Turkey · Black Sea · Travel guide
What a week on the Black Sea really costs, why you should not visit Uzungöl in August and which experiences around Trabzon are worth your time.
Photo: Yesim G. Ozdemir / Pexels
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Estimates for orientation, not booking prices. Flights and hotels vary strongly by season: current prices are behind the links below.
Money & payment: You pay in Turkish lira (TRY). The exchange rate moves a lot, which is why all prices here are given in francs and euros. Cards are accepted almost everywhere; you need cash for the dolmuş, markets and tips. Flight time: 3 to 4 hours.
Nine options in three price ranges, each among the best-rated on Booking.com.
Budget
Simple, clean city hotel a few steps from Meydan square, for years the first address for backpackers in Trabzon. Small rooms, a helpful reception that assists with tours and dolmuş questions. Breakfast included. If you only need a base for excursions, this is the right place, and you save the money for the highlands.
Solid three-star hotel right by Meydan, named after the region's dance. Rooms are functional, bathroom and bed are fine, and the location is unbeatably central with restaurants, bazaar and dolmuş stops on the doorstep. Good value for money for two or three nights in the city.
Small hotel in the old town, near the harbour and within walking distance of Meydan. Simple, clean rooms, friendly staff and a Turkish breakfast with cheese, olives and honey from the region. Nothing special, but honest and cheap, ideal for a night before or after the highlands. Parking nearby is scarce.
Mid-range
Reliable chain standard right on the sea between the airport and the centre. Large rooms, pool, gym and a breakfast that surprises with local produce. Not in the old town, but a taxi gets you to Meydan in ten minutes. Good for anyone who wants comfort without surprises after days in the highlands.
Former Ottoman munitions depot above the city, converted into a boutique hotel with stone walls, a garden and views over Trabzon down to the sea. Quiet, charming and with one of the best breakfasts in town. You need a taxi to get to the centre, and that is the only drawback.
The best-known hotel on the lake, run by the family that helped put Uzungöl on the tourist map. Wooden rooms with balcony and lake view, a large restaurant serving trout from its own farm. Full and loud in high season, quiet and reasonably priced in May, June and September.
Luxury
The classic five-star hotel in the middle of the city, since the nineties the first address for business travellers and weddings. Large rooms, indoor pool, spa and a restaurant serving Black Sea cuisine. Showing its age a little, but the location on Meydan is unbeatable and the service attentive.
Modern tower on the sea with big glass fronts, a panoramic view from the breakfast room, a spa with hamam and an indoor pool. Rooms are spacious and quiet, service is of international standard. The centre is a few minutes away by taxi. By Trabzon standards the most complete luxury package, and prices swing strongly with the season.
Hilton standard on the coastal boulevard with sea views from most rooms, an indoor pool, gym and a very good breakfast. Popular with guests from the Gulf states, so it books out early and costs more in summer. Outside high season a fair price for a reliable five-star hotel with parking and a restaurant.
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The cliff monastery in the Altındere valley is the most important excursion from Trabzon. Go early, take the shuttle from the car park, then a 15 minute climb. Check the weather the evening before, as you see little in fog. Entry around CHF 20 (about EUR 21).
The mountain lake with wooden houses and a mosque on the shore, two hours from Trabzon. Convenient as a tour, but with shopping stops. If you can, stay overnight and see the lake in the morning without buses and quad bikes.
Byzantine church from the 13th century with stone reliefs and sea views, now a mosque again. Free entry, visit outside prayer times. Ten minutes by dolmuş from Meydan, garden with sea view.
The hill above the city with the tea gardens where Trabzon spends its afternoons. Views over the harbour and coast, and a glass of tea costs next to nothing. The best spot for sunset.
White summer villa in a pine forest above the city, given to Atatürk in 1924. Small exhibition with original furniture, lovely garden, a quiet afternoon. Combines well with Boztepe, low entry fee, taxi from the centre CHF 5 (about EUR 5).
From Uzungöl, tracks lead up to the yaylas above 2,000 metres with wooden huts, cows and views as far as the Kaçkar Mountains. By jeep or on foot, June to September only, bring warm clothing.
The grill restaurants of Akçaabat are the culinary excursion from Trabzon, 15 kilometres to the west. Add the old quarter of Ortamahalle with its restored wooden houses. Half an hour by dolmuş from the centre, a plate of köfte CHF 8 to 10 (about EUR 9 to 11).
Armenian monastery from the 15th century on the edge of the city, with faded frescoes and a view over the city. Rarely visited. Afterwards walk through the bazaar and over the Zağnos bridge into the old town.
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Trabzon eats pure Black Sea: hamsi in every imaginable form, kuymak made from cornmeal, butter and cheese, the famous köfte from Akçaabat and bread from Vakfıkebir that stays fresh for days. There are practically no tourist restaurants, prices are honest and portions are large.
Flat, long patties of coarsely minced beef, garlic and stale bread, grilled over charcoal, with piyaz, onions and grilled peppers. A plate with sides CHF 8 to 10 (about EUR 8.50 to 11).
Tip:By dolmuş from Trabzon in 30 minutes; come at lunchtime, köfte are ordered by the piece, eight to ten per person is normal.
The little Black Sea anchovy, rolled in cornmeal and pan-fried crisp in a circle, with onions and rocket. A portion CHF 5 to 8 (about EUR 5 to 8.50), only really fresh from November to March.
Tip:Order it in winter, in summer hamsi is frozen; then take red mullet or turbot from the day's purchase instead.
Rice with pine nuts, raisins and herbs, baked in the oven inside a shell of anchovies and turned out like a cake. CHF 6 to 9 (about EUR 6.50 to 9.50), a main course and an experience.
Tip:Not on every menu every day, drop by in the morning and ask whether there is hamsili pilav today.
The fondue of the Black Sea: cornmeal, plenty of Trabzon butter and string cheese, stirred until it pulls threads. With it the big sourdough loaf from Vakfıkebir. A pan CHF 4 to 6 (about EUR 4.30 to 6.50), replaces a meal.
Tip:For breakfast with tea and olives, the pan comes hot and you dip the bread straight in.
Longer, thinner and crisper than elsewhere, with cheese, minced meat, or butter and egg in the middle, baked closed or open. CHF 4 to 7 (about EUR 4.30 to 7.50) per pide.
Tip:Order "kapalı" for the closed version and let a knob of butter melt on top, like the locals.
Buttered rice with beans and small pieces of meat, cooked in Trabzon to the same recipe since 1856, with ayran and pickles. A plate CHF 4 to 6 (about EUR 4.30 to 6.50).
Tip:Lunchtime; the rice is ready from about 11 a.m. and often sold out by early afternoon; one portion is enough, the butter fills you up.
Paper-thin pastry filled with vanilla custard and soaked in syrup, crisp outside, creamy inside. CHF 2 to 4 (about EUR 2 to 4.30) per piece, the dessert of the region.
Tip:Take it fresh in the afternoon when the trays come out of the oven, with a glass of tea.
Rice pudding from the mountain village of Hamsiköy, made with milk from alpine cows, oven-baked and sprinkled with hazelnuts, famous across Turkey. CHF 2 to 3 (about EUR 2 to 3.20) per bowl.
Tip:Stop on the way back from Sümela or on the drive to Gümüşhane, that is the classic stop.
In Trabzon tea is drunk by the litre, brewed strong, in small glasses, CHF 0.30 to 0.60 (about EUR 0.30 to 0.65) a glass. Hazelnuts from the surrounding gardens go with it, CHF 6 to 10 per kilo roasted.
Tip:At sunset on Boztepe, the cheapest seat with a view over city and sea.
Through markets and eateries with a guide, tastings included.
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Trabzon was already a gateway between the Black Sea and the Anatolian highlands in antiquity. Greek settlers from Miletus founded the city as Trapezus in the 8th century BC, and Xenophon later described how his Ten Thousand finally saw the sea again here. Under Rome and Byzantium the city became the most important port in the region, the place where goods from the Silk Road passed through on their way to Constantinople. Its most glorious era began in 1204, when the Komnenos family founded the Empire of Trebizond here after Constantinople fell to the Crusaders. For two and a half centuries Trabzon was an independent Greek monarchy, rich from trade and famous for its churches, among them the Hagia Sophia of Trabzon with its 13th-century frescoes. Only in 1461, eight years after Constantinople, did Mehmed the Conqueror take the city. Under the Ottomans Trabzon remained an important port and became the birthplace of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. Until the population exchange of 1923, Turks, Pontic Greeks, Armenians and Laz lived here side by side. Today Trabzon, with around 800,000 inhabitants, is the centre of the eastern Black Sea coast: football-mad, rainy and proud of its hamsi, the little anchovies that land on the table here in every form imaginable.
Sümela Monastery clings to a cliff face 300 metres above the Altındere valley, 45 kilometres from Trabzon. It is the reason most people come, and accordingly it is packed from 10 a.m. onwards. Day tours from Trabzon cost CHF 25 to 45 (about EUR 27 to 48) and combine Sümela with two or three stops where you are dropped at souvenir shops and tea houses. Better: hire a taxi or a driver for half a day. For four people that costs around CHF 60 to 80, and you are up there by 9 a.m. before the buses arrive. A shuttle takes you from the car park to the foot of the monastery, after which there is a 10 to 15 minute climb on foot. Entry is around CHF 20. Sadly the frescoes are badly damaged, but the setting is the real experience. After rain the view is often foggy, so check the weather the evening before.
Lake Uzungöl sits at 1,100 metres in a valley basin with wooden houses and a mosque on the shore, 100 kilometres from Trabzon. In July and August it is firmly in the hands of tour groups from the Gulf states, lodge prices double, the place is loud, and the lakeside promenade consists of stalls and quad-bike rentals. In May, June, September or October it is a different place: quiet, green, with morning mist and empty trails up to the Demirkapı and Şekersu high pastures. Expect CHF 50 to 80 (about EUR 54 to 86) per night for a lodge with lake view in the low season. If you only do the day trip, you need a good two hours each way and see little. Better to stay one night and walk around the lake in the early morning before the day visitors arrive.
The Hagia Sophia of Trabzon dates from the 13th century. It has been a church, a mosque, a museum and is now a mosque again. The Byzantine frescoes are partly covered, but the stone reliefs outside and the view of the sea are freely accessible, and entry costs nothing. Afterwards take the dolmuş up to Boztepe, the city's hill: the tea gardens there are where Trabzon sits in the afternoon, drinks tea and looks out over the harbour. A glass of çay costs less than a franc. In the centre, Meydan square is the meeting point, the bazaar lanes behind it are good for copperware and hazelnuts, and there is the Bedesten market. The Atatürk Köşkü, a white villa in a pine park above the city, is worth an afternoon if you are staying in town anyway. The whole city centre can be done on foot in a day.
Trabzon eats differently from the rest of Turkey. Hamsi, the small Black Sea anchovy, is fresh from November to March, fried in cornmeal, as pilav with rice or as hamsi bread. Outside the season it is frozen, so go for turbot or red mullet instead. Kuymak or muhlama is the region's cheese fondue: cornmeal, butter and string cheese. A plate costs CHF 4 to 6 (about EUR 4 to 6) and easily replaces a meal. The köfte from Akçaabat, 15 kilometres to the west, are famous: the grill restaurants line up there one after another, and a plate with sides costs CHF 8 to 10. Add Trabzon pide, which is baked longer and thinner here. In Trabzon itself there are practically no tourist restaurants, prices are honest, picture menus are absent. Expect CHF 25 to 35 per day if you eat your way through. Trabzon hazelnuts are the cheapest souvenir.
In the city, dolmuş minibuses go everywhere and a ride costs under a franc. For Sümela, Uzungöl and the high pastures you need either a tour, a driver or a hire car. Hire cars are available at the airport from CHF 30 to 40 (about EUR 32 to 43) per day. The roads into the valleys are well surfaced but winding and slippery in rain. If you do not want to drive yourself, take a private driver for the day trips: for CHF 80 to 120 per day, four of you get a car with chauffeur and complete freedom over your schedule. Per person that is cheaper than two group tours and comes without shopping stops. Taxis in the city are cheap, and the ride from the airport to the centre costs around CHF 8. The airport sits right by the sea, 6 kilometres from Meydan.
The Black Sea coast is the wettest region of Turkey. Trabzon gets regular rain even in summer, and in the highlands above 1,500 metres the fog often hangs until midday. That is no reason to cancel, but it is a reason not to turn up with an Antalya wardrobe. A rain jacket, sturdy shoes and a layer for cool evenings belong in your luggage, even in July. The best time to visit is June and September: green, mostly dry, and the highland lodges are open. In winter Sümela and many yaylas are only partly accessible because of snow, but it is hamsi season. For hikes up to the high pastures, day gear is enough, but ask at your hotel about the weather, because the valleys have their own climate. Do not forget sunscreen: the high-altitude sun between the clouds is stronger than you think.
Four days is a good guideline: one day for the city with Hagia Sophia and Boztepe, one day for Sümela, one or two days for Uzungöl with an overnight stay. If you want to continue to Rize, Ayder and the Kaçkar Mountains, plan a week with Trabzon as your base.
June and September. The high pastures are green and open, it rains less than in spring, and the Gulf-state high season of July and August, with full lodges and double prices, is either over or has not yet started. October, with autumn colours in the highlands, is also beautiful but wetter.
With a connection in Istanbul. Turkish Airlines flies from Zurich, Geneva and Basel to Istanbul and from there several times a day to Trabzon (TZX), Pegasus via Sabiha Gökçen. Expect CHF 300 to 450 (about EUR 320 to 480) for a return flight and 6 to 8 hours of travel time. The airport is 6 kilometres from the centre.
Yes. The restoration has been running in stages for years, and individual areas are closed off from time to time. The real experience is the setting on the cliff face and the path up. If you come only for intact frescoes you will be disappointed, as most of them are damaged. Plan your visit for early morning.
An overnight stay. There and back is four hours of driving, and during the day the lake is full of day visitors. If you are there in the evening and early morning, you experience the place quiet and in the mist. Outside July and August a lodge with lake view costs CHF 50 to 80 (about EUR 54 to 86).
In theory yes, but Trabzon is not a beach destination. The coast is largely built over by the coastal motorway, and the beaches are narrow and stony. If you want to swim, head to Akçaabat or Çarşıbaşı west of the city. Plan Trabzon as a nature and culture trip, not a beach holiday.
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