What to see around Erzurum in winter

Eastern Turkey 2023-2024 part 6

For centuries Erzurum has been an important city on the old Silk Road, and it’s still a major travel hub in Eastern Turkey. Nicole and I spend three nights here in January 2023 when travelling from Baku to Istanbul, and went through Erzurum again on our journey from Iraq to the Black Sea Coast exactly a year later. At 1890 metres altitude Erzurum is considered the highest destination of Turkey, meaning it can get very cold here. Winter actually draws tourists to the city, many of them going to the Palandöken ski resort just outside of the city. But this time of year there’s more to do around Erzurum than skiing. Here’s our experience in January 2023.

Erzurum

The city has some impressive historic landmarks like the Çifte Mineareli madrassa and the Yakutiye madrassa, both over 700 years old, and the castle overlooking the old city and the surrounding mountains. Other sights are the 12th century mausoleums Üç Kümbetler, or three domes, and the old Rüstem Paşa bazaar. Visiting these sites is easily done in a day. Therefore it’s good to get out of the city when staying here multiple days. Because sights outside of Erzurum are hard to reach by public transport, we booked a driver and a car through a local tour company (I write how we did this under ‘’Practical advice on traveling here’’).

Hasankale and Çobandede Bridge

On the road and rail-line between Erzurum and Kars, 40 kilometres east of Erzurum, is the town of Pasinler. Built on a hill is the 14th century ‘’Pasinler Castle’’, also called ‘’Hasankale’’. Its massive walls still stand and the views are great, but there’s not much else to do. Another 19 kilometres further along the Erzurum-Kars route is the historical Çobandede Bridge, over 700 years old and 130 metres long. Hasankale and the Çobandede Bridge aren’t major destinations on their own, but worth a stop on the way to the Narman Fairy Chimneys.

Narman Fairy Chimneys

The district of Narman has beautiful surreal rock formations. These ‘’Narman Fairy Chimneys’’ , the result of millions of years of erosion, have a deep red colour. About 50 kilometres north of Pasinler, on the road to Oltu, is a parking lot and short trail into a valley that’s full with them. We saw no other visitors here, and even though it was low season I read it’s still quiet throughout the year. Walking here was a highlight on our travels around Eastern Turkey.

Oltu

Further north, 35 kilometres from the Narman Fairy Chimneys, is Oltu. On a hilltop in the centre of this town is Oltu Castle. Similar to Van castle, this was once a fortress of the ancient Urartian Kingdom. Parts of the castle date back to the 7th century in the Byzantine period, and it was used as caravanserai under the Ottomans. It’s worth to see the well restored towers and walls from the outside, though unfortunately the castle was closed when we were there.

Oltu is surrounded by mountains, some slightly coloured due to minerals. We found a nice viewpoint 10 kilometres west of Oltu, but the name ‘’Rainbow mountains’’ mentioned online is an exaggeration. The landscape is beautiful though.

More to see

We didn’t visit the famous Tortum Waterfall a hundred kilometres north of Erzurum, and there is even more to see in the region. There are over a hundred castles in the Erzurum region alone, and the landscapes are amazing. Yet there is not much information about the surroundings of Erzurum. The versions of the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide I read didn’t cover the Narman Fairy Chimneys for example. Therefore we planned the route mentioned above on online stories and by scanning maps of the region. Hopefully other travellers will find even more great spots here.

Practical advice on travelling here

Getting to Erzurum

The train station of Erzurum is 1.4 kilometres from the centre. The main bus station is 9 kilometres from the centre, close to the airport, though some buses do go to the centre as well. Turkish bus companies sometimes provide a free shuttle between the centre and the bus station, which might be available here too. For more tips on travelling around the region, read ‘’How to travel around Eastern Turkey in winter’’.

Getting a car and guide

We booked a car and guide at the office of the local travel agency ‘’Ego Tours’’ at Yakut Plaza Yanı, along Çaykara Caddesi in Erzurum, and they did a great job. Few people in Erzurum speak English, so download a translator app if you don’t speak Turkish. Russian is also sometimes spoken.

Getting to the Narman Fairy Chimneys

The parking at the Narman Fairy Chimneys is along the D955 road, 50 kilometres driving north of Pasinler and 35 kilometres driving south of Oltu, and can be found on Google Maps and Maps.me. The trail from the car park to the sights is short.

Central AsiaArjan MookFebruary 6, 2024