Trabzon in Winter 2026-27: Snow, Uzungöl, Sumela Hours, Flights

Yes, Trabzon is worth a winter trip if you treat it as two places: a mild, wet coast and snowy mountains inland. The Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) gives the city an average January high of 11.3°C and low of 5.0°C (1991–2020 normals), while Sumela Monastery and Uzungöl both stand at about 1,150 m, high enough for snow. On 12 November 2026 the Ministry of Culture and Tourism listed Sumela as open every day from 08:00 to 17:00, and flights from both Istanbul airports run all year. From Istanbul, our 2-day Trabzon tour with flights covers Sumela and Uzungöl from $640 per person.

Photo: Ri786ach, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Is Trabzon good in winter? What is open and what changes

• Sumela Monastery is open every day, 08:00 to 17:00.
• Uzungöl is 99 km from Trabzon on an asphalt road, according to the Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism; the plateau roads above it can close after heavy snow.
• Karaca Cave, a stop on our Sumela day tour and on both 2-day packages, closes every November for maintenance and reopens in April, TRT Haber reported. Separately, Gümüşhane's provincial administration closed it on 16 April 2026 for slope works on its access road, which press reports said would take at least two months.
• The city works in any weather: the stops of our Trabzon city tour, from Hagia Sophia to Boztepe hill, are in and around Trabzon on the coast.
• Days are short: in mid-December the sun rises at about 07:40 and sets at about 16:55.

Trabzon weather in winter: the official normals

MGM's 1991–2020 normals for its Trabzon station on the coast, with sunrise and sunset calculated for Trabzon on the 15th of each month:

Winter on the coast is grey rather than cold. Over the station's full record, 1927 to 2025, the lowest readings are −3.3°C in December, −7.0°C in January and −7.4°C in February, yet it has also reached 27.0°C in January. MGM's official statistics give no normals for Sumela or Uzungöl; both lie about 1,150 m above sea level and are much colder, so dress for snow and ice there.

Does it snow in Trabzon? The coast and the mountains

In the city, average lows stay above freezing in every winter month, so snow on the coast needs a cold spell. When one comes, it can be heavy: the deepest snow recorded at the Trabzon station was 115 cm, on 15 January 1950.

Inland it is different. In a snow-clearing notice on 9 November 2026, Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality described the high ground and most plateau (yayla) routes as closed after heavy snowfall and asked people not to use the plateau roads, with teams at work in districts including Çaykara, home of Uzungöl, and Maçka, home of Sumela. By 10 November all village roads were open again, while the plateau roads were still being cleared. For snow right now, check MGM's forecasts a few days before you travel; nobody can promise snow, or clear roads, on a given date.

Sumela Monastery this winter: hours, ticket and the 2027 price

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism's page for Sumela, checked on 12 November 2026, lists it as open every day from 08:00 to 17:00, with the ticket office closing at 16:30; its Turkish version also notes, without details, that the site is partly closed. Foreign visitors pay €20; under the ministry's new tariff the ticket rises to €22 from 1 April 2027, audio guide included where offered, so a winter visit costs today's price.

Our Sumela tour page warns that winter snow and ice can make the monastery hard to reach, and the sun sets just before 17:00 in December, so go in the morning. Our Sumela visit guide covers the shuttle, the walk up and the recent safety closures.

Uzungöl in winter: the lake yes, the plateaus maybe

Uzungöl lies 19 km beyond Çaykara, about 1,150 m above sea level, according to the Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism. Our private Uzungöl day trip, from $80 per person, continues from the lake to the Karester and Lustra plateaus, and its page notes that in winter there may be snow at the lake and some highland roads can close. On a snowy day, plan on the lake and the village. The frozen lake, the winter road and the local minibuses are covered in our Uzungöl day trip guide.

Photo: Resrk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Flights to Trabzon this winter

Pegasus lists many direct flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, with a flight time of 1 hour 45 minutes, and puts Trabzon's seafront airport 6 km from the city centre. Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul Airport and AJet from Sabiha Gökçen, and none of the three Istanbul routes is marked as seasonal in published airline listings for the airport. On our 2-day tours, group or private, you are collected at 04:30 for the 06:00 flight and met in Trabzon at 07:40; the flight back on day two leaves at 21:30 and lands in Istanbul at 22:50. See also our Istanbul and Trabzon trip guide and our winter flights update.

Which of our Trabzon tours work in winter

None of these tour pages lists a closing season. For the wider region, see our Black Sea Turkey guide and all Black Sea tours.

Tours that cover this

• Trabzon Tour from Istanbul: 2 Days with Flights, Sumela and Uzungöl: from $640 per person, with return flights, a night with breakfast, an English-speaking guide and entrance tickets.
• Private Sumela Monastery Tour from Trabzon with Karaca Cave: from $120 per person, with a private van, a local guide and museum tickets.
• Uzungöl Private Day Trip from Trabzon: Lake, Karester and Lustra: from $80 per person, 7 to 8 hours from your hotel.
• Trabzon Day Tour: Hagia Sophia, Kızlar Monastery and Boztepe Hill Tea: from $75 per person, private, with museum tickets.

No prepayment needed: pay on the tour day.

Send us your dates on WhatsApp and we will tell you which stops are open that week before you book the 2-day Trabzon tour from Istanbul or a day tour from your Trabzon hotel.

FAQ – Trabzon in winter