Green mountains, mist and the Black Sea
Trabzon
Black Sea mountains and mist — Sumela Monastery and the plateaus of Uzungöl.
- Best season
- June–September
- Ideal stay
- 2–3 nights
- Getting there
- Trabzon Airport (TZX) · ~2 hr from Istanbul
- Currency
- Turkish Lira (TRY)
- Language
- Turkish · less English than the coast
Why Go
About Trabzon
If your picture of Turkey is sun, beaches and dry stone, the Black Sea coast will reset it. Trabzon sits between the water and the Pontic Alps, and behind the city the land climbs steeply into some of the greenest country in the region — fir forest, tea terraces stacked up the hillsides, and cloud that sits in the valleys most mornings.
This is where Turkish tea comes from. Nearly all of it, grown on the slopes around Rize and picked by hand because the terraces are too steep for machines. Above the tea line are the yaylas — highland summer pastures with wooden houses that families still move up to when the snow clears.
The two things everyone comes for are Sumela Monastery, cut into a sheer cliff face three hundred metres above the Altındere valley, and Uzungöl, a lake in a bowl of forested mountains that looks engineered for photographs. Both are in our packages, along with the Ayder plateau further east in Rize.
Signature experience
Cliffside visit to Sumela Monastery
Trabzon
Trabzon on the map of Turkey
What To Do
Top experiences in Trabzon
The places our travellers talk about long after they get home.
SignatureSumela Monastery
A Byzantine monastery built into a sheer cliff three hundred metres above the Altındere valley, its chapel walls still carrying frescoes. Reached by a climb through fir forest, usually with cloud moving below you.
Uzungöl Lake
A long lake sitting in a bowl of steep forested mountains, with a mosque and wooden guesthouses along the shore. Included as a full-day tour on our Trabzon packages.
Ayder Plateau
High pasture in the Rize highlands — wooden houses scattered across meadows, waterfalls off the slopes above, and hot springs. A full day out from Trabzon on the longer itineraries.
Rize Tea Terraces
Almost all of Turkey's tea grows on these slopes, in terraces too steep to work with machinery. Stop at a hillside tea house and drink it where it is grown, looking down over the plantations.
Fırtına Valley & Stone Bridges
A fast green river running through a gorge crossed by humpbacked Ottoman stone bridges, with wooden mountain houses and a castle on a crag above. On the way up to Ayder.
Trabzon Ayasofya
A thirteenth-century Byzantine church above the sea on the west side of the city, with some of the best-preserved frescoes on the Black Sea coast. Not the Istanbul one — smaller, quieter and older in feel.
Black Sea Food
The region eats differently from the rest of Turkey: hamsi anchovies cooked a dozen ways, muhlama — molten cornmeal and cheese — Black Sea corn bread, and hazelnuts from the hills behind the coast.
Practical
Know before you go
The questions we answer most often — all of it visible up front, nothing buried.
It rains here — genuinely
The eastern Black Sea is the wettest region in Turkey, and rain is possible on any day of the year. That is exactly why it is so green. Come expecting cloud and showers rather than guaranteed sun, and pack for it; the mist through the valleys is half the appeal.
Getting to Sumela
The monastery has been through long restoration works and sections have opened in stages, so access can be partial. We confirm what is open before you travel. Reaching it means a shuttle up the valley and then a steep walk on uneven stone steps — allow an hour and proper shoes.
When the plateaus are green
June to September. Before June the higher yaylas can still hold snow and roads may be closed; after September the weather turns and the highland guesthouses start shutting. July and August are the reliable window, and the busiest.
Long days on winding roads
Uzungöl and Ayder are both full-day trips on mountain roads with a lot of switchbacks. Uzungöl is roughly a hundred kilometres each way but takes far longer than that suggests. If anyone in your group gets motion sick, come prepared.
What to pack
A waterproof jacket first, whatever the forecast says. Then layers — the highlands are cool even in August and cold in the evenings — and walking shoes with grip for the Sumela steps and wet stone. An umbrella is less useful than a hood in mountain wind.
Food worth planning for
Hamsi anchovies in season from autumn to midwinter, muhlama, corn bread, and hazelnuts everywhere. Meat is halal as standard as elsewhere in Turkey. Lunch is not included on the Uzungöl and Ayder day tours on some packages — check your itinerary and carry cash for it.
Where you stay
Our packages use four-star city hotels in Trabzon — Cebeci Grand, Aselia, Anemon or Grand Vaves — and run the highlands as day trips rather than moving hotels. If you would rather sleep up at Uzungöl in a wooden guesthouse, tell us and we will price it.
A quieter, more conservative region
Less English is spoken than in Istanbul or the coastal resorts, and the highland villages are traditional in dress and rhythm. Your guide bridges the gap. Modest clothing is appreciated in villages and expected at Sumela.
Book It
Tours including Trabzon
5 packages, shortest first. Every one is customisable — hotel category, tours and group size.
Go Further
Pairs well with Trabzon
Most travellers add at least one of these to the same trip.
Questions
Trabzon FAQs
How many days do I need in Trabzon?
Two nights covers the Sumela and Uzungöl day, which is what most travellers come for. Three lets you add the Ayder plateau in Rize without spending both full days in a vehicle. Our longer multi-city routes give Trabzon three nights.
Does it really rain that much?
Yes. This is the wettest part of Turkey and rain is possible in any month — it is the reason the region is so green. Bring a waterproof and treat sunshine as a bonus. The low cloud moving through the valleys is one of the things that makes it beautiful.
Is Sumela Monastery open, and how hard is the walk?
It has been under long-running restoration with sections opening in stages, so we confirm current access before you travel rather than promise it. The approach is a shuttle up the valley followed by a steep climb on uneven stone steps — roughly an hour, and not suitable for limited mobility.
When is the best time to visit?
June to September. The highland pastures are green, the roads to the yaylas are open, and the guesthouses are running. Outside that window snow can close the higher routes and many highland businesses shut for the season.
Is Trabzon suitable for older travellers or families?
The scenery and the day trips suit everyone, but be realistic about two things: long winding drives, and the climb at Sumela. Tell us your group's ages and mobility when you enquire and we will plan around it, including viewing Sumela from the valley rather than climbing to it.
Can I combine Trabzon with Istanbul or Cappadocia?
Yes. Trabzon is about a two-hour domestic flight from Istanbul, and we run routes pairing it with Istanbul, Antalya and Cappadocia from seven up to fourteen days.
Is the food halal?
Meat in local restaurants is halal as standard, as across Turkey. The Black Sea kitchen is distinctive — anchovies, cornmeal and cheese, hazelnuts — and worth trying rather than avoiding.
Are flights and transfers included?
On our multi-city packages the domestic flights and all airport and hotel transfers are included, along with the guided day tours. You will not be arranging your own transport in the mountains.
Planning a trip to Trabzon?
Email us your dates and group size and we'll put together options that fit — hotels, tours and transfers included.