Things to Do in Azdavay: 6 Places to Visit

Places to Visit in Azdavay

• 4 Nature
• 2 Cultural

1 🌳 Nature

Küre Dağları National Park

National park that encompasses the district.

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2 🎭 Cultural

Aşıklar Bridge

Historic bridge in the district centre.

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i Photo: Güzelresimler (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source

3 🌳 Nature

Çatak Canyon

Canyon running between steep cliffs. With a viewing terrace and walking trails, it is one of the district's most visited natural sites.

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4 🎭 Cultural

Zümrüt Village

Village of timber log houses at the centre of ecotourism work, preserving the rural architecture of the West Black Sea.

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5 🌳 Nature

Medil Cave

Cave bearing traces of the karst structure of the Küre Mountains, one of the district's natural treasures.

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6 🌳 Nature

Suğla Plateau

Plateau surrounded by forests, preferred for picnics and camping in the summer months.

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While you are in Azdavay, you can also see the highlights of Kastamonu province. These places are in other districts; Azdavay is about 50 km from the provincial centre.

• Kastamonu Castle — Standing on a rock about 860 metres high south-west of the city centre, the castle is believed to have been built in the 10th century by the Byzantine Komnenos family and was repaired in the Candaroğulları period.
• Kasabaköy Mahmut Bey Mosque — Built in 1366 in the Candaroğulları period in the village of Kasaba, 18 km from Kastamonu, the mosque is known as the "Nail-less Mosque" because no metal nails were used in its wooden roof.
• Nasrullah Mosque — Built in 1506 by Kadı Nasrullah in the reign of Bayezid II, with its square, ablution fountain and bridge it has the character of a complex; it is the largest mosque in the city from the Ottoman period and its symbol.
• Kastamonu Archaeology Museum — In the former Committee of Union and Progress club building, a work of the architect Mimar Kemaleddin Bey, the museum displays finds from the Hittite to the Ottoman period.
• Valla Canyon — At Pınarbaşı, the canyon cut through the Küre Mountains by the Devrekani Stream is about 12 km long and 800 metres deep, among the deepest canyons in Türkiye.
• Küre Mountains National Park — A national park on the Kastamonu–Bartın border protecting the canyons, caves and old-growth forests of the Western Black Sea karst belt; the Horma Canyon walking trail and Ilgarini Cave are the best-known stops.

Practical Information for Visiting Azdavay

Suggested time

1–2 days

Best time to visit

May–October

Places to visit

6 places

• 🫓

  Etli Ekmek

  Kastamonu's long minced-meat pide.

• 🍗

  Banduma

  Kastamonu dish made with yufka (thin dough), chicken and walnuts.

• 🍯

  Çekme Helva

  Kastamonu's cotton-like pulled halva.

Culture, Local Products and Economy of Azdavay

• 🪵

  Timber log houses

  The traditional log houses in the villages are the architectural identity of the district.

Local Products

• Azdavay Yöresel Giysileri — Azdavay Regional Costumes was registered as a protected geographical indication on 12 November 2020 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 590). Product group: handicrafts other than carpets, kilims and textiles. Registered by: Azdavay Municipality.
• Forest products — Chestnuts, mushrooms and timber are the district's natural products.

Economy

Azdavay's economy rests on forestry, livestock farming and a growing ecotourism sector.

How to Get to Azdavay

Azdavay is about 50 km as the crow flies from Kastamonu city centre. The district is reached by road from Kastamonu city centre via Daday.

Get directions on Google Maps Getting to Kastamonu

Azdavay: Frequently Asked Questions

Continue Your Trip

• 🍽️ What to Eat in Azdavay Famous dishes and local products →
• 🗺️ Things to Do in Kastamonu The province's 10 best places and all its districts →

Other Districts of Kastamonu

• Kastamonu Central District 5 places Kastamonu Castle, Kastamonu Archaeology Museum and Nasrullah Camii ve Meydanı
• Abana 5 places Hacıveli Canyon, Abana Beach and Abana Harbour
• Ağlı 2 places Ağlı Plateaus and Ağlı Historic Mosque
• Araç 5 places Araç Castle, Araç Plateaus and Araç Çayı Valley
• Bozkurt 2 places Bozkurt Beach and Bozkurt Forests
• Cide 5 places Gideros Cove, Ginolu Beach and Cide Castle
• Çatalzeytin 3 places Çatalzeytin Beach, Çatalzeytin Forests and Cinolis (Ginolu) Ancient Settlement
• Daday 4 places Daday Forests, Daday Castle and Daday Tarihi Çarşı
• Devrekani 11 places Devrekani Stream Valley, Devrekani Castle and Devrekani Historic Mosque
• Doğanyurt 2 places Doğanyurt Coast and Doğanyurt Forests
• Hanönü 4 places Hanönü Castle, Hanönü Forests and Hanönü Tarihi Hanı
• İhsangazi 3 places İhsangazi Castle, İhsangazi Forests and İhsangazi rock tombs
• İnebolu 9 places İnebolu Historic Houses, İnebolu Castle and İnebolu Seafront
• Küre 4 places Küre Dağları National Park, Ilıca Waterfall and Küre Bakır Madeni Ruins
• Pınarbaşı 9 places Ilıca Waterfall, Pınarbaşı Plateaus and Pınarbaşı Springs
• Seydiler 5 places Seyyid Zülfikar Mosque, Seydiler Forests and Seydiler Plateaus
• Şenpazar 11 places Şehriban Canyon, Değirmenbaşı Spring and Şenpazar Plateaus
• Taşköprü 5 places Pompeiopolis Ancient City, Taş Köprü and Taşköprü Castle
• Tosya 3 places Tosya Castle, Tosya Tarihi Çarşı and Gavur Kayalıkları