Amasya packs an extraordinary amount of history into one narrow river valley. The town was the capital of the kings of Pontus, the training ground of Ottoman princes, and a byword for Ottoman timber architecture, and almost all of it is arranged along a single walkable riverbank. This list collects the experiences that best reward your time, in the order you should think about them, from the cliff tombs that made the town famous to the tea gardens where you can simply watch the valley go by.
1. See the Rock Tombs of the Pontic Kings
The rock tombs cut into the cliff across the river are the image of Amasya and its most unmissable sight. These are the burial chambers of the kings of Pontus, carved into the living rock in the centuries before Christ, and they stare down at the town like the windows of another world.
The largest, known as the Aynalı Tomb, has a mirror-like entrance that catches the light. Walk the riverside path on the opposite bank for the classic view, and come back after dark, when the tombs are illuminated and the whole cliff glows above the water.
The tombs are at their most atmospheric in the late afternoon, when the setting sun flushes the cliff face and the dark openings deepen. Bring binoculars if you have them; the details of the carving are easier to read from the riverside path than from any closer approach, and the view from the tomb level is one of the town’s best.
2. Climb to Amasya Castle
High above the tombs, Amasya Castle crowns the Harşena Mountain with walls that have been rebuilt by every empire that ruled the valley. The hour-long climb from the old town passes below the tombs and ends at one of the finest viewpoints in central Anatolia.
Inside the fortifications you will find cisterns, vaulted rooms and the remains of a mosque. Go in the late afternoon, when the light is warm, and you will watch the town below turn golden as the shadows creep across the valley.
The castle is a place for slow exploration rather than a checklist. Give yourself an hour at the top to walk the walls, look down into the cisterns, and simply sit with the view; the soundscape, wind, birds and the distant town, is part of the experience.
3. Walk the Yalıboyu Riverside Quarter
The row of Ottoman timber houses along the river is the face of Amasya. Built in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, these painted wooden mansions with their jutting bay windows lean over the water in a composition that has been photographed for a hundred years.
The best approach is simply to walk the street slowly, looking up at the carved details and the colors, and then cross one of the bridges to see the whole row reflected in the Yeıilırmak. Early morning and sunset are the magical hours.
The houses are private homes as well as monuments, so admire them from the street and the riverbank rather than the doorways. In the early morning, before the day begins, the quarter has a quiet, sleepy beauty that the daytime crowds wash away.
4. Visit Hazeranlar Mansion
The grandest of the riverside houses, Hazeranlar Mansion, has been restored as a museum of Ottoman domestic life. Its carved ceilings, painted panels and period furniture show how the wealthy families of Amasya lived in the nineteenth century.
The mansion also holds a small painting and sculpture collection, and its balconies look straight across the river to the tomb cliff. It is the one house in Amasya you should not miss, because it makes all the others legible.
The mansion is a small museum, and the ticket allows a single unhurried circuit. The upper rooms, with their painted ceilings and the view over the river, are the highlight, and the courtyard is the best place to pause before moving on.
5. Explore the Museum and the Burmalı Minare
Amasya’s museum occupies a Seljuk complex around the Burmalı Minare, the twisted fluted minaret that is the town’s most distinctive piece of medieval architecture. Inside, the collections run from Hittite times through the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman ages.
Next door or nearby, the Gök Medrese displays the famous mummies of the İ lhanlı period, preserved in their original medieval setting. Together the two buildings give you the deep history of the valley in a single morning.
The minaret itself is the first thing you notice: a Seljuk shaft of twisted brick that looks as if it were turned on a potter’s wheel. It is worth the walk even before you enter, and the surrounding complex holds a courtyard that is quiet even at midday.
6. Walk the Straits, the Boğazlar
Where the river leaves the town, the valley narrows into a gorge known as the Straits. The cliffs close in, the road and water squeeze together, and the tomb cliff looms overhead in the most dramatic landscape of the region.
The walk through the Straits is short but spectacular, and it rewards a slow pace. Return on the opposite bank for a different angle, and finish at a riverside tea garden as the light fades.
The Straits are at their best in the morning, when the light comes down the gorge and the water is still. The road is narrow, so watch for traffic as you walk, and give yourself time to stop at every viewpoint, because the angle changes constantly.
7. See the Seljuk and Ottoman Monuments of the Old Town
Beyond the riverside, the old town holds a remarkable cluster of medieval buildings: the great mosque and medreses of the Seljuk age, the tombs of the Ottoman princes who were raised in Amasya, and the market streets that have served the valley for centuries.
Many of the finest monuments, including the Gök Medrese and the şehzadeler tombs, stand within a few minutes of each other. A slow circuit of the old quarter with these buildings as your landmarks is one of the best free walks in Turkey.
Many of the monuments can be seen from the street, and a few admit visitors; the interiors are worth the effort where they are open. Ask at the museum about opening hours, because they change with the season and the maintenance schedule.
8. Taste the Amasya Apple and the Valley’s Food
The Amasya apple is famous across Turkey, a small, crisp, aromatic fruit that the valley has grown for centuries. In autumn the markets and streets fill with apples, and tasting one is a rite of passage for any visitor.
The local cooking that goes with them is equally rewarding: keşkek, çiçek böreği, dolma, and the apple-based sweets of the region, all served in the riverside lokantas and tea gardens. Eat where the families eat and you will eat very well.
The apple is at its peak from September, and the markets along the river are the place to buy it. In the same season the valley’s walnuts, grapes and pears arrive, and the stalls turn into a tasting tour of the harvest.
9. Watch the Sunset from a Riverside Tea Garden
Amasya’s tea gardens are the social heart of the town, strung along the riverbanks with tables by the water. Order a glass of tea, add one of the town’s sweets, and settle in to watch the light change on the houses and the cliffs.
Sunset is the classic hour, when the timber facades glow and the tomb cliff darkens against the sky. Few towns in Turkey offer such a complete evening ritual for the price of a glass of tea.
Tea in Amasya is a long ritual, so order a glass and stay a while; nobody rushes you. The gardens differ in character, from the busy riverside terraces to the quieter gardens of the old quarter, and finding your favorite is part of the town’s pleasure.
10. Look Down from the Tomb Cliff Path
The path that runs along the cliff below the tombs gives you Amasya from above, with the river, the bridges and the tile-roofed town arranged beneath you. It is a short climb from the riverside, and it puts the whole valley in perspective.
The path is also the route toward the castle, so you can combine the two. Come in the morning, when the town below is still in shadow and the light picks out the cliff face, and the photographs will take care of themselves.
The path is stony and exposed in places, so wear proper shoes and take water. It is also the route to the castle, which makes it a natural start to a half-day that takes in the tombs, the views and the fortress in one circuit.
Frequently asked questions
How many days should I spend in Amasya to see the highlights?
Two days is the sweet spot for most visitors. The tombs, castle, riverside quarter and museums fill a first day, and a second day lets you walk the Straits, take the cliff paths and enjoy the tea gardens without rushing. If you add a day trip to Hattusa or Tokat, plan on three days.
Are the rock tombs accessible, or only visible from below?
The tombs are best seen from the riverside and the cliff path opposite, which give the classic views. Some of the chambers are reachable by climbing the paths on the cliff, but many are set high in the rock and are admired from below; the illuminated night view is the one most visitors remember.
What should I wear for the castle and cliff walks?
Comfortable, grippy shoes are essential, since the paths are steep, stony and often cobbled. Dress in layers for the change in temperature between the valley floor and the summit, carry water, and start the climb in the morning to avoid the heat of the afternoon.
All Over Information
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