Samsun, Turkey

Samsun is a city in northern Turkey, on the coast of the Black Sea. It is the capital city of Samsun Province and an important Turkish port.

The town is pleasant and its centre, Cumhuriyet Meydani (Square of the Republic), is near the port. Attractions include the Kultur Sarayi (Palace of Culture), a building shaped as a ski jump. Events as concerts and other performances take place here. There is also the Archaeological and Atatürk Museum and numerous decent restaurants throughout Samsun.

Things to See & Do

* Kultur Sarayi (Palace of Culture).
* Archaeological and Atatürk Museum
* The Russian Market (Rus Pazari).
* Atatürk (Gazi) Museum
* Statue of Atatürk

General Information
Cruise Season – Feb to Dec
Currency - New Turkish Lira (YTL)
Language – Turkish
Population – 440,000
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC + two hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 90

Port Location – The port of Samsun is located within walking distance of the town centre.

Travel Links – There is one flight daily to and from Istanbul (1 hr and 25 minutes), and one flight a week to and from Ankara (50 minutes). From the airport it's about 3 kilometers to the town's centre.

There is at least a bus a day to all major destinations; Amasya (two hours), Giresun (four hours) and Sinop (three hours). The bus station is about 2 kilometers east of Cumhuriyet Meydani, in town bus ticket offices can be found south-east of Cumhuriyet Meydani.

Turkish Maritime Lines runs a service in July and August along the Turkish Black Sea coast to and from Istanbul.