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Samsun for me was a lot of wasted time. For a large city with such a long history, the sites were mostly uninteresting and uninspiring. I felt my full day there was too much, and a half day would have served it well enough.
History
Samsun was founded by the ancient Greeks as Amissós (Αμισσός), which was the mythical home of the Amazons, a tribe of fierce female warriors. The city was later known as Sampsoúnta (Σαμψούντα), part of the historical Póntos (Πόντος) region.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk began the Turkish War of Independence in Samsun on May 9, 1919, by disobeying the Ottoman government’s orders to oversee the disbanding the Ottoman army.
The People
While I may be unforgiving of Samsun as a city, I have nothing but great things to say about the people. Everyone I interacted with was friendly and had a great sense of humor. The people were the highlight for me.
Pide
Another highlight was the food. Samsun is known to have some of the best pide (kind of like a pizza) in all of Turkey. You can find them all over town. I lived on pide during my day in Samsun.
Getting There
Getting to Samsun is possible by bus and plane. The bus terminal is located quite a ways out of the city center. If arriving by bus, ask your bus company if there is a shuttle service to the city center. I arrived on Metro Turizm and was able to take advantage of their shuttle to Republic Square (Cumhuriyet Meydanı).
Samsun-Çarşamba Airport (Samsun-Çarşamba Havalimanı), is located to the east of the city. There are several flights daily from both airports in Istanbul on Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, and AJet. You can also get there from Ankara, Adana, Izmir, Antalya, and select cities in Europe on seasonal flights (as of October 2024).
A shuttle service run by Bafaş takes passengers to and from the airport. Ask your hotel where to catch it because it’s new since my visit.
Getting Around
Getting around Samsun can be done on foot in the city center and via light rail. There are light rail stations conveniently located near the city center at Republic Square and Amazon Island (Baruthane Station). The rail system is run by Samulaş.
Hotel Altay
I stayed at the Hotel Altay (Otel Altay), not too far from Republic Square. I thought it was in a bit of a seedy area and the room wasn’t all that great, but the staff more than made up for it. The manager was a friendly guy who was quick-witted and helpful.
