Shopping in Samsun: What to Buy and What to Skip

By All Over InformationUpdated August 10, 20268 min read

Shopping in Samsun is a different proposition from the bazaars of the tourist cities, and that is its appeal. There is no grand bazaar and no hard sell, just the honest commerce of a working city: markets stacked with the produce of the river plains, bakeries selling the pastries of the region, and shops that serve the locals first. The best souvenirs from Samsun are edible, practical, and genuinely local, and this guide tells you what to buy and where to find it.

The Shopping Character of Samsun

Samsun is not a shopping destination in the conventional sense, and the traveler should not come expecting carpet dealers and souvenir arcades. Instead, the city offers something rarer: the chance to shop where the locals shop, at prices set by the local economy rather than the tourist trade.

The shopping culture is built on food and daily life. The markets sell the produce of the plains, the bakeries sell the pastries of the region, and the shops sell the practical goods of a provincial city. The souvenirs are edible, and the buying is personal, with the stallholders taking genuine interest in their customers.

The result is a shopping experience that is calm, honest, and surprisingly enjoyable. You shop alongside the people of Samsun, which is the most authentic version of any city there is.

Hazelnuts: The Region’s Treasure

The hazelnut is the treasure of the Black Sea region, and Samsun sits at the heart of the country’s hazelnut country. The nuts are sold everywhere, fresh from the season’s harvest, and they are the single best thing to buy in the city.

The markets sell them in every form: in the shell, shelled, roasted, and ground, and the season’s fresh nuts have a sweetness that the packaged versions cannot match. Buy a bag for yourself and more for gifts, because hazelnuts travel well and everyone loves them.

The prices at the markets are far below the international shops, and the quality is as good as it gets. Ask the stallholder for the best of the season, and you will leave with the taste of the region in your bag.

Samsun, Turkey — Photo by sofdoug on Pixabay

Honey and Dairy from the Highlands

The honey of the Black Sea highlands is one of the region’s great products, and Samsun’s markets and specialty shops sell it in impressive variety. The flower honeys of the mountains and the darker, richer honeys of the forests are the ones the locals prize, and the taste is genuinely different from the supermarket versions.

The dairy of the region deserves attention too. The butter and the cream of the Black Sea kitchen are famous, and the local cheeses, white and yellow, are worth taking home for a proper Turkish breakfast the next morning.

The practical note is to buy the honey in sealed containers for the journey, and to keep the dairy for the last day of your visit. The highland honey is the gift that carries the taste of the region farthest.

Nokul and the Bakery Souvenirs

The nokul, the rolled pastry of the region, is the edible souvenir of Samsun. Filled with walnuts or poppy seeds and baked until golden, it is sold fresh in the neighborhood bakeries, and it is at its best within a day of baking.

The bakery is also the place for the other local staples: the simit rings, the fresh bread, and the simple pastries of the Black Sea kitchen. Buy your nokul on the morning of your departure, and it will still be delicious when you reach home.

The neighborhood bakeries, rather than the souvenir shops, are the right places to shop. They are everywhere, they are cheap, and they are where the locals buy, which is the best recommendation of all.

Black Sea Specialties and the Fish Market

The fish market of Samsun is a sight in itself, and for travelers who can carry it, the Black Sea’s specialties are the ultimate local purchase. The smoked and salted fish of the region, and the famous anchovies in their preserved forms, are the edible memories of the coast.

The market is also the place to see the city’s food economy at work, with the day’s catch, the season’s produce, and the stallholders who know their regulars by name. It is shopping as theater, and it costs nothing to watch.

For most travelers, the preserved fish and the smoked products are the practical buys, and the market is the place to find them at local prices. Ask the stallholders what to choose, and they will point you to the best of the day.

The Markets: Where to Shop

The weekend markets are the shopping heart of Samsun, and they are the best places to buy the region’s produce at its freshest. The fruit and vegetable stalls are loaded with the harvest of the plains, and the cheese, honey, olive, and nut stalls complete the picture.

The markets are also social events, with the whole neighborhood shopping, talking, and drinking tea, and the atmosphere is one of the most local experiences in the city. The stallholders are generous with samples, and a little Turkish goes a long way.

Ask your hotel which market is running on which day, because the weekly markets rotate through the districts. The weekend markets in the center are the liveliest, and the early hours are the best time to shop.

The Old Town Shops and Saathane Square

The old town around Saathane Square is the traditional shopping district of Samsun, and its narrow streets hold the kind of shops that are vanishing elsewhere: hardware shops, fabric sellers, and the specialized traders of the old economy.

The spice shops and the dried goods shops are the most interesting for visitors, with their sacks of nuts, seeds, and spices from across the region. The tea shops sell the loose tea that the whole country drinks, and the coffee houses do their daily trade alongside.

The old town shopping is about atmosphere as much as purchases. Take the time to wander, to stop for tea, and to look at the goods that a Turkish provincial city actually needs, and you will find a side of Samsun that the seafront never shows.

Modern Shopping in Atakum

For the modern shopping experience, Atakum delivers. The seaside district has the contemporary malls and the shopping streets that the younger Samsun uses, with the international brands alongside the Turkish chains and the local shops.

The Atakum shopping is casual and modern, with the cafes and the terraces turning the shopping trip into a day out. The seafront location adds a holiday feel, and the evening shopping, with the lights and the breeze, is a pleasure in summer.

The malls are useful for practical needs, from pharmacy supplies to electronics, and they are the place to go when the weather turns. For souvenirs, though, the markets and the old town remain the better hunting ground.

Souvenirs with a Story: Ataturk Memorabilia

Samsun’s identity is bound to the story of Ataturk’s landing, and the city’s shops reflect it. The bookshops and the souvenir stalls near the heritage sites sell the books, the posters, and the small keepsakes that tell that story, and they make meaningful gifts for anyone interested in modern Turkey.

The serious choice is the books: the histories of the War of Independence, the biographies, and the local histories that the city’s bookshops stock in depth. For the casual souvenir, the small keepsakes with the city’s symbolism are the natural picks.

Buying Ataturk-related souvenirs in Samsun is a different experience from buying them elsewhere, because here the story is local, present, and personal. The shopkeepers know it well, and the purchase comes with a conversation.

Practical Shopping Tips

Carry cash, because the markets and the small shops prefer it, and the banks and the ATMs are everywhere in the center. Learn the numbers in Turkish, which makes the market bargaining, gentle and good-natured in Samsun, much easier.

The prices in Samsun are fair and there is little of the inflated first-price that tourists meet elsewhere. Compare the market price with the shop price on the hazelnuts and the honey, and you will quickly get a feel for what things should cost.

Finally, buy the perishable souvenirs last. The nokul, the cheese, and the preserved fish travel best when bought on the final day, while the honey and the hazelnuts can be packed earlier. A little planning keeps every purchase fresh to the last bite.

Shopping With Children

Samsun’s markets and bakeries are surprisingly easy to enjoy with children in tow. The stalls are open and colorful, the stallholders dote on kids, and the samples of nuts and fruit keep little hands busy while the adults make their purchases.

A simple game turns the shopping into a family adventure: let each child pick one treat to try from a different stall, and compare the choices over tea. The bakeries, with their trays of pastries, are the natural highlight, and the nokul makes a perfect reward at the end.

The practical side is easy. The markets are in the open air and easy to navigate with a stroller, and the tea houses near the markets give everyone a place to rest. A morning of market shopping is a morning of entertainment, and the bags come home full of the region.

Frequently asked questions

What is Samsun known for as a souvenir?

The region’s hazelnuts, the highland honey, and the local pastries like nokul are the classic Samsun purchases, all edible and all genuinely local. The books and the keepsakes connected to Ataturk’s 1919 landing are the historical souvenirs of the city.

Where is the best place to shop for local food?

The weekend markets and the old town shops around Saathane Square, where the locals buy their own food. The markets are the best source of fresh produce, nuts, and honey, while the neighborhood bakeries sell the pastries at their freshest.

Is bargaining expected in Samsun?

Not really. The prices in Samsun’s markets and shops are honest and there is little of the tourist inflation found elsewhere, so the bargaining is gentle and good-natured. A friendly attempt at a small discount is fine, but it is not expected or necessary.

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.