Ordu is a city of small, deep pleasures: a cable car ride over the rooftops, a slow walk along a Black Sea promenade, a morning in a preserved old quarter, and afternoons in the high meadows of the mountains behind the coast. None of it is famous enough to be crowded, and all of it is worth doing.
This list collects the ten experiences that define the city and its region, from the waterfront to the highland pastures.
1. Ride the Cable Car Up Boztepe
The number one thing to do in Ordu is also the simplest: ride the cable car up the green hill of Boztepe that rises behind the city. The cabins climb over the rooftops and the orchards, and at the top the whole bay opens out, with the port, the coast and the mountains in a single view.
The summit is a small world of its own, with tea terraces, viewpoints and paths through the gardens. Come for the sunset, when the city lights begin to glitter below, and stay until dark for the full effect. The ride itself, smooth and unhurried, is part of the pleasure.
Allow two hours for the round trip and the summit, longer if you linger over tea.
2. Walk the Waterfront Promenade
The long seaside promenade is Ordu’s living room, and walking it is the essential daily ritual. The path runs along the Black Sea past beaches, tea gardens, playgrounds and fishing spots, with the green hills rising behind the town and the sea opening ahead.
The promenade is busiest in the evening, when families, couples and joggers share the way, and the sea air carries the smell of the fish restaurants. Stop for tea at one of the shoreline gardens, watch the fishermen, and let the city set your pace. It is free, easy and endlessly pleasant.
Give it an hour at a stroll, or make it your morning walk every day of the stay.
3. Visit the Paşaoğlu Mansion
Just behind the waterfront stands the Paşaoğlu mansion, a grand nineteenth-century house that is the finest historic building in the city center. Built by a local notable family, it survives with its painted ceilings, carved woodwork and period furniture, and it now operates as a museum.
The rooms give a vivid sense of how the prosperous families of the Black Sea coast lived, and the upper floors offer views over the old quarter and the sea. The house is compact and atmospheric, and it takes under an hour to visit. Look up at the ceilings; the painted decoration is the highlight.
Combine the mansion with the old quarter behind it for a morning of history.
4. Explore the Taşbaşı Old Quarter
The lanes of Taşbaşı, climbing the hill behind the center, preserve the old residential Ordu: wooden and stone houses with carved doors and bay windows, narrow shaded streets and small courtyards. It is the most atmospheric corner of the city, and it is best seen on foot.
Several of the restored houses now serve as cafes, workshops and small museums, so the quarter is both history and everyday life. Wander without a plan, follow the lanes that look oldest, and stop wherever a garden or a doorway catches your eye. The quarter photographs beautifully in the soft morning light.
Allow a couple of hours, including tea in one of the courtyard cafes.
5. Yason Cape at Perşembe
An hour along the coast, the headland of Yason Cape juts into the Black Sea, crowned by a small ruined church and a lighthouse. The cape is one of the most beautiful spots on the entire coast: a green promontory with the sea on three sides and views that stretch for miles.
The ruined church, standing alone on the grass above the water, gives the place a strange, romantic beauty, and the cape has drawn pilgrims and travelers for centuries, its name echoing the legend of Jason. A walk to the point, a picnic on the grass and a swim from the pebbly shore below make a perfect afternoon.
Come in the late afternoon for the light, and stay for the sunset.
6. The Perşembe Plateau at Aybastı
Inland from the coast, the mountains of Ordu hold vast summer pastures, and the Perşembe Plateau above Aybastı is the most famous of them. It is one of the largest plateaus in the country, a rolling sea of green meadows that fills with highland life in summer.
During the season, the plateau hosts the traditional summer migration, with livestock, mountain houses and village festivals, and the air is cool and clear after the humidity of the coast. Walk the meadows, eat the simple mountain food and breathe deeply. The drive up is long but the reward is real.
Give it a full day, and go early to make the most of the mountain light.
7. Çambaşı Plateau and Winter Skiing
Higher still, the Çambaşı plateau in the Kabadüz district rises to the tree line, with forest, meadow and, in winter, snow. It is one of the few places on the Black Sea coast where you can ski, and the small resort here attracts locals through the cold months.
In summer the same plateau becomes a cool retreat of meadows and trails, with views over the mountains and, on clear days, the sea far below. The road is winding but well kept, and the change of air is dramatic. Check conditions before you go in winter, when snow can close the upper road.
Çambaşı gives Ordu its only taste of the winter mountains.
8. Ulugöl Nature Park at Gölköy
South of the city, the Ulugöl nature park shelters two forest lakes in the folds of the mountains, surrounded by beech and fir forest. The lakes are quiet, green and almost perfectly still, and the park is made for walking, picnicking and doing nothing at all.
A trail circles the lakes, passing viewpoints and resting spots, and the forest keeps the site cool even in summer. The setting is lovely rather than spectacular, which is exactly its charm: a peaceful mountain afternoon with the sound of water and birds. Bring a picnic and your camera.
Allow half a day, including the drive and a slow circuit of the lakes.
9. Hoynat Island and the Coast by Boat
Off the coast of the region, the tiny island of Hoynat rises from the sea like a green rock, its cliffs busy with seabirds. The island is protected as a bird sanctuary, and the best way to see it is from the water, on the small boats that make the trip from the shore villages.
The boat ride itself is the pleasure: the sea, the cliffs and the island passing close enough to see the birds and the nesting ledges. Weather permitting, you can combine the island with fishing villages and coves along the way. Ask locally for the boat schedule, which varies with the season.
It is a short trip, but a memorable one for anyone who loves the sea.
10. Hazelnut Country and the Local Markets
No visit to Ordu is complete without understanding the crop that built it. The hills around the city are a sea of hazelnut orchards, and in late summer the harvest brings the whole region to life. Drive any road inland and you are driving through hazelnut country.
The city markets sell the crop in every form: fresh, roasted, ground and sweetened, alongside the local honey, tea and cheeses. A market morning is the best way to meet the region’s produce, and the hazelnut pastries of the local bakeries make the perfect reward.
Buy a bag of nuts, sit in a tea garden, and you have done Ordu properly.
The covered market and the market streets of Ordu are the best place to meet the city’s daily life. The stalls are piled with the produce of the region: hazelnuts in every form, cheeses from the highlands, honey, tea, greens and the anchovies of the season, and the bargaining is loud and friendly.
A market morning is also a feast. The sellers offer tastes as a matter of course, the pastry shops nearby sell the day’s warm bread and the local pide, and the tea gardens fill with the morning crowd. Come early for the best produce and the liveliest atmosphere, and leave with a bag of nuts and a full stomach.
It is shopping as sightseeing, and it is one of the purest experiences of the city.
Evening on the Promenade
When the sun drops behind the hills, Ordu’s waterfront comes into its own. The promenade fills with families and couples, the tea gardens light up, and the fish restaurants along the shore begin to fill with the evening crowd. The sea air, the lights on the water and the sound of the waves make the simplest evening feel special.
Join the current: take a long walk, stop for tea, and let the evening find you a table for fish. The Black Sea dinner, with its anchovies and its small dishes, is best eaten by the water, and the locals know it. Stay until the promenade quietens and the moon is over the sea.
Evening on the waterfront is the daily gift of this city, and it costs nothing but time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best view in Ordu?
The view from Boztepe, reached by cable car, is the classic panorama of the city: the bay, the port and the coast laid out below with the mountains behind. Yason Cape offers the most beautiful seaside views, and the plateaus add the highland scenery.
When should I visit the plateaus?
The plateaus are at their best from late spring through autumn, when the meadows are green and the highland summer life is in full swing. Winter brings snow, and Çambaşı becomes a small ski center. The coast, by contrast, is pleasant from late spring through early autumn.
Is the cable car to Boztepe worth the trip?
Yes, it is the single most rewarding thing to do in Ordu. The ride takes about ten minutes, the summit view is spectacular, and the terraces and gardens at the top make it easy to linger. Go in the late afternoon for the sunset and stay for the city lights.
All Over Information
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