On the Black Sea there are rainy days even in midsummer. This route is mostly indoors: in the morning step under the octagonal roof of the Central Mosque, then wander through the lit galleries of Fakıllı Cave, and in the afternoon look at the region's archaeological finds in the Konuralp Museum. End the day in the centre with a hot fish soup.
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Stops
- 1
Akçakoca Central Mosque
A mosque unlike any other in Turkey, with an octagonal roof inspired by a Seljuk imperial tent.
~6 km to the next stop as the crow flies
- 2
Fakıllı Cave
350 m of the 1,017 m cave is lit; stalactites, stalagmites and dripstone "white rooms".
~16.6 km to the next stop as the crow flies
- 3
Konuralp: Prusias ad Hypium and the Konuralp Museum
The city to which Akçakoca's ancient port, Diapolis, belonged: a theatre, an agora, aqueducts and the regional museum.
Tips for the route
- Opening hours of the museum and the culture house can change; call the Düzce Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism (+90 380 524 94 33) and Akçakoca Municipality (+90 380 611 41 10) before you go.
- While in the centre, you can see the wooden Lenin bust pulled from the sea in 1993 at the Bekir Özkök Culture House; its story is on the site's Lenin statue page.
- In very rainy periods water can get into the cave and the floor gets slippery; wear non-slip shoes, and if you're not sure, ask the Tourist Information Office (+90 380 611 40 60).
- After rain the waterfalls swell, but forest roads and trails get muddy; save Aktaş Waterfall and Kurugöl Canyon for a dry day.
- In stormy weather, don't go out on the breakwater or to the edge of the castle cliff.