Last year, more than 480,000 local and foreign tourists visited Safranbolu, according to the local culture and tourism authority. Over 120,000 of the sightseers stayed in aesthetically designed traditional houses built between the 18th and 20th centuries, generally consisting of three floors and up to eight rooms.
Last year, most foreign tourists came from Taiwan, China, South Korea, and Germany. The town is named after the saffron flower grown in the region, then an important center on the historical Silk Road.
In 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, over 1.2 million tourists visited the district.
The authentic houses in Safranbolu are built of stone as opposed to wood. The town is an open-air museum with its traditional inns, baths, mansions, fountains, mosques, and bridges.
