Erzurum is a historic city at 1,890 metres elevation in northeastern Turkey, commanding the high plateau where ancient Silk Road caravans once crossed. The city holds one of Turkey's finest concentrations of Seljuk and Mongol architecture — the Çifte Minareli Medrese, Yakutiye Medresesi and Üç Kümbetler tombs stand beside an Ottoman castle with sweeping panoramas. Fifteen kilometres from the centre, Palandöken mountain hosts one of the Middle East's premier ski resorts. Erzurum is the birthplace of cağ kebabı, the horizontally-spit-roasted lamb unique to the region, and the origin of oltu taşı jet-stone jewellery.
Erzurum sits at 1,890 metres on a high plateau in eastern Anatolia, giving it Turkey's coldest continental climate. Winters are long and severe, with reliable snowfall from November to April — ideal for skiing at nearby Palandöken. Summers are warm and dry (20–27°C / 68–81°F) with low humidity. Spring and autumn are short transitional seasons with unpredictable weather.
Best time to visit
Best: Year-round
Avoid: None
Month-by-month weather
Typical conditions throughout the year.
Items
The seasons
What to expect in each part of the year.
Items
Crowds & peak times
When to expect tourists and when to avoid them.
- Items
- Period
- January–February
- Crowds
- High (ski season peak)
- Prices
- High
- Period
- March
- Crowds
- Medium
- Prices
- Medium
- Period
- April–May
- Crowds
- Low
- Prices
- Low
- Period
- June–September
- Crowds
- Medium (summer sightseeing)
- Prices
- Medium
- Period
- October–November
- Crowds
- Very Low
- Prices
- Very Low
- Period
- December
- Crowds
- High (ski season opening)
- Prices
- High
Major events & festivals
Time your visit around what matters.
Annual food festival celebrating the city's signature dish with cooking competitions and street stalls
Annual opening of Palandöken ski resort; festive atmosphere on the slopes
Cultural events and concerts at Atatürk University campus
Commemoration of the 1919 Erzurum Congress — founding moment of the Turkish Republic; ceremonies at the Congress Museum