Black Sea Turkey Travel Guide

Of all Turkey's regions, the eastern Black Sea is the one that most often surprises visitors from abroad. In place of beaches and ancient ruins there are steep forested mountains, tea fields on the slopes above the sea, villages built of wood and summer pastures up among the clouds. Trabzon, the largest city, is where most trips begin.

Reasons to go

The most famous sight is Sumela Monastery, set into a cliff in the Altindere Valley. It dates from the Byzantine period, and frescoes survive in its rock church. After a long restoration the monastery is open again, though parts may sometimes be closed. Uzungol is a village on a lake ringed by mountains, and it attracts visitors from all over Turkey and the Gulf. East of Trabzon lies Rize, the heart of Turkish tea growing. Higher up, the Kackar Mountains hold the Ayder plateau and the Firtina Valley, known for its stone bridges and Zilkale castle on its hilltop.

How long to stay

Plan three or four days: a day for Trabzon and Sumela, a day for Uzungol, and a day for Rize, its tea gardens and Ayder. The first two are covered by our Trabzon Sumela Monastery tour and our private Uzungol day trip from Trabzon.

When to go

The main season runs from June to September. Rain falls in every month, which explains all the green, but summer brings the most dry days, and the mountain roads and guesthouses are open. May and October see fewer visitors and frequent mist. Winter brings deep snow to the mountains, and many plateau villages shut.

Getting there from Istanbul

The flight from Istanbul to Trabzon takes around 1 hour 50 minutes. Rize-Artvin Airport, which opened in 2022, is nearer to Rize and Ayder. Driving means more than 1,000 km, so for a short trip flying is the only realistic choice.

Things to do

• Visit Sumela Monastery on its cliff, reached by a forest road followed by a short walk.
• See Trabzon's Hagia Sophia, a 13th-century church with frescoes that is now a mosque. It is on our Trabzon city tour.
• Walk around the lake and wooden houses at Uzungol.
• Visit the tea gardens near Rize and drink a fresh glass of tea looking out to sea.
• Explore the Ayder plateau and the Firtina Valley on our Rize, Ayder and Storm Valley tour.
• Go rafting on the Firtina river in summer.

Where to stay

Stay in Trabzon for the biggest range of hotels. In Uzungol and Ayder you find wooden guesthouses and mountain lodges, most of them open in summer.

Local food

Black Sea cooking is a world apart. Order hamsi (fried anchovies, at their best in winter), kuymak or muhlama (cornmeal melted with butter and stretchy cheese), Akcaabat kofte, and laz boregi, a pastry filled with custard. Tea is served with everything.

Practical tips

• Pack a rain jacket whatever the season.
• Mountain roads are narrow and full of bends, so give yourself more time.
• Sumela follows a set visitor route and can get crowded on summer afternoons.

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