Where to stay in Kastamonu

The town may have been founded in the 18th century BC; the Greeks and Romans called it Timonion (Τιμόνιον). It controlled one of the valleys to the Black Sea coast and in the 10th century was fortified by Manuel Erotikos Komnenos (circa 955-1020), so it was dubbed "Kastra Komnenon", hence Kastamonu. From the 13th to 15th century, Kastamonu was the capital of the Candaroğlu petty kingdom. The Ottomans were already a power in the land, but were almost destroyed by Mongol / Timurid invasion.

The town gets booked out whenever the nearby military garrisons have public parades, as families from all over the country flock to see their conscripted sons looking smart and purposeful.

Getting in

Kastamonu Airport (KFS) is 12 km south of the city and most days has a flight from Istanbul (IST) by Turkish Airlines, taking 75 min. You'll need a taxi to get downtown. Buses from Istanbul run every 2-3 hours and take 8-9 hours via Gebze, Bolu and Safranbolu, usually continuing via Boyabat to Sinop or Samsun on the coast. From Ankara six buses a day take four hours. Bus lines on these routes are Metro Turizm and Flixbus. Local buses ply along the valley from Karabük, which is on the railway from Ankara to Zonguldak, and is close to Safranbolu.

Getting around

The main road follows both banks of the river bisecting the city, with one-way northbound traffic on the east bank and southbound on the west. Public buses ply this strip.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.