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Samsun, which was founded in the 6000s BCE, is an important port city because it is the most populous city of the Central Black Sea Region today. Its history dating back to Kaşkas, Hittites, Pontus, Romans, Byzantines and Ottoman rule enabled the city to have a rich cultural heritage.

Samsun has not only come to the fore in agriculture with its fertile lands irrigated by dozens of small streams and rivers along with Kızılırmak and Yeşilırmak, but has also become one of the places frequented by nature lovers with its rich vegetation and forests.

The places that must be visited when you go to Samsun are:

Onur Monument

The Onur Monument (Onur Anııtı) was commissioned by Kazım Pasha who was governor at the time and built by Austrian sculptor Heinrich Krippel the opening of the monument, at the point where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk landed in Samsun on the Bandırma Ferry on 19 May 1919 to start the War of Independence was fulfilled in 1932.

Bandırma Ferry 

The project initiated by the Governorship of Samsun in 1999 for the construction of a replica of the Bandırma ferry that carried Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to Samsun with his comrades in arms from İstanbul was completed in 2001 and officially opened in 2003. As a result of the landscaping studies and additions made by Samsun Metropolitan Municipality in the following years, Bandırma Ferry and National Resistance Park (Milli Mücadele Parkı) have been turned into an Open-Air Museum. 

City Museum 

The museum was established in two historical wooden buildings that were built in 1928 and used for many years as the housing of railway workers and since 2013, information, documents and goods related to Samsun's social, historical, cultural, geographical and economic life are exhibited in the thematic sections.

Atakum Beach 

The beach is one of the favorite places of local and foreign tourists in summer with its 11 blue flag beaches, eating and drinking places, with bicycle and walking paths which continue for kilometers. 

Bird Sanctuary 

Also known as Kızılırmak Delta Bird Sanctuary (Kızılırmak Deltası Kuş Cenneti), it is the only wetland area on the Black Sea coast of our country. It is 56.000 hectares in size, with 20 lakes of various sizes, large marshes and reed areas, natural features which have been largely preserved. In terms of the number of birds hosted by the sanctuary, it has great importance not only for Türkiye, but also for the entire world ecology. This area, declared as a wildlife development area, includes Ondokuzmayıs, Bafra and Alaçam districts. Kızılırmak Delta, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, is of vital importance for the bird species that directly cross the Black Sea during migration. Approximately 35 % of 460 bird species registered in Türkiye have been identified in Kızılırmak Delta and about 15% of them breed there.

Kolay Tourism Center, Asarkale and Rock Tombs 

The dam lake formed with the construction of the Derbent Dam Lake has created a natural beauty. This unique beauty along the Kızılırmak River is completed by the Asarkale Rock Tombs (Asarkale Kaya Mezarları) right next to it. Asarkale is a structure that enables climbing up step by step to a secret passage and has been placed on a huge mass of rock. The Rock Tombs carved into steep cliffs on both sides of the dam lake, Paflagonya and Akalan Waterfalls (Paflagonya ve Akalan Şelaleleri) are astonishing. Organic corn fields decorate the way. 

Çarşamba Göğceli Mosque 

The building that is thought to be the oldest wooden mosque surviving within the borders of Türkiye, is one of the best examples of wooden masonry technique. A registered endowment of the mosque, which does not have a building inscription, has not been found. As a result of carbon tests on wood samples taken from the mosque, its estimated to have been built in 1206 and the portico in front of it was added or repaired in 1335.

Vezirköprü Şahinkaya Canyon

Şahinkaya Canyon (Şahinkaya Kanyonu), which is located inside the Altınkaya Dam Lake (Altınkaya Baraj Gölü) and completed in 1988. It is tucked in between steep cliffs of approximately 5 km in length and hundreds of meters in height. This canyon, which is a natural wonder created by Kızılırmak in thousands of years, has taken on its present appearance with the rise of the water of the dam lake. It is an incredible natural wonder with its challenging slopes, lush green vegetation and is one of the 5 tourism regions in Samsun. 

Ayvacık Kirazlık Island 

Kirazlık Island is an island that was formed by Suat Uğurlu Dam, built between 1975-1981. The island is at a location that can easily be seen while driving by car on the Çarşamba road at a distance of about 10 km to the district. Being the only island in the dam lakes, Kirazlık Island attracts the attention of tourists coming to this area. Boat tours are also available to see the island. 

Ladik Akdağ Ski Center 

Akdağ Winter Sports and Ski Center (Akdağ Kış Sporları ve Kayak Merkezi) established between Uzunyazı Hill at an altitude of 1788 and Yemişen Hill at an altitude of 1404 on the summit of Akdağ Mountain, which is 7 km away from the district, was put into service for ski lovers with the completion of the chair lift system in 2009. It is very popular because it is the only ski resort in the Central Black Sea Region. Approximately 5 thousand people use the tracks on weekends.

Havza Hot Springs 

Havza is a district that stands out in thermal tourism with its hot springs. The spring is of great importance because it has been medically proven that the hot spring waters have a positive effect in the treatment of a number of maladies. Approximately 200,000 people annually benefit from the Havza hot springs and Ladik Hamamayağı hot spring. 

Terme Miliç Beach 

The beach is located right in front of the Miliç Çamlığı, which extends from the Yali quarter of Terme to Akçay. The beach offers its visitors who want to cool off in the blue-flagged beaches in summer, the opportunity to have picnic in the pine forest as well. There is also a large camping area for tents and caravans in the area with the beach in front and pine trees at the back.

Vezirköprü Deer Farm 

A deer breeding farm has been established in Vezirköprü district of Samsun so that the red deer, which are endangered in the region, can breed and develop in a natural habitat that is also a protected environment. The deer, raised on this 85-hectare farm, which is 700 meters above sea level and where only red deer live, are subsequently released into nature.

Mecidiye and Çiftlik 

These are streets where you can get to know Samsun's artisan culture closely, where you can find almost everything you are looking for like jewelers, restaurants, banks and shops, or you can enjoy just visiting.

Bafra Çetinkaya Bridge 

The bridge is one of the early republican period structures built in 1937. The bridge, which has a symbolic value for the district with its 250-meter length, cobblestones and arched structure, is a bridge with high memorial value and is a favorite spot for wedding photography today.

Tekkeköy Stone Windmill 

It is the only historical windmill made of stone in the Black Sea, built by the Greeks living in the village of Çırakman in the 1860s. The building, which is visited by thousands of local and foreign tourists every year, is also a preferred place for newly married couples to take pictures.

Tekkeköy Archaeological Valley

The valley is an area where there are caves with ruins from the Hittite and Early Bronze Age periods in Samsun, whose history goes back to 6000 BCE. There is also a museum in the region where imitations of these finds are exhibited. The museum, which was created by the restoration of a registered Greek house in the valley, has been hosting visitors since 2014 with the name of Tekkeköy Caves Archeology Valley Museum House (Tekkeköy Mağaraları Arkeoloji Vadisi Müze Evi)

Amisos Hill (Baruthane Tumuli).

Preserving the traces of the ancient city of Amisos, Amisos Hill is one of Samsun’s earliest known settlement areas. The Baruthane Tumuli, dating to the 3rd century BC in the Hellenistic period, are considered elite burial structures of Amisos, an important port city within the northern Black Sea trade network. Excavations have revealed gold jewellery, glass vessels and architectural details that highlight Samsun’s prosperity in antiquity. Today, the site brings history and scenery together with its viewing terrace and cable car line.

Amazon Village

Reflecting Samsun’s mythological identity, Amazon Village was created as a tribute to the Amazon women warriors described in ancient sources as having made the Black Sea coast their home. Located within the Batıpark area, this thematic site features statues and symbolic structures representing Amazon figures, making the city’s link with mythology more visible. Set along the Black Sea shoreline, Amazon Village stands out as a distinctive stop that brings Samsun’s prehistoric narratives together with modern urban life.

Vezirsuyu Nature Park 

Vezirsuyu Nature Park is one of Samsun’s most meaningful sites, valued not only for its natural setting but also for its place in national history. It is widely accepted that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk spent his first night here on 19 May 1919 after arriving in Samsun, before continuing on to Havza. For this reason, the park is remembered as one of the first stops of the National Struggle along the Black Sea coast. With its rich forest cover, natural water sources and open areas, Vezirsuyu is one of the rare places in Samsun where history and nature come together.