Photo: Arif Miletli (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source Çankırı is the city of the Salt Cave, Türkiye's largest rock-salt deposit, worked since the Hittites and with 8 km of galleries; the Taş Mescit of 1235 (Cemaleddin Ferruh Hospital), where the symbols of medicine and pharmacy are carved in stone; the Sultan Süleyman Mosque from the age of Mimar Sinan; Ilgaz Mountain National Park and its ski resort; and the Yâran conversations on the UNESCO list. It has 32 registered geographical indications.
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8 places worth seeing in Çankırı, from historic monuments to natural wonders, grouped by type. Open any of them on the map with a single click.
Photo: Arif Miletli (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A hospital (darüşşifa) built in 1235 by the atabey Cemaleddin Ferruh in the reign of Alâeddin Keykubad I. The relief of two intertwined dragons on its façade is used today as the symbol of medicine, and the figure of a snake coiled round a cup as the symbol of pharmacy.
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The remains of a castle used from the Roman to the Ottoman period, on the hill north of the city; inside are a Roman-period rock tomb and the tomb of Emir Karatekin Bey, the conqueror of Çankırı. The hilltop gives a panorama of the city.
View on mapA mosque of the age of Mimar Sinan, built by Sadık Kalfa on the order of Suleiman the Magnificent, begun in 1522 and completed in 1558. Covered by one large dome and four half-domes, and with a stone minbar, it is the largest mosque in the city.
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Photo: Cobija (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A museum that has been housed since 2017 in the Old Government Building of 1905; finds from across the province are displayed in its archaeology, ethnography and palaeontology halls.
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Photo: Acar54 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source Galleries 6–8 metres high and 8 km long in total, cut into a rock-salt deposit thought to have been worked since the Hittites, in the village of Balıbağı about 20 km from the city centre; it is one of the largest salt reserves in Türkiye. Animal remains preserved intact in the salty environment are displayed inside.
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Photo: Hilmi Ayhan (CC BY 2.5) · Source A national park established in 1976 on the border of Çankırı and Kastamonu; its highest point is Büyük Hacet Hill at 2,587 metres. It is an important bird area, with species such as the bearded vulture and the griffon vulture.
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Photo: İzzet Sarı (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source One of the ski resorts nearest to Central Anatolia, on Mount Ilgaz, with pistes running down through pine forests.
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The red-tiled houses and mosques of the city, spread across the valley.
View on mapÇankırı is a province in the north of Central Anatolia, on the transition to the Black Sea, at the southern foot of the Ilgaz Mountains. The city stands on the site of the ancient Paphlagonian city of Gangra; the Galatian king Deiotarus made it his centre, and in the Byzantine period it was a place of exile. Passing to the Danishmendids after Malazgirt (Manzikert), the city withstood a siege by the Crusader army in 1101; the tomb of Emir Karatekin, who made Çankırı a Turkish homeland, stands on the castle hill.
The most important work to survive from the Seljuk period is the hospital (darüşşifa) built in 1235 by the atabey Cemaleddin Ferruh in the reign of Alâeddin Keykubad I (known locally as Taş Mescit). The relief of two dragons with intertwined bodies on its façade and the figure of a snake coiled round a cup are used today as the symbols of medicine and pharmacy respectively.
The Yâran conversations hold a special place in Çankırı’s cultural identity: in this tradition, men gather on winter nights under set rules and carry on with music, conversation and hospitality. In 2010 it was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the name “Traditional Conversation Meetings”.
Çankırı has a continental climate: summers are hot and dry, winters cold and snowy. Averages for 1929–2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service:
| Month | Avg. high | Avg. low | Rainfall | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.7 °C | −3.8 °C | 43 mm | 12 |
| February | 6.4 °C | −3.0 °C | 34 mm | 10 |
| March | 12.0 °C | −0.1 °C | 39 mm | 10 |
| April | 18.1 °C | 4.6 °C | 44 mm | 11 |
| May | 23.0 °C | 8.7 °C | 57 mm | 14 |
| June | 27.3 °C | 12.0 °C | 46 mm | 10 |
| July | 31.2 °C | 14.3 °C | 18 mm | 4 |
| August | 31.5 °C | 14.1 °C | 18 mm | 4 |
| September | 26.8 °C | 9.8 °C | 18 mm | 5 |
| October | 20.3 °C | 5.2 °C | 26 mm | 7 |
| November | 12.4 °C | 0.6 °C | 26 mm | 8 |
| December | 5.8 °C | −1.7 °C | 45 mm | 11 |
May to October is best for the city and the Salt Cave, and December to March for skiing. The inside of the Salt Cave is cool all year round, so take a cardigan even in summer. The Yâran conversations are traditionally held in the winter months.
By road: Çankırı is about 130 km from Ankara. In the north, the Ilgaz 15 July Independence Tunnel (2016) shortens the crossing of Mount Ilgaz and connects the city with Kastamonu and the Black Sea coast.
By train: Çankırı is on the Ankara–Zonguldak railway line.
By air: There is no airport in Çankırı; Ankara Esenboğa and Kastamonu airports are used.
Day 1 – Çankırı centre and the Salt Cave: In the morning see the medical symbols of Taş Mescit, Sultan Süleyman Mosque and Çankırı Museum; climb to the castle for the view of the city and Karatekin Tomb. In the afternoon, the galleries of the Salt Cave; in the evening, Çankırı bütün et (whole meat dish) and yumurta tatlısı (egg dessert).
A winter day: Skiing at Ilgaz Ski Resort; on the way back, Ilgaz keşkeği.
With 32 geographical indications registered with TÜRKPATENT, Çankırı is a province very rich in cuisine for its small population. The main ones are Çankırı bütün et (whole meat dish), sarımsaklı et (garlic meat), Çankırı kıymalısı (kapalı pide) (closed minced-meat pide), tutmaç and cimcik hamuru çorbası (cimcik dough soup), Çankırı yumurta tatlısı (egg dessert), hameyli tatlısı, höşmerim, kesme kadayıf (cut kadayıf), yazma çöreği, Çerkeş lokumu (Çerkeş Turkish delight), Çerkeş kurabiyesi (Çerkeş biscuits), Çerkeş sırma baklavası (Çerkeş gold-thread baklava), Ilgaz keşkeği (Ilgaz keşkek), Şabanözü dondurma helvası (Şabanözü ice-cream halva), Eldivan kirazı (Eldivan cherries) and Çankırı kaya tuzu (Çankırı rock salt).
Çankırı province has 12 districts. Explore the places to visit, local dishes and transport in each one.
A meat dish with a registered geographical indication.
A minced-meat pide with a registered geographical indication.
A dessert with a registered geographical indication.
Turkish delight (lokum) with a registered geographical indication.
Keşkek (wheat and meat stew) with a registered geographical indication.
A soup with a registered geographical indication.
The main stops are the Salt Cave, Taş Mescit, Sultan Süleyman Mosque, Çankırı Castle and Karatekin Tomb, Çankırı Museum, and Ilgaz Mountain National Park and ski resort.
It is in the village of Balıbağı, about 20 km from the city centre; its galleries are 8 km long in total.
The relief of two intertwined dragons on the façade of the Cemaleddin Ferruh Hospital (Taş Mescit) of 1235 is used as the symbol of medicine, and the figure of a snake coiled round a cup as the symbol of pharmacy.
A Çankırı tradition in which men gather on winter nights under set rules and carry on with music, conversation and hospitality; in 2010 it was added to the UNESCO list under the name 'Traditional Conversation Meetings'.
Rock salt, bütün et (whole meat dish), kıymalı kapalı pide, egg dessert, Çerkeş lokumu and Ilgaz keşkeği; the province has 32 registered geographical indications.
Çankırı is about 130 km from Ankara.
The information in this guide has been compiled from and checked against the sources below (last checked: 7 October 2026). If you spot an error, please let us know.