Black Sea Coast
5
Day Itinerary •
Turkey
Five days on the Turkish Black Sea coast reveals one of the most unexplored and extraordinary landscapes in Turkey, a world entirely different from the Aegean and Mediterranean. The lush green mountains dropping to the Black Sea, the extraordinary monasteries carved into cliff faces, the finest tea plantations in the world at Rize, the extraordinary wooden mosques of the Hemsin valleys and the remarkable Pontic Greek heritage of Trabzon await the traveller who comes this far. This route covers the eastern Black Sea coast from Trabzon west to Sinop, the northernmost point of Turkey. The extraordinary Sumela Monastery clinging to its cliff face above the Altindere valley, the hidden highland yayla villages of the Karadeniz mountains, the ancient Pontic kingdom city of Amasya in its extraordinary gorge, and the finest hamsi anchovy cuisine in Turkey.
Best Time To Visit
May to September
Getting There
Fly into Trabzon (TZX) or Samsun (SZF)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 50 to 100 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Moderate, mountain driving and hiking
DAY 1
TRABZON AND RIZE
MORNING
TRABZON HAGIA SOPHIA AND THE OLD BAZAAR
The Hagia Sophia of Trabzon, built as a Byzantine church in the 13th century, contains the finest Byzantine frescoes surviving in Turkey outside Istanbul, its extraordinary nave frescoes depicting the life of Christ in vivid detail. The old bazaar of Trabzon is one of the most authentic on the Black Sea coast, its covered passages selling everything from tea and hazelnuts to the extraordinary Trabzon bread and local kolot cheese. Entry approx 5 euros. Drive: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
THE ATATURK VILLA AND THE BLACK SEA COASTLINE
The Ataturk Villa on the hill above Trabzon was built by a local Greek family in 1890 and presented to Ataturk during his visit in 1924. The extraordinary white mansion in its wooded garden offers the finest view of Trabzon and the Black Sea from any point in the city. The coastal road east of Trabzon passes through extraordinary fishing villages with wooden houses built directly over the water. Entry approx 5 euros. Drive: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
RIZE TEA PLANTATIONS
Rize is the tea capital of Turkey, its extraordinary steep hillsides terraced with the finest tea gardens in the world, the dark green bushes cascading down the mountains to the Black Sea shore. The Rize Tea Research Institute has the finest tea gardens open to visitors, the views over the plantations and the extraordinary emerald coast below remarkable. Tea tasting is free. The Rize bazaar sells the finest loose tea in Turkey.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Zagnos Valley Park in the centre of Trabzon, built along the bed of a covered stream, contains the extraordinary Zagnos Bridge and the remains of the medieval Trabzon citadel walls. Almost entirely unknown to visitors, the park is where locals take their evening tea. Free. The view of the old city walls from the valley floor is remarkable.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Trabzon bazaar cafe Tea and the extraordinary Trabzon pidesi flatbread before the Hagia Sophia. | Lunch: Lokanta in Trabzon bazaar Hamsi anchovy rice, Black Sea vegetables and ayran. | Dinner: Fish restaurant, Trabzon harbour Hamsi in every form: fried, baked, in cornbread. Extraordinary.
DAY 2
SUMELA AND THE HEMSIN VALLEY
MORNING
SUMELA MONASTERY, THE CLIFF MONASTERY OF THE BLACK SEA
The Sumela Monastery clings to a sheer cliff face at 1,200 metres above the Altindere valley, one of the most extraordinary monastic sites in the world. Founded in 386 AD according to tradition, the monastery was expanded over fourteen centuries into a remarkable complex of churches, libraries, kitchens and cells built into the cliff. The extraordinary frescoes in the rock church are the finest Byzantine paintings on the Black Sea. Entry approx 8 euros. Drive: 1 hour drive
MIDDAY
THE HEMSIN VALLEY AND THE WOODEN MOSQUES
The Hemsin valley east of Rize is one of the most extraordinary hidden landscapes in Turkey, its extraordinary steep-sided gorge lined with the finest wooden mosques in the country and the stone bridges of the old Hemsin culture. The Hemsin people, famous throughout Turkey as pastry chefs, maintain a distinctive culture and language in these extraordinary mountain valleys. The waterfall at Palovit at the head of the valley is remarkable. Free. Drive: 45 min drive
AFTERNOON
THE HIGHLAND YAYLA OF POKUT
Pokut is one of the finest highland yayla villages on the Black Sea, its extraordinary stone and timber houses set at 1,850 metres above the clouds with views over the extraordinary green ridgelines stretching to the Georgian border. The yayla is inhabited only in summer when villagers bring their animals up from the coast. The silence, the extraordinary meadows of wildflowers and the views make it unlike anything else in Turkey. Free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Uzungol highland lake, 99km south of Trabzon in the mountains above the tea plantations, is one of the finest and most photographed natural landscapes on the Black Sea coast. The extraordinary glacial lake surrounded by forested mountains and the wooden village on its shore are remarkable. Best in the early morning before the day trip coaches arrive from Trabzon.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Guesthouse breakfast, Trabzon Early start needed for Sumela. Full Turkish breakfast. | Lunch: Tea house near Sumela Simple mountain food: soup, bread and the finest Black Sea tea. | Dinner: Hemsin valley guesthouse Extraordinary home cooking: muhlama corn cheese fondue and Black Sea bread.
DAY 3
GIRESUN, ORDU AND AMASYA
MORNING
GIRESUN, THE PIRATE ISLAND AND THE CASTLE
Giresun is the most extraordinary small city on the Black Sea coast, its medieval castle on a clifftop promontory overlooking the only island on the Turkish Black Sea coast. The Giresun Island, believed to be the island of the Amazons in Greek mythology and the source of the cherry, Cerasus, brought to Rome by Lucullus in 74 BC, is reachable by boat from the harbour. The castle has the finest view on the coast. Entry approx 3 euros. Drive: 1.5 hours drive
MIDDAY
ORDU, THE HAZELNUT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
Ordu sits at the centre of the region that produces 70 percent of the world's hazelnuts, the extraordinary hazelnut orchards covering every hillside from the mountains to the sea. The cable car from the town centre to Boztepe hill offers the finest panoramic view on the Black Sea coast, the extraordinary green hills and the Black Sea stretching in every direction. The Ordu Museum has a remarkable collection of Pontic Greek artefacts. Entry approx 5 euros. Drive: 2 hours drive
AFTERNOON
ARRIVAL IN AMASYA, THE OTTOMAN MIRROR CITY
Amasya is one of the most beautiful small cities in Turkey, its extraordinary Ottoman timber houses reflected in the Yesilirmak river below the Pontic rock tombs carved into the cliff face above. The city sits in a dramatic gorge, the cliffs rising on both sides and the extraordinary rock tombs of the Pontic kings glowing in the afternoon light. Walk the river promenade and find a table at a riverside cafe as the light falls on the cliff face.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The ancient city of Comana Pontica, 75km south of Samsun, was one of the greatest temple cities of the ancient world, its extraordinary sanctuary of the goddess Ma attracting pilgrims from across Anatolia. The site is almost entirely unexcavated and almost always deserted. Free. The drive through the extraordinary Yesilirmak valley to reach it is remarkable.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Trabzon Tea before the coastal drive west to Giresun. | Lunch: Balik restaurant, Giresun harbour Freshly caught Black Sea fish on the extraordinary island-view harbour. | Dinner: Ottoman house restaurant, Amasya River terrace dining below the Pontic rock tombs at dusk.
DAY 4
AMASYA AND SINOP
MORNING
THE PONTIC ROCK TOMBS OF AMASYA
The rock tombs of the Pontic kings, carved into the sheer cliff face above Amasya between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC, are the most extraordinary ancient monuments on the Black Sea coast. The five visible royal tombs, reached by a staircase cut into the cliff, look directly over the extraordinary Ottoman city below. The tomb interiors, cut deep into the rock with coffered ceilings, are remarkable. The view from the tomb level over the river and city is outstanding. Entry approx 5 euros. Drive: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
AMASYA OLD TOWN AND THE SELJUK BUILDINGS
Amasya has the finest collection of Ottoman timber houses in Turkey, their extraordinary cantilevered upper floors overhanging the Yesilirmak river in an unbroken row along the waterfront. The Sultan Beyazit Mosque, the Burmal n Minare Mosque and the extraordinary Bimarhane, a 13th-century Seljuk lunatic asylum that is one of the finest examples of Anatolian Seljuk architecture, are all outstanding. Entry free. Drive: 2 hours drive
AFTERNOON
ARRIVAL IN SINOP, THE NORTHERNMOST CITY IN TURKEY
Sinop occupies the most extraordinary geographical position on the Black Sea coast, its ancient city built on a peninsula that forms the northernmost point of Turkey. The extraordinary Byzantine and Seljuk city walls encircle the old town, the ancient harbour and the remarkable Ottoman prison that once held Turkey's finest writers and poets. The view from the city walls over the Black Sea in both directions is outstanding.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Ferhat ile Sirin rock relief near Amasya, carved into a cliff face in the gorge above the city, depicts the legendary stonemason Ferhat cutting through the mountain for love. The extraordinary scale of the carving and its extraordinary setting in the gorge are remarkable. Almost always overlooked by visitors. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Riverside cafe, Amasya Morning tea below the extraordinary Pontic rock tombs. | Lunch: Lokanta in Amasya old town Tarhana soup, lamb and the finest Black Sea vegetables. | Dinner: Fish restaurant, Sinop harbour Arrival dinner in Turkey's northernmost city. Extraordinary Black Sea fish.
DAY 5
SINOP PENINSULA
MORNING
SINOP PRISON, THE FINEST CONVERTED HISTORIC SITE IN TURKEY
The Sinop Prison, built within the Byzantine and Seljuk walls of the old citadel, housed some of Turkey's finest writers and poets during the 20th century. The extraordinary converted museum preserves the cells of notable prisoners including Sabahattin Ali and Necip Fazil Kisakurek. The inner courtyard cafe is one of the most atmospheric in Turkey. The Byzantine cistern beneath the prison is remarkable. Entry approx 5 euros. Drive: 20 min walk
MIDDAY
THE SINOP ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM
The Sinop Archaeology Museum contains the finest collection of Pontic Greek and Roman artefacts on the Black Sea coast, its extraordinary Bronze Age, Hellenistic and Roman galleries reflecting the extraordinary history of this ancient seafaring city. The museum building itself, converted from an Ottoman medrese, is among the finest in northern Turkey. Entry approx 5 euros. Drive: 30 min walk
AFTERNOON
THE SINOP PENINSULA COASTAL WALK
The Sinop peninsula has the most extraordinary coastal walk on the Black Sea, the path following the Byzantine city walls around the headland with views over the open Black Sea on both sides. The extraordinary Hamsilos fjord on the eastern side of the peninsula, a deep forested inlet entirely unlike anything else on the Turkish coast, is reachable by a 45-minute walk from the city. The bay of Karakum on the western shore has the finest Black Sea swimming beach. Free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The ancient city of Pompeiopolis near Kastamonu, 120km south of Sinop, is one of the finest and least visited Roman cities in Turkey. The extraordinary colonnaded street, the Roman baths and the theatre are all being actively excavated. The site is almost always deserted. Entry free. The drive through the extraordinary Gokirmak valley to reach it is remarkable.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Sinop old town Morning tea in the extraordinary walled city above the harbour. | Lunch: Harbour fish restaurant, Sinop The finest palamut bonito and istavrit horse mackerel on the coast. | Dinner: Farewell dinner, Sinop Final evening in Turkey's northernmost city. Raki and extraordinary meze.
Where To Stay
Trabzon, Nights 1 to 2 City centre hotel close to the bazaar. Approx 50 to 100 euros per night. Amasya, Night 3 Ottoman house hotel on the river. One of the finest stays in Turkey. Approx 80 to 150 euros. Sinop, Nights 4 to 5 Boutique hotel in the historic peninsula. Approx 60 to 120 euros per night.
Top Tips
1. Sumela Monastery is best at opening time. The mist in the valley at 9am is extraordinary.
2. Try hamsi anchovy in every form: fried, in bread, in rice, in soup. This is the Black Sea dish.
3. Amasya at night, when the Ottoman houses are reflected in the river, is one of Turkey's finest sights.
4. The highland yayla villages are only accessible in summer. Check road conditions before driving up.
5. Sinop prison is one of the finest converted historic sites in Turkey. The cafe inside is extraordinary.
6. The Black Sea is far less touristy than the Aegean. Locals are extraordinarily hospitable to visitors.
Total Budget
90 to 195 euros/day