TurkeyTravelPlanner.com Safranbolu, Turkey

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Ottoman culture is alive and well in Safranbolu, a real museum of a town 225 km (140 miles) north of Ankara (map) filled with graceful Ottoman houses and artisans working at traditional Turkish crafts.

Industrialization came to neighboring Karabük, a steel-making town 10 km (6 miles) to the south, but it spared Safranbolu. In the 1970s Turkish artists and photographers began to notice this historic gem of a town.

In the 1980s tourism authorities saw its value, and the government pledged to preserve it. Modern structures were prohibited in its historic neighborhoods, and traditional artisans were encouraged to ply their crafts in restored workshops. Costumed staff in cafes and restaurants serve Ottoman cuisine.

Luckily, it's not at all Disneyfied. The local people are real people, not performers, and they love their historic town.

Today you can stroll along its cobbled streets and visit its graceful, well-preserved half-timbered houses, many of which have huge water pools in them to cool the air on warm summer days. Several of the best houses have been turned into charming inns. Use this Hotel Search Box to find them:

If you have any interest in domestic architecture, traditional crafts or Ottoman history, you've got to see Safranbolu! Allow at least a full day, and preferably at least one night in a local inn.

Direct buses run from Istanbul and Ankara to Karabük, from which minibuses run you to Kıranköy, the modern hilltop district in Safranbolu.

From Kiranköy, take a taxi or municipal bus to your inn, which may be down in the valley (called Çarşı, market) about one km (6/10 mile) beyond Kıranköy.


Distances & Travel Times

Amasra: 70 km (44 miles) N, 1.75 hours

Ankara: 225 km (140 miles) S, 4 hours

Bartın: 60 km (37 miles) N, 1.5 hours

Bolu: 145 km (90 miles) SW, 3 hours

Istanbul: 390 km (242 miles) W, 6 hours

Karabük: 10 km (6 miles) SW, 15 minutes

Kastamonu: 100 km (62 miles) E, 2 hours

Sinop: 300 km (186 miles) NE, 5.5 hours

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Street Scene in Safranbolu, Turkey
Above, street scene in old Safranbolu, a town that has changed little in a century.

Below, mosque dome repairs.

 
Mosque dome repairs, Safranbolu, Anatolia, Turkey
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