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Black Sea Turkey, Türkiye
Photo: Hamdigumus, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
Western Karadeniz (Turkish: Batı Karadeniz) is a region extending 500 km along the Black Sea coast of Turkey, comprising the administrative provinces of Düzce, Bolu, Zonguldak, Karabük, Bartın, Kastamonu and Sinop. Along the coast are a series of small resorts and industrial ports; inland are mountains with forests, lakes and old towns little touched by modern development.
By plane: the airports at Kastamonu (KFS), Sinop (NOP) and Zonguldak (ONQ) have daily flights from Istanbul (IST) but little else.
Read in the guideYou can get around by bus or dolmuş between towns on a radial route from the big cities. You need your own wheels for anything else; best hire at your arrival airport.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Kastamonu · Regional · KFS
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Bolu is a city in the Western Karadeniz (Black Sea) region of Turkey, with a population of 184,682 in 2021. It's 260 km east of Istanbul and 190 km northwest of Ankara so it might make a stopover.
Akçakoca is a beach resort in the Western Karadeniz or Black Sea Region of Turkey, with a population of 27,878 in 2022.
Zonguldak is a port on the Black Sea in the Western Karadeniz Region of Turkey. It's a grubby industrial place, mining and exporting coal, with a population of 103,417 in 2020.
Not to be confused with Amasya in Central Karadeniz region. Amasra is a small harbour and beach resort on the Black Sea, 310 km north of Ankara in the Western Karadeniz region of Turkey.
Safranbolu is a town in the Western Karadeniz region of Turkey, about 200 km north of Ankara and 100 km south of the Black Sea coast, with a population in 2022 of 52,999. Its well-preserved old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Kastamonu is a city in the Western Karadeniz Region of Turkey. It's 92 km from the Black Sea coast at an altitude of 900 m, and in 2021 had a population of about 125,000.
Boyabat is a town in the Western Karadeniz region of Turkey, with a population of 29,093 in 2022. You might stop off to see the castle on your way to the Black Sea coast 85 km north.
Sinop is a city in the Western Karadeniz region, on the Turkish Black Sea coast. In 2022 it had a population of 57,404.
Bolu is a city in the Western Karadeniz (Black Sea) region of Turkey, with a population of 184,682 in 2021. It's 260 km east of Istanbul and 190 km northwest of Ankara so it might make a stopover.
Ilgaz National Park (Turkish: Ilgaz Milli Parkı) is a mountainous area in the Western Karadeniz region of Turkey. Ilgaz ski resort is 310 km northeast of Ankara, so it's within a day-trip from the capital.
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