Museum and Harşena Citadel is about seven hundred metres as the crow flies on the map; the climb to the citadel, however, is mostly steep, and the real time lengthens accordingly. The Aynalı Cave (Mirrored Cave) lies about three kilometres from the city centre, on the lower slopes of Harşena Mountain.

Day One: The River and Its Museums

Morning: Yalıboyu and the Royal Rock Tombs

It suits the day to begin on the opposite bank of the river before the crowds arrive. The Yalıboyu houses were built on the north shore of the Yeşilırmak, over the wall sections belonging to the inner citadel of Harşena, and they project out toward the water. The Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman parts of these walls extend for roughly a kilometre; according to the description of the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Amasya is the only city that has waterfront mansions (yalı) despite having no coast on a sea or a strait. The white-plastered façades, wooden bay windows and the roofline leaning against the slope look their best in morning light. On the rock face behind the houses, the monumental tombs of the Pontic kings stand in a row, and the two fit into the same photograph. The architecture and state of preservation of the Yalıboyu houses are described in detail in a separate article.

The Royal Rock Tombs date from the age when Amasya was the capital of the Kingdom of Pontus. The five monumental tombs in the Kızlar Sarayı area on the southern slope of Harşena Mountain are said to belong to the first five kings, from the founder Mithridates I Ktistes to Pharnaces I. The slope was added to UNESCO's Tentative List of World Heritage in 2015. Some travel sources give the number of tombs as twenty-one; this figure may include the other rock-cut structures on the slope in addition to the monumental royal tombs. The structure of the tombs, their relationship to the names of the kings and the visiting arrangements are described in detail in the article devoted to the Royal Rock Tombs. On this route a short look and a photograph from the riverbank are enough, since the citadel on the same slope will be climbed on the second day.

Towards Midday: The Archaeology Museum and the Hospital

The Amasya Archaeology and Mummy Museum is one of the main weights of the programme. The museum's history goes back to the museum depot founded in 1925 and to two rooms in the madrasa building of the Bayezid II Complex. It moved to its present building in 1977 and, after being reorganised, opened to visitors on 14 June 1980. According to official records it holds about twenty-four thousand objects belonging to eleven different civilisations. On the first floor are displayed the Roman-period Apple Floor Mosaic (Elmalı Taban Mozaiği) and the bronze Hittite figure of the Storm God Teshub. In the Tomb of Mesud I in the garden stand six mummies from the fourteenth century. These mummies belong to Şehzade Cumudar, governor of Anatolia, Işbuga Noyan, emir of Amasya, and İzzeddin Mehmed Pervane and members of his household, and they were brought from the tombs of the Burmalı Minare Mosque and the Fethiye Mosque. That they were mummified without removing the internal organs sets them apart from the Ancient Egyptian practice. The museum's collection and the story of the mummies are treated separately in the related article.

Towards midday one moves on to the Sabuncuoğlu Şerefeddin Museum of Medicine and Surgery History. The building is an Ilkhanid hospital (darüşşifa) dated 1308-1309. According to the Arabic inscription on its portal, it was built by Anber b. Abdullah, a slave of İlduş (Yıldız) Hatun, wife of the Ilkhanid ruler Öljeitü Khan. The hospital is recorded as the first centre in Anatolia where music therapy was practised. The physician whose name it bears, Sabuncuoğlu Şerefeddin, was born around 1386 and, according to the TDV Encyclopaedia of Islam, practised medicine in this hospital for fourteen years. His work Cerrâhiyye-i İlhâniyye is known as the first work in the history of medicine to show surgical procedures in miniature painting. The courtyard and rooms of the building offer a cool pause in the midday heat. The history of the building and the life of Sabuncuoğlu are covered in detail in separate articles.

Afternoon and Evening: The Bazaar, the Bridge and the Princes' Museum

The area around the bazaar is suitable for lunch. In Amasya's local cuisine, çatal and helle soups, stuffed broad beans, Amasya çörek, okra with meat and local keşkek stand out; the Misket apple, which has become identified with the city's name, is the first product to try after the meal if it happens to be in season. The workshops of the craftsmen who work copper in the bazaar can also be visited.

After the afternoon one crosses one of the bridges that join the two banks of the river. The oldest of them is the Alçak Köprü, dated by the sources to the Roman period. Its name comes from the fact that part of the structure was left under water when the river level rose. In the two-storey wooden building at the foot of the bridge stands the Şehzadeler Museum. The museum explains why Amasya is called the city of princes, through statues of the princes who were raised in the city, costumes of the period and short films. The governorships of the princes in Amasya and their upbringing are covered in detail in a separate article on the City of Princes. Another museum in the city is the Museum of Writing History and Calligraphy, founded in the name of Şeyh Hamdullah of Amasya, the great master of the art of calligraphy; here the writing history of various civilisations is presented and examples of marbling (ebru) and illumination (tezhip) can be seen. The life and art of Şeyh Hamdullah are treated in his own article.

The last hours of the day can be given to a short boat trip on the river and to the riverbank lit up in the evening. For dinner, choosing a mansion-style venue facing the river is the natural way of ending the first day beside the water. The running and timing of the boat trips should be asked about locally before going.

Day Two: The Citadel, the Mansions and the Old Quarters

Morning: Harşena Citadel

The second day begins in the cool morning hours with Amasya Citadel on Harşena Mountain. The citadel stands on the steep rocky heights rising above the Yeşilırmak, north of the city. In the Persian, Roman, Pontic and Byzantine periods it was attacked many times, changed hands, and was repaired each time. Severely damaged in the wars between Rome and Pontus, the citadel was largely restored in 1075 after the Seljuk conquest of Amasya and remained in use until the eighteenth century, when it lost its military importance. Within its bounds are cisterns, water reservoirs, Ottoman-period bath ruins and royal tombs carved into the rock. The rock passage in the middle of the citadel, known as Cilanbolu, is reached by an underground stairway about 181 metres long with 150 steps. Most of the climb is uphill, and going in the cool hours makes it easier. From above, the valley, the river and the city on both banks are seen together. The history of the citadel and the results of the excavations are covered in detail in a separate article.

Scientific excavations have been carried out since 2009 in the Kızlar Sarayı area at the foot of the citadel. The finds there show that a settlement bearing Persian rule and Phrygian cultural influence existed. As for the name of the structure, some sources think that in the fifteenth century, in the reign of Bayezid II, it was used by the chief of the gate Firuz Ağa, the harem and the princes; this information is not certain. The multilayered history of the site is treated in a separate article.

Midday: Hazeranlar Mansion, Ferhat and the Aynalı Cave

On the way down from the citadel one calls at the Hazeranlar Mansion in the Hatuniye quarter. The mansion was built in 1865 by Hasan Talat Efendi, treasurer to Ziya Pasha, the governor of Amasya. It has a ground floor over a basement, two storeys, a timber frame filled with mud brick in the hımış technique, and a four-iwan plan around a central hall. The building once narrowly escaped demolition: its new owners began secretly demolishing the mansion from the inside in order to put up a reinforced-concrete building, and when this attempt was noticed the Ministry of Culture expropriated the building in 1976. Restoration was completed in 1979, and the mansion opened to visitors on 12 June 1984 as an Ethnography House Museum. According to the directorate's guide text it has been closed to visitors since 11 November 2024 for repair and display works; its status should be checked before going. The story of the mansion and the origin of its name are told in a separate article.

After the mansion one can visit the Ferhat and Şirin Lovers' Museum and the Ferhat Water Channel, where the legend is said to have taken place. Both are on the Amasya-Erzurum road, and it is more suitable to reach them by vehicle than on foot from the centre. The channel, said to have been cut in the Hellenistic period for the city's water supply, is regarded in folk narrative as the work of Ferhat, who pierced the mountain for love. In the museum, built by Amasya Municipality, are statues of Ferhat and Şirin and of Kerem and Aslı, as well as statues of people who figure in folk narratives and history, such as Dadaloğlu, Köroğlu, Aşık Veysel, Mimar Sinan and Mihrimah Sultan. The Aynalı Cave can be visited for the paintings thought to date from the Hellenistic period; the shining of its walls in the hours when the sun strikes them gives it its name. It is also known among the local people as Güzelce Kız (Beautiful Girl). The story is told of a king's daughter who never lifted her veil, of a poor young man who dared to lift it and burned to death, and of the tomb shining for this reason; this is a folk legend and rests on no document.

Afternoon and Sunset: The Quarters and Viewpoints

In the afternoon, wandering without a set goal through the narrow streets of the city, in the Hatuniye and Savadiye quarters, is a good choice. The wooden mansions of these quarters, their bay windows overlooking the river and their sloping streets offer a different picture from that of the buildings visited one by one. Sunset is watched from Ferhat Hill or from the Çakallar Viewing Terrace, with the city and the Yeşilırmak in the light of that hour. It is useful to get local information on getting to these viewpoints.

Additional Stops That May Fit the Programme

If time remains within the two days, there are a few more buildings in the centre that carry examples of Seljuk and Ottoman architecture. The Burmalı Minare Mosque takes its name from the spiral grooves on its minaret. The sources differ on who built it: some accounts name the vizier Ferruh Bey and Haznedar Yusuf in 1242, while the TDV Encyclopaedia of Islam states that the date of construction is not known with certainty and that it is claimed to have been built by the vizier Ferruh Bey between 1237 and 1247. Some of the Ilkhanid mummies in the Archaeology Museum were brought from this mosque's tomb. The Bayezid II Complex was built in 1485-1486 in five sections, and today only the mosque, madrasa and soup kitchen sections remain standing. The Mehmed Pasha Mosque was built by Hızır Paşazade Mehmed Pasha, vizier of Bayezid II and tutor-guardian (lala) of Şehzade Ahmed, and according to its inscription its construction was completed in January 1486. The Mustafa Bey Bath, built by Mustafa Bey, son of Yörgüç Pasha and cited as dating from 1436, still serves today and preserves the classic Ottoman bath plan with its hot, warm and cold sections. The Clock Tower was built in 1865 by Ziya Pasha, the sanjak governor of the time, was damaged shortly afterwards in a fire and was rebuilt in its original form. Each of these buildings is described, with its own history and architecture, in separate articles on the site.

For those interested in the Turkish War of Independence, the War of Independence Museum in the Saraydüzü Barracks is the building that Atatürk used as his headquarters during his visits to Amasya. In this city, where the Amasya Circular was prepared, the International Atatürk Culture and Art Festival is held every year in June. The festival has been held since 1950; in its first years it was celebrated only on 12 June, then expanded in 1961 to 10-12 June and in later years to its present ten-day form, 12-22 June. The Amasya Circular and the city's place in the War of Independence are described in detail in a separate article.

Options Stretching into a Third Day

The two-day programme covers only the provincial centre. In travel sources, the following distances from the city centre are given: Yedi Kuğular Bird Paradise about 33 km, Terziköy Hot Springs about 40 km, Merzifon about 45 km, Baraklı Waterfall about 50 km, Tavşan Dağı Plateau 55-60 km, Boraboy Lake 63 km and Kız Kayası Canyon about 70 km. These figures may vary with the road used and the starting point and should be taken as approximate. In Merzifon there are structures such as the Taşhan, the Bedesten and the Çelebi Sultan Madrasa. Boraboy Lake in Taşova is described as a crater lake and has the status of a nature park. The water of Baraklı Waterfall flows from March until the end of summer as the snow melts. Each of these options needs at least half a day of travel and time, and is better thought of as a separate day than as an addition to the two-day programme in the centre.

Season and Accommodation

Amasya lies at the transition point between the Black Sea and Central Anatolian climates. Its summers are not as dry as a continental climate and its winters not as cold; the July and August average is about 22.5 degrees, and the January average 2.5 degrees. Rainfall is concentrated in April and May, and these two months are not very favourable for outdoor sightseeing. The period from June to September is a comfortable one for walking; in autumn the colours that the valley takes on form a different side of the trip. Among local products the Misket apple, apple tea, dried apple, Amasya okra and poppy-seed paste stand out.

The city centre is preferred for accommodation. Although the centre has many hotels from three to five stars, the option that draws the most interest from visitors is the boutique hotel created by restoring old mansions. Staying in one of the restored mansions at Yalıboyu allows the two-day programme to be lived as a whole; breakfast can be taken in a bay window overlooking the river. Nightlife is limited: apart from a few cafés favoured by young people, few venues are open in the evening hours, so it suits the programme to be kept short after sunset.

Chronology

1075: After the Seljuk conquest of Amasya the citadel is largely restored.

1308-1309: The Ilkhanid hospital is built by Anber b. Abdullah, according to its portal inscription.

Around 1386: Sabuncuoğlu Şerefeddin is born.

1436: Given as the date of construction of the Mustafa Bey Bath.

1485-1486: The Bayezid II Complex is built.

January 1486: Construction of the Mehmed Pasha Mosque is completed, according to its inscription.

1865: The Hazeranlar Mansion and the Clock Tower are built.

1925: The Amasya museum depot is founded.

1976: The Hazeranlar Mansion is expropriated.

14 June 1980: The Archaeology Museum opens in its present building.

12 June 1984: The Hazeranlar Mansion opens to visitors as an Ethnography House Museum.

2015: Harşena Mountain and the Royal Rock Tombs of Pontus are added to UNESCO's Tentative List of World Heritage.

Sources

Official sources

  • Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, Amasya Museum information page.
  • Türkiye Kültür Portalı, "Kızlar Sarayı" and "Harşena Dağı ve Pontus Kral Kaya Mezarları".

Other sources

  • Etstur Let's Go, "Amasya'da Gezilecek Yerler: Amasya'nın Tarihi ve Turistik Rotaları" (10 June 2025). etstur.com
  • Gezimanya, "Amasya Gezi Rehberi". gezimanya.com
  • obilet Blog, "Amasya Gezilecek Yerler: Yeşilırmak'ın Kıyısında Keyifli Bir Tatil". blog.obilet.com
  • Nuran Yıldırım, "Sabuncuoğlu Şerefeddin", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi. islamansiklopedisi.org.tr
  • Amasya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, guide texts on "Amasya Kalesi" and "Hazeranlar Konağı".

Online sources