From the terrace of the Taşbaşı Cultural Centre you look straight out over the Black Sea, with the traditional houses of Ordu stepping down the hillside behind you. It is a quiet, unhurried city on Turkey's eastern Black Sea coast, and much of what is worth doing here is close to that seafront.
Ordu suits travellers who are passing along the coast and want a day or two of sea air, Ottoman-era streets and hazelnut chocolate rather than a packed sightseeing schedule. The weather is mild and wet for much of the year, so plan around short walks and indoor stops.
This guide covers the main sights in and around the city centre, plus a one-day route that links them together.
Top things to do in Ordu
1. Boztepe
Boztepe is the wooded hill above the city, and the Ordu cablecar runs up to it from Atatürk Park on the seafront, arriving near the Radisson Blu Hotel. From the top you get the wide view back over the town and the coastline, and there are walking trails through the trees if you want to stay longer.
The cablecar runs daily 09:00-23:00 and costs 400 TL return for foreigners. Going up in the late afternoon lets you catch the view in daylight and again as the lights come on below.
2. Old town
The traditional houses of Ordu cascade from the hillside around the church down to the coast, and some of them are extremely elaborate. This is the part of the city to wander without a fixed plan.
Pair it with the Taşbaşı Cultural Centre, which sits on the same hillside and looks over the sea.
3. Paşaoğlu Mansion
Paşaoğlu Mansion on Taş Ocak Cd is a 19th-century mansion, now an ethnography museum with rooms furnished in late Ottoman style. There is an archaeology museum adjacent to it, so you can see both in one stop.
It is open daily 08:00-17:00 and entry is free. The Hazelnut Museum is just north on 194th Sk and keeps the same hours, so it fits neatly into the same visit.
4. Hazelnut Museum
The Hazelnut Museum, known in Turkish as Fındığın Öyküsü Müzesi, is a short walk north of Paşaoğlu Mansion on 194th Sk. It is a small, focused stop that explains the crop the region is built around.
It is open daily 08:00-17:00. Combine it with the mansion and the archaeology museum rather than making a separate trip.
5. Rüsumat 4
Rüsumat 4 is a replica of a small cargo ship with a small historical display inside. The original was British-built as a trawler in 1891, later bought by the Ottomans in 1913 as a minesweeper and coastguard vessel, and then used by the nationalists for gun-running from Batumi.
It sits by the shore, and there is a short sandy beach just west of it if you want to combine the two.
6. Taşbaşı Cultural Centre
The Taşbaşı Cultural Centre occupies a former Greek Orthodox church built in 1853, on a terrace looking over the sea. The building itself and the position above the water are the reasons to come.
It is open Monday to Saturday, 09:00-17:00, so it does not work as a Sunday stop.
7. Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami)
The Grand Mosque was built in 2018 in traditional style. It is a recent building rather than a historic one, but it is central and easy to fold into a walk through the old town.
It is only open at prayer times, so time your visit accordingly rather than turning up mid-afternoon.
8. Fatih Mosque
Fatih Mosque on 367th Sk is tiny but richly tiled within. It is the kind of small neighbourhood mosque that rewards a few minutes rather than a long stop.
Look at it alongside the other central mosques rather than as a destination on its own.
9. Atik İbrahim Paşa Camii
Atik İbrahim Paşa Camii, also called Orta Cami, is a mosque built in 1770. It is one of the older religious buildings in the centre and sits naturally on a walk between the old town and the seafront.
Combine it with the nearby Eski Pazar Camii and its adjoining Turkish baths.
10. Eski Pazar Camii
Eski Pazar Camii is a mosque with adjoining Turkish baths. The baths are the detail that sets it apart from the other central mosques.
It works well as part of a loop that takes in Atik İbrahim Paşa Camii and the old town houses.
11. Yalı Camii
Yalı Camii, also called Aziziye Camii, is one of the central mosques and is easy to reach from the seafront.
Pair it with a walk along the coast, where the longer beach strip runs along the east edge of town.
12. Efirli Camii
Efirli Camii is another of the city's mosques and can be added to a route through the centre if you are working through them in order.
It is best treated as part of a wider walk rather than a standalone stop.
13. Cape Jason
Cape Jason is an archaeological site on a small peninsula facing the sea, and its name comes from the mythological leader Jason of the Argonauts. The setting on the water is as much the point as the ruins.
It lies outside the city centre, so set aside time for the trip rather than trying to squeeze it between central sights.
14. Saray Hamam
Ordu has a dozen traditional Turkish bathhouses, and Saray Hamam at Hükümet Cd 56 near the sports centre is the most central of them. It is open daily 07:00-23:30.
An evening visit works well after a day of walking, and the late closing means you do not have to rush.
15. The Sağra factory shop
The Sağra factory shop sells many varieties of chocolate-covered hazelnuts and is one of the town's attractions in its own right. It is the simplest way to take a taste of the region home.
Go before you leave rather than early in the trip, so the chocolate does not sit in a warm bag all day.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Paşaoğlu Mansion when it opens at 08:00, see the adjacent archaeology museum, then walk north on 194th Sk to the Hazelnut Museum before it closes at 17:00. From there, walk down through the old town, taking in the traditional houses and the Grand Mosque if it is open at prayer times.
Afternoon: Head to the seafront and the Rüsumat 4 replica, with its small historical display, then take the short sandy stretch of beach just west of it. Walk east along the longer beach strip, passing Yalı Camii, and finish at the Taşbaşı Cultural Centre on its terrace above the sea before it closes at 17:00.
Evening: Ride the Ordu cablecar up from Atatürk Park to Boztepe for the view over the city as the light goes, then come back down and finish at Saray Hamam, which stays open until 23:30.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit Ordu?
The climate is humid subtropical, with warm summers, cool winters and rain throughout the year, heaviest in autumn and winter. Snow is occasional between December and March. The sea stays cool all year, fluctuating between 8 and 20 °C.
How do I get up to Boztepe?
The Ordu cablecar starts from Atatürk Park on the seafront and rides up to Boztepe by the Radisson Blu Hotel. It runs daily 09:00-23:00 and costs 400 TL return for foreigners.
Are the museums in Ordu free?
Paşaoğlu Mansion is free and open daily 08:00-17:00, with the archaeology museum adjacent. The Hazelnut Museum, just north on 194th Sk, keeps the same daily hours.
What should I eat or bring back from Ordu?
The local cuisine is based on local vegetables and includes both typical Turkish dishes such as pide and kebab and more unusual fare such as plain or caramel burnt ice-cream. For something to take home, the Sağra factory shop sells many varieties of chocolate-covered hazelnuts.
Work out which of these fit your days along the coast, check the cablecar and museum times against your dates, and start building your route into Ordu.