Day Trip Ideas from Amasya

Amasya makes a superb base for exploring north-central Anatolia. The town sits at a junction of valleys and roads, with the Black Sea coast to the north, the great plain of Çorum to the west, and the historic cities of the Tokat region to the east, all of them reachable within an hour or two. This guide covers the best day trips from Amasya, what you will find at each destination, and how to organize the journeys by bus, dolmuş or hire car.

Tokat: The Ottoman City of the East

Tokat, about an hour and a half by road, is Amasya’s natural sibling: another river city with timber houses and a castle, but bigger, busier and less visited. Its old town holds the great Seljuk hospital of Gök Medrese, the covered market of Sulu Han, and the restored mansions of the Ottoman quarter.

The castle of Tokat climbs a sheer rock above the town, and the surrounding valley is full of orchards and gardens. The city is compact enough to see on foot in a day, with lunch in one of the lokantas of the market district.

Buses and dolmuşes run frequently between the two cities, and the road follows the river valley for much of the way, which makes the journey itself part of the pleasure. It is the most complete day trip from Amasya.

Tokat repays a second visit if you have the time, and its covered market is the place to buy the region’s copper work and dried fruit. The town is also a food capital in its own right, and lunch here is never a compromise.

Hattusa and the Hittite Capital at Boğazkale

For history lovers, the greatest day trip from Amasya is Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire, in the village of Boğazkale in Çorum province. The ruins of the great city spread across a dramatic plateau, with its massive stone walls, its gates carved with lions and sphinxes, and its royal citadel.

The nearby rock sanctuary of Yazılıkaya, with its processions of gods carved into the rock chambers, is among the most moving monuments of the ancient world. Both sites are open-air museums, and a full day gives you time for both.

The drive from Amasya takes about two hours each way, so it is a long day, but it is one of the most rewarding in Turkey. Hire a car or arrange a private driver, because the sites are not well served by public transport.

If a full day to the Hittite sites feels long, consider the closer alternative of the museum in Çorum, which gathers the finest finds. But for the full experience, nothing replaces standing inside the Lion Gate at Hattusa.

Çorum and the Museum of the Region

The provincial capital of Çorum, about ninety minutes from Amasya, is worth a day in its own right. Its museum houses an outstanding collection of Hittite and Phrygian finds from the surrounding sites, displayed with a clarity that makes the ancient world legible.

The city itself is a lively market town with a fine Ottoman clock tower and a covered market. The streets are full of the flatbreads and kebabs of the region, and lunch here is a serious business.

Combine Çorum with the archaeology: many visitors take the town’s museum in the morning and drive on to Hattusa in the afternoon. For the Hittite sites, Çorum is the natural logistical base, with hotels and restaurants that Amasya’s immediate area lacks.

The provincial capital is a good place to try the local leblebi, the roasted chickpeas of the region, which are a specialty of the area and sold everywhere in the town’s markets.

Merzifon and Havza: The Plain and the Hot Springs

To the north of Amasya, the road climbs out of the valley onto the open plain, where the town of Merzifon spreads around its historic mosque and its famous pastry shops. The town is quiet, but its market and its Ottoman-era buildings make a pleasant half-day wander.

A little further north, Havza is a spa town whose hot springs have been used since antiquity, and which played a small but celebrated role in the Turkish War of Independence. The baths here are the attraction: warm mineral water, old-fashioned bathhouses, and the slow ritual of a Turkish soak.

The two towns combine naturally into one easy day, with the plain stretching away to the horizon and the mountains of the Black Sea coast blue in the distance. It is the gentlest day trip from Amasya, and the cheapest to organize by bus.

The plain here is the wheat basket of the region, and in summer the fields stretch to the horizon. The road north to Havza is lined with the hamams and hotels of the spa trade, a reminder of the town’s long history of bathing.

Ladik Lake and the Yedikır Bird Sanctuary

Birdwatchers should head northwest to the lake country around Ladik and the wetlands of the Yeıilırmak valley. The Yedikır Waterfowl Sanctuary, a shallow lake and reed-bed complex on the river plain, is one of the most important stopover points for migrating birds in central Anatolia.

Ducks, geese, herons, pelicans and birds of prey pass through in the migration seasons, and the lake is ringed by viewing points and quiet tracks. Spring and autumn are the best times, when the numbers are at their peak.

Ladik itself is a pleasant market town on the shore of its own lake, with trout restaurants along the water. A day spent between the two lakes, with a fish lunch, is a calm, green alternative to the archaeological excursions.

The best hours are the first and the last, when the birds are most active and the light is soft. Take binoculars if you have them; the reed beds hold more than the eye can see.

Samsun: The Black Sea Coast

For a complete change of scene, the coastal city of Samsun is about two hours from Amasya by road or rail. The city is the largest on the central Black Sea coast, with a long seafront promenade, a lively fish market, and the museums connected to Atatırk’s landing there in 1919.

The fish restaurants of the harbor serve the anchovies and other Black Sea fish that the region is famous for, and the evening walk along the shore is the perfect antidote to the mountain valleys inland.

A day trip to Samsun works best for travelers who want the sea, the city and the fish; for everyone else, the archaeological sites and old towns closer to Amasya offer more atmosphere for the same effort.

Samsun is also the transport hub of the coast, with the airport and the ferries of the region, which makes it a natural turning point for a longer journey along the Black Sea.

Organizing Your Day Trips: Transport and Practicalities

The valleys around Amasya are served by a network of buses, dolmuşes and minibuses that makes most day trips possible without a car. Tokat, Çorum, Merzifon and Samsun all have regular connections from the Amasya otogar, and Havza and Ladik are served by local dolmuşes.

The exceptions are Hattusa and Yazılıkaya, which are best reached by hire car or arranged driver, and the more remote villages of the valleys. If you plan to see several outlying sites, renting a car in Amasya for a day or two is simple and transforms what you can reach.

Start early on every trip, carry water and sunscreen in summer, and plan your return before dark, because evening services to small towns thin out quickly. With those basics, Amasya’s day trips are easy, cheap and among the best in the region.

The valley of the Yeıilırmak above and below Amasya is lined with villages that the main road barely notices, and a day of wandering among them is one of the region’s quiet pleasures.

The villages keep the old life of the valley: orchards, mills, timber houses and tea gardens where the conversation runs long. The roads between them are green and slow, and the views of the river are constant.

You need a car to do this properly, but the effort is small and the reward is real. Pack a picnic, follow the river, and stop at whatever looks inviting; the valley will do the rest.

Most of the valley dolmuşes run from the otogar on a schedule that suits the villages rather than the visitors, so ask your hotel to write down the times. With a car, none of this matters.

The Villages of the Yeşilırmak Valley

The valley of the Yeşilırmak above and below Amasya is lined with villages that the main road barely notices, and a day of wandering among them is one of the region’s quiet pleasures.

The villages keep the old life of the valley: orchards, mills, timber houses and tea gardens where the conversation runs long. The roads between them are green and slow, and the views of the river are constant.

You need a car to do this properly, but the effort is small and the reward is real. Pack a picnic, follow the river, and stop at whatever looks inviting; the valley will do the rest.

All Over Information

The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.

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