Kastamonu: Unpexpected Encounter with a Pretty Northern Anatolian Town

The journey from Cide to Kastamonu passed by some stunning sceneries: beautiful forest full of autumn colours, meandering mountain streams, greenish Alpine valleys dotted with traditional wooden Black Sea village houses. It is definitely not the typical image of Turkey one conceives from postcards and tourism promotion booklets.

Needless to say, like almost every other city and town in Turkey's Black Sea region, Kastamonu also has  several thousand years of history behind its back. The city was founded as early as 18th century BC, and was part of the Byzantine Empire until the Muslim conquest of Anatolia. In modern history, the city of Kastamonu is probably best known for being the place where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk made his famous speech about the hat and dress reform in 1925.

Several interesting sights in the old town of Kastamonu are certainly worth a visit. First of all, the Byzantine-era Citadel, on top of a hill overlooking the whole city centre, is a good place to capture some photo shots of Kastamonu's old quarters.

Asmali Konak Otel, Safranbolu

Normally I do not recommend specific hotels in my personal blog, unless I found them to be unique or is good value for money. Asmali Konak, a small family-run hotel in the old town of Safranbolu, fits into the 'good value for money' category.

Located at the centre of Safranbolu's Old Town, near the town square and the Cinci Haman turkish bath complex, Asmali Konak is a restored old Ottoman house with a spacious garden. When the weather is warm enough, traditional turkish breakfast is served in the garden.

Safranbolu: Asian Tourists' Favourite UNESCO World Heritage Site in Turkey

Every nationality has its own favourite place to visit in Turkey. For the Germans, it is the region between Antalya and Alanya. The British prefer the stretch of coast between Fethiye and Altinkum. For tourists from East Asia, it seems no tour of Turkey is complete without a visit to Safranbolu, a small mountain village tucked away in a lush green valley.

The town of Safranbolu consists of two different parts: the New Town (called Kirankoy), and the Old Town (Safranbolu itself). Kirankoy is the town's administrative centre, with modern buildings and apartments blocks built on top of a small hill overlooking the valley of Safranbolu. Long distance buses stop at the bus station outside Kirankoy's town centre, and passengers continuing towards Safranbolu's Old Town will have to transfer to the free mini-shuttle provided by each bus company and get off at the bus company's town office in Kirankoy, before getting on a blue city bus which connects Kirankoy with the Old Town of Safranbolu.