Top Places to Visit in Trabzon

Trabzon is the gateway to Türkiye's Eastern Black Sea — a region of cliffside monasteries, mirror-still mountain lakes and mist-covered highlands unlike anywhere else in the country. These are the places our travelers love most, and every one of them can be visited on a guided day tour from the city.

Sümela Monastery

Carved into a sheer cliff face 300 meters above the Altındere Valley, this 4th-century Greek Orthodox monastery is the icon of the Black Sea coast. Restored frescoes cover the Rock Church inside, and the winding forest path up to the entrance is an experience in itself.

Uzungöl

A lake village framed by steep pine forests and often wrapped in soft mist, Uzungöl is the Black Sea's most photographed view. Come for the lakeside walk, stay for fresh trout at a family-run restaurant and the mosque reflected in the still water.

Ayder Plateau

An hour and a half east of Trabzon, Ayder is the most famous of the region's highland plateaus — wooden chalets, waterfalls, thermal springs and meadows that stay green all summer. It pairs beautifully with the Fırtına Valley's arched Ottoman bridges on a full-day tour.

Hagia Sophia of Trabzon

This 13th-century church of the Empire of Trebizond, now a working mosque, holds some of the finest Byzantine frescoes on the Black Sea coast. Its garden terrace looks out over the sea — an easy, rewarding stop inside the city.

How to Get to Trabzon & Getting Around

Trabzon Airport (TZX) is just 6 km from the city center, with direct flights of around two hours from Istanbul and 90 minutes from Ankara. Taxis and airport shuttles reach most city hotels in about 15 minutes.

The catch is that Trabzon's highlights sit in separate mountain valleys: Sümela is 50 km south, Uzungöl 100 km east and Ayder further still. Minibuses (dolmuş) exist but are slow and infrequent, and mountain roads can be demanding to drive — which is why most visitors choose guided day tours with hotel pickup and simply enjoy the scenery.

Best Time to Visit Trabzon

Late May through September is the sweet spot: mild temperatures, the greenest highlands and every mountain road open. July and August are liveliest, when the plateaus fill with summer festivals — book tours a little ahead in these months.

Autumn paints the valleys gold and brings quieter trails, while winter turns Uzungöl into a snow-globe scene — beautiful, though some highland roads close. Sümela Monastery generally stays reachable year-round, weather permitting.

How Many Days Do You Need in Trabzon?

Three full days cover the essentials comfortably: one for the city and Sümela Monastery, one for Uzungöl and one for Ayder and the Fırtına Valley. With four or five days you can slow down — add a highland village lunch, the famous rice pudding of Hamsiköy or a quiet morning by the lake before the day-trippers arrive.