Things to Do in Erzurum: 20 Best Places to Visit

Getting to Know Erzurum

Erzurum is the largest city in Eastern Anatolia and one of the highest provincial centres in Türkiye. The city lies on the south-eastern edge of the Erzurum Plain, at the foot of the Palandöken Mountains, at an altitude of about 1,850–1,900 metres. The sources of the Karasu, a tributary of the Euphrates, and the upper course of the Aras lie within the province, and in the north the Çoruh and Tortum valleys open towards the Black Sea.

The city’s earliest known name is Theodosiopolis, given in honour of the Byzantine emperor Theodosius II (408–450); in Armenian sources it appears as Karin. The Saltukid Principality, founded by Emir Saltuk, who conquered Erzurum and its surroundings after Malazgirt (Manzikert), was one of the first Turkish principalities in Anatolia and made Erzurum its capital. The city’s oldest mosque, the Grand Mosque (1179), dates from this period. The Çifte Minareli Madrasa survives from the Seljuk period that followed, and the Yakutiye Madrasa (1310) from the Ilkhanid period. A military base for the Persian campaigns in Ottoman times, the city suffered three Russian occupations, in 1829, 1878 and 1916; the defence of the Aziziye Bastion in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 and the legendary resistance of Nene Hatun are the symbols of that era.

The Erzurum Congress, one of the most important turning points of the War of Independence, met under the chairmanship of Mustafa Kemal Paşa from 23 July to 7 August 1919. The building where it was held is now the Congress and War of Independence Museum. Atatürk University, founded in 1957, turned the city into a student town, while the 2011 Winter Universiade made Palandöken and Konaklı international ski resorts.

When to Go

Erzurum has a harsh continental climate: winters are long, very cold and snowy; summers are short, cool and sunny. Averages for 1929–2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service:

Month	Avg. high	Avg. low	Rainfall	Rainy days
January	−3.9 °C	−13.9 °C	21 mm	11
February	−2.3 °C	−12.6 °C	25 mm	11
March	2.7 °C	−7.0 °C	35 mm	12
April	11.1 °C	0.1 °C	55 mm	14
May	16.9 °C	4.3 °C	73 mm	16
June	21.9 °C	7.3 °C	48 mm	11
July	26.6 °C	11.1 °C	29 mm	7
August	27.4 °C	11.2 °C	18 mm	5
September	22.8 °C	6.4 °C	24 mm	5
October	15.3 °C	1.7 °C	47 mm	9
November	6.9 °C	−3.8 °C	33 mm	9
December	−0.8 °C	−10.2 °C	22 mm	11

June to September is ideal for sightseeing in the city, Tortum and Narman; December to March is ideal for skiing. Even in July and August nights drop to around 11 °C, so be sure to bring a warm layer. In January night temperatures regularly fall below −20 °C, and in winter roads may close temporarily because of snowfall and ice. The ski season at Palandöken generally runs from late November to April.

How to Get to Erzurum

By air: Erzurum Airport (ERZ) is close to the city centre, within the boundaries of the Aziziye district. There are regular flights from Istanbul and Ankara. Its 3,810-metre runway is among the longest in Türkiye.

By train: The Eastern Express (Doğu Ekspresi), which runs between Ankara and Kars, and, in the winter months, the Touristic Eastern Express (Turistik Doğu Ekspresi) stop at Erzurum. The line, which follows the Karasu valley and the Erzurum Plain after Erzincan, is one of the most scenic railway journeys in Türkiye.

By road: Erzurum lies at the junction of the Ankara–Sivas–Erzincan–Erzurum–Ağrı/Iran and Trabzon–Gümüşhane–Bayburt–Erzurum roads. Kars is reached via Pasinler and Horasan, and Artvin along the Tortum–Uzundere valley. Intercity buses arrive at the Erzurum bus station.

Erzurum Area by Area

• Yakutiye (historic centre): Çifte Minareli Madrasa, Grand Mosque, Three Tombs, Yakutiye Madrasa (Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art and Ethnography), Erzurum Castle and Clock Tower, Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque, Taşhan (the Oltu stone bazaar), Atatürk House Museum and the Congress Building.
• Palandöken: Palandöken Ski Resort and Mount Palandöken, which rises above 3,000 metres just south of the city.
• Aziziye: the Aziziye Bastion, symbol of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, Nene Hatun’s tomb and the Ilıca hot springs; Konaklı Ski Resort.
• Pasinler: Hasankale (Pasinler) Castle, its hot springs and the town where İbrahim Hakkı Erzurumî was born; the historic Çobandede Bridge over the Aras is in neighbouring Köprüköy.
• Uzundere and Tortum: Tortum Lake and Waterfall, and the Georgian monasteries of Öşkvank (Oşki) and Haho (Hahuli).
• Oltu, Narman and Şenkaya: Oltu Castle and the Oltu stone workshops, Oltu as the homeland of cağ kebabı, and Narman with its red fairy chimneys.
• İspir: the Çoruh Valley, İspir Castle and the Yedigöller on the southern slope of the Kaçkars.

Suggested Itineraries

Day 1 – The historic centre: Start the morning with views of the city from Erzurum Castle and Clock Tower, then visit the Çifte Minareli Madrasa, the Grand Mosque and the Three Tombs. Have cağ kebabı for lunch; in the afternoon see the museum in Yakutiye Madrasa, Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque and the Oltu stone bazaar at Taşhan. Kadayıf dolması in the evening.

Day 2 – The War of Independence: The Congress Building, Atatürk House Museum, the Aziziye Bastion and Nene Hatun’s tomb; in winter, spend the rest of the day skiing at Palandöken.

Day 3 – The Tortum valley: Tortum Lake and Waterfall, Öşkvank Monastery and Haho; on the way back, Tortum ekşi pestili (sour fruit leather).

Day 4 – The north-east: Sunset at the Narman fairy chimneys, and cağ kebabı and the Oltu stone workshops in Oltu.

Erzurum Cuisine

Erzurum cuisine is a product of long, harsh winters: meat, butter, dough and molasses are the staples. According to TÜRKPATENT records, with 62 geographical indications it is one of the provinces with the most registered products in Türkiye. The symbol of the city is Oltu cağ kebabı (horizontal spit-roasted lamb), cooked on a horizontal skewer over a wood fire and served on a skewer called a cağ; the meat is seasoned with onion and black pepper and threaded onto a slanted döner skewer, and the cooked part is sliced thin and brought to the table on the skewer.

Some of the registered delicacies are Erzurum kadayıf dolması (walnut-filled, syrupy kadayıf), Erzurum su böreği, Erzurum civil peyniri (civil cheese) and the mouldy civil (göğermiş peynir), Erzurum pastırması, Erzurum sucuğu (spiced sausage), Erzurum et kavurması (fried meat), Erzurum tereyağı (butter), ayran aşı çorbası (yoghurt and wheat soup), kesme aşı çorbası (noodle soup), Erzurum mantısı (hıngel) (Erzurum dumplings), hasıta, Erzurum ketesi (flaky pastry), Erzurum ekşili dolma (sour stuffed vegetables), Erzurum tatar böreği (tatar pastry), Erzurum çaşır kavurması (fried wild garlic), Erzurum hurma tatlısı, Erzurum demir tatlısı (iron dessert), pekmezli kadayıf (kadayıf with molasses) and pekmezli baklava (baklava with molasses), tel helvası (thread halva), peynir helvası (cheese halva), Erzurum kıtlama şekeri (cut sugar) and Hasankale lavaşı (Hasankale flatbread). From the districts, Pasinler yaprak döner, Hınıs köftesi (Hınıs meatballs), İspir kuru fasulyesi (İspir dried beans), Narman şeker fasulyesi (Narman sugar beans), İspir kaymağı (İspir clotted cream), Tortum ekşi pestili (Tortum sour fruit leather) and Karnavas dut pekmezi (Karnavas mulberry molasses) are registered.

In Erzurum, tea is drunk kıtlama style: instead of dropping the sugar into the glass, you hold a sugar cube in your mouth and sip the tea over it.

Handicrafts and Oltu Stone

Oltu stone is a black, semi-precious stone formed from fossilised wood, extracted from quarries north-east of the Oltu district. Soft when extracted, the stone hardens on contact with air; it is used to make prayer beads, rings and earrings, and is worked in small workshops where the craft passes from father to son. The place to buy it in Erzurum is Taşhan (Rüstem Paşa Caravanserai), built by Mimar Sinan. The Erzurum ehram woven fabric (ehram dokuma kumaşı), the Erzurum burma bileziği (twisted bracelet) and Karnavas cloth (Karnavas bezi) are also registered handicrafts.

Practical Tips

• Because of the altitude you may tire easily on the first day; drink plenty of water and keep your plans for the day light.
• In winter, thermal underwear, a hat, gloves and non-slip shoes are essential; at night the temperature can drop below −20 °C.
• Most of the historic buildings in the centre (Çifte Minareli, Grand Mosque, Three Tombs, Yakutiye, the Castle) are within walking distance of each other around Cumhuriyet Street.
• When buying Oltu stone, ask whether the stone is genuine; real stone is light and warms when rubbed. Imitations are common.
• Hiring a car is the most practical way to see Tortum and Narman; the time when the water at Tortum Waterfall is at its fullest is late spring and early summer.