Things to do in Elazığ
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Elazığ
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Late spring, warm plain and green plateau, with lake swimming starting in June. One of the two best windows.
Heat broken, lake still warm in September, and orcik production and the grape harvest remake the bazaar. The finest window.
Peak heat on the plain at 35 to 40C. A lake first season at Hazar, with Harput done early or late only.
Ski season at Hazarbaba and the worst months for sightseeing and rural drives, with snow and ice.
Cold shoulders. Ski season fades in March and spring has not arrived, the weakest month to build on.
What's on
- Elazığ Orcik Production Season September to October
Geographically indicated orcik is made as the grapes ripen, walnut strings dipped in fresh grape must.
- Öküzgözü Grape Harvest September to October
Harvest of Elazig's famous native red grape, with bazaar stalls at their best.
- Hazar Şiir Akşamları Autumn, dates vary by year
The Hazar Poetry Evenings, a long running international poetry gathering linked to the city and the lake.
Best things to do in Elazığ
Harput Kalesi
Urartian founded citadel above the town with the best viewpoint in the province, over the plain and the Keban reservoir.
Harput Ulu Cami
One of Anatolia's oldest mosques, built in 1156, famous for its leaning brick minaret and quiet stone courtyard.
Meryem Ana Kilisesi
An ancient Syriac church built into the castle wall, a few hundred metres from a 12th century mosque in Harput.
Şefik Gül Kültür Evi
A restored Harput mansion furnished as a wealthy family home of a century ago, the best domestic museum in town.
Elazığ Arkeoloji ve Etnografya Müzesi
Dam rescue excavation finds from mounds now under the reservoirs. Check it is open before going, it has been disrupted.
Buzluk Mağarası
A cave that stays icy in summer and mild in winter, a cool short stop on a hot Harput day. Take a layer and grippy shoes.
Kapalı Çarşı
The covered bazaar to taste and buy orcik, pestil, dried mulberries and copperware straight from the makers.
İzzet Paşa Camii
The great mosque anchoring Gazi Caddesi and the landmark every local direction and Harput dolmus starts from.
Where to stay in Elazığ
Gazi Caddesi and İzzetpaşa centre
first trip, all round base
Walk to the bazaar, köfte street and restaurants, with Harput dolmuses leaving from beside Izzet Pasa mosque.
Harput
one atmospheric night
Historic hill town 5 km above the city. Beautiful and quiet, but few properties and nothing open after dark.
Sivrice and Lake Hazar
summer lake night or ski base
Simple lakeside pensions and small hotels in high summer. Much is closed or empty outside the season.
Think twice about
- Airport and otogar highway strip
No safety problem, but nothing to walk to and no evening. The centre is 10 minutes away and better in every way.
- Harput as a full trip base
Sleep one night at most. Every dinner, bar alternative and transport connection is down the hill in the city.
- Unrenovated pre 2000 apartment block pensions in the older centre
In a city hit by earthquakes in 2020 and 2023, prefer the newer chain and business hotels whose buildings you can trust.
Best restaurants in Elazığ
Garnish Brasserie
The city's one Western splurge, an Italian leaning brasserie with a wine list, used for special occasion dinners.
Keyfet Steak House
The city's steakhouse, with proper cuts and a modern room. Go for a group meat dinner, not for regional cooking.
Ensar Mangal Vadisi
Harput's celebration restaurant by the historic hamam, grilling meat by weight at long garden tables.
Kömürhan Kavurma
The famous highway kavurma stop on the Malatya road, slow cooked meat in its own fat eaten with bread and ayran.
Kavurmacı Bekir Usta
The centre's kavurma master and the best reviewed serious restaurant in the city. Order the kavurma with soup and salad.
Koçoğlu Restaurant
A long running dining room for regional standards done properly, including Harput köftesi. The safe first dinner.
Balak Gazi Tesisleri
Regional dishes on the Harput heights where the product is half plate, half panorama over the plain.
Köfteciler Sokağı
A whole street of köfte grills serving meatballs with piyaz and ayran. Pick the busiest counter on the street.
Best coffee in Elazığ
Harput Palace Cafe & Restaurant
The Harput café stop for çedene coffee and Turkish coffee cooked on sand during the Harput walk.
Outdoor things to do in Elazığ
Hazarbaba Kayak Merkezi
Small friendly ski centre at about 2300 m looking straight down at Lake Hazar. Best in January and February.
Hazar Gölü
A clear tectonic lake 25 km from the city with summer swimming beaches, boat hire, fish restaurants and camping.
Çırçır Şelalesi
A waterfall picnic site near Keban famous for its long fish menu, best as a long cheap lunch by the water.
Keban Barajı
The first great Euphrates dam, whose reservoir remade the province. The viewpoint gives the scale of it.
Palu Kalesi
A rock hollowed Urartian castle above the Murat River, climbed by some 300 steps to one of the great views in the east.
Pertek Kalesi
A castle that became an island when the Keban reservoir filled, reached by the short car ferry from the Elazig side.
Balak Gazi Parkı
The Harput viewpoint park for the golden hour walk, as the plain lights come on below the plateau.
Best hotels in Elazığ
Park Dedeman Elazığ
The best hotel in the province, a full service business hotel with spa and pool, top rated by regional tour groups.
DoubleTree by Hilton Elazig
The international chain option in the centre, with Hilton standard rooms and a well reviewed breakfast.
Marathon Hotel
The independent favourite, praised for its management, breakfast and view, and rated above the chains by some guests.
Ramada by Wyndham Elazığ
The third chain option, praised for comfortable beds and breakfast. A rate driven alternative to the DoubleTree.
White Line Boutique Hotel
A small boutique hotel with individually styled rooms and personal attention, the couples alternative to avenue hotels.
Köşk Hotel
A small central budget hotel praised as super clean with good breakfast and WiFi. Ask about heating in deep winter.
Is Elazığ expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | TRY 1,800 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | TRY 3,800 a person |
| Splurge | TRY 8,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Garnish Brasserie: a few days ahead
- Ensar Mangal Vadisi: a few days ahead
- Book flights early, there are only a few a day and they fill around holidays and university terms.
- Book Park Dedeman and Marathon rooms on congress, match and festival weekends.
- Arrive early at Hazarbaba for rental gear on a fine January weekend.
- Verify the archaeology museum is open by phone before building a day around it.
Is Elazığ safe?
- Emergency number is 112 for everything.
- You are on the East Anatolian Fault. Know your hotel stairwell and keep shoes and phone by the bed.
- Never photograph soldiers, police, checkpoints or garrison areas.
- Avoid demonstrations and large political gatherings.
Elazığ travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Harput at midday in July is a hot empty rock. Go at 9am or in the last two hours of the day.
- Buy orcik in the Covered Bazaar and taste first, not at otogar or airport gift shops.
- At Lake Hazar, pay for a boat trip as a boat trip. Sunken city visibility is variable and often poor.
- Do not expect nightlife. Outside hotel bars and one brasserie the city is dry by default.
Getting around Elazığ: public transport and more
- Fly into Elazig Airport EZS, about 10 km from the centre, with direct flights from Istanbul and Ankara.
- Take the frequent Harput dolmuses from beside Izzet Pasa mosque on Gazi Caddesi up the hill.
- Use the Dogu Garaji minibuses for Palu and Malatya, and the Pertek ferry dolmus for Tunceli.
- Do long rural drives in daylight, especially in winter when the Malatya and Diyarbakir highways ice over.
Who Elazığ suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Elazığ your trip
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