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Voykit pocket guide · Türkiye (Turkey)

Giresun

Give Giresun one night as a Black Sea coast stop: citadel, Zeytinlik lanes and the island. Two nights only if you add Kuzalan falls.

Giresun is a working Black Sea port of about 144,000 people, strung along a beach strip below a Byzantine-era citadel. It is a hazelnut and cherry town with Ottoman merchant lanes, a small offshore island and mountain waterfalls to the south. International travellers rarely stop; domestic tourists come for the coast and the food. It works best as one night on the D010 between Samsun and Trabzon, or two with a day south to Kuzalan.

AdanaAdapazarıAfyonkarahisarAkçakocaAksarayAkşehirAlanyaAmasyaAnamurAntakyaAphrodisiasArmutluAssosAvanosGiresun200 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Türkiye (Turkey)
Best months
Jun–Sep
Avoid
Dec–Mar (wet and grey); the coast road is busy in the Kurban Bayram week
Stay
1–2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
TRY
Money
Currency is the Turkish lira (₺, TRY). About ₺56 to €1 in late September 2026 — check; inflation was still in the double digits, so prices rise several times a year.
Daily spend
Budget ₺1,200–2,000 excl. bed · Mid ₺2,000–3,500 excl. bed · High ₺3,500+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Turkcell, Vodafone and Türk Telekom sell tourist SIMs at airports (passport needed); they are dearer than in town shops — check.
Emergency
All emergencies 112
Plugs
Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Standard European two-pin; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
Tipping
Lokanta / simple café: Leave the coins or round up.; Sit-down restaurant: 5–10% in cash, even if the card machine does not offer a tip; check for a 'servis' charge first.; Taxi: Round up to the next ₺10–50.; Hamam: 10–15% to the attendant (tellak/natır).; Guide / driver day: €10–20 for a guide, €5–10 for a driver per day.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ₺50–100.
Water
Tap water is treated and chlorinated but tastes of it; locals buy bottled or 19-litre dispenser water. Restaurants charge for bottled water.
Toilets
Western toilets in hotels, malls and restaurants; squat toilets (alaturka) in older mosques and bus stops. Public toilets (WC) cost ₺10–30 — carry coins or small notes. Most toilets have a bidet spray; paper goes in the bin in older buildings.

What things cost

ItemPrice
Turkish coffee or tea₺40–90
Soup or pide₺120–250
Fish or kebab main₺300–600
Hazelnut butter, 500 g₺200–400
Museum entry (Giresun Museum)Free (check current hours)
Taxi across town₺150–300
eSIM or data SIM, about a week₺300–600

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

OGU · Ordu-Giresun Airport
32 km west of town, built on reclaimed land; flights every couple of hours from Istanbul (IST and SAW), about daily from Ankara and Izmir. Havas shuttle runs downtown; a dolmuş on the nearby highway is cheaper (check times).
TZX · Trabzon Airport
137 km east, about 2 h by road; more domestic and some European and Middle Eastern flights.

Typical fares

OGU airport → Giresun centre, Havas shuttle
about ₺150, about 40 min (check)
Giresun → Trabzon, intercity bus
about ₺250–400, about 2 h (check)
Taxi, old town → Teyyaredüzü beach
₺150–250 (check)

Get around

The old core is walkable in 15 minutes end to end, but the city spreads several km along the coast. Dolmuşes run the main streets and the coast road; fares are cash, small notes. Taxis are metered and cheap by European standards. There is no metro or tram. For Kuzalan you need a car, taxi or a tour, as public transport up D865 is limited (check).

See and do

Known for

  • Giresun Castle and the old Zeytinlik quarter
  • Hazelnuts and cherries
  • Giresun Island
  • Kuzalan waterfalls and travertines

Day trips

WhereHowTime
Kuzalan Nature Park and Göksu travertinesDrive or taxi south on D865 towards Dereli, about 47 kmAbout 1 h each way
Giresun IslandBoat from the marina east of the old townAbout 15 min each way
OrduBus or dolmuş west along D010About 1 h
TrabzonBus east along D010, or driveAbout 2 h

Sleep

Old core and Zeytinlik
Walkable to the citadel, museum, marina and most restaurants; budget and mid hotels sit on the lanes off Osmanağa Cd and Gazi Cd.
Seafront west of the harbour
Newer, smarter hotels with sea views; 15–25 min walk or a short dolmuş ride from the old core.
Teyyaredüzü (west, near the otogar)
Best beach strip and the bus station; useful for a late arrival or an early departure, thin on evening food.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
HelloMerhabamer-ha-BA
Thank youTeşekkürlerteh-shek-kewr-LER
How much is it?Ne kadar?neh ka-DAR
Can I pay by card?Kartla ödeyebilir miyim?kart-la ur-deh-yeh-bee-LEER mee-yim
Where is the toilet?Tuvalet nerede?too-va-LET NEH-reh-deh
The bill, pleaseHesap, lütfenheh-SAP lewt-FEN

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake; 'Merhaba' (hello) or 'Selamün aleyküm' in conservative areas; cheek kisses between friends of the same sex; avoid: Offering a hand to a conservative woman first — wait for hers
  • Mosques: Covered clothing, headscarf for women, shoes in hand, quiet voice; avoid: Walking in front of people praying; visiting during Friday midday prayer
  • Hospitality: Accept tea or at least a sip; bring sweets or pastries to a home; avoid: Refusing food repeatedly; showing the soles of your feet
  • Politics and history: Listen; let hosts raise it; avoid: Opinions on Atatürk, the Kurdish issue, Armenia or Cyprus with people you just met
  • Ramadan: Eat discreetly in conservative towns during the day; avoid: Eating, drinking or smoking in front of fasting people in small towns
  • Gestures: A slight upward head nod with a tut means 'no'; avoid: The OK hand sign (can be read as rude) and a thumb between fingers
  • Dress in town: Shorts are fine in Istanbul and resorts; longer clothes in the interior and east; avoid: Swimwear away from the beach
  • Names: First name plus Bey (men) or Hanım (women): 'Ahmet Bey'; avoid: Using the surname alone

Scams and watch-outs

  • The Black Sea coast is wet year-round: pack a rain shell even in July.
  • Swim only at the marked beach strips west of town; the harbour and river mouths have currents.
  • Some small hotels and restaurants take cash only: carry lira in small notes.
  • The citadel path is steep and uneven, with loose stone near the walls.
  • Buy hazelnuts and hazelnut butter for home only after checking your own country's food import rules.

Giresun is calm and low-crime by Turkish city standards; the real risks are wet roads on the coast highway, steep citadel steps and sea currents away from the marked beaches.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Giresun yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Giresun Castle and the old Zeytinlik quarter
  • Hazelnuts and cherries
  • Giresun Island
  • Kuzalan waterfalls and travertines

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Giresun

Bu adrese, lütfen

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

  • All emergencies112

No embassies in Giresun; the US, UK and most others keep embassies in Ankara and consulates-general in Istanbul. Consular help on this coast usually comes from Trabzon or Ankara (check).

Cash is still king in small shops and dolmuşes; keep ₺5–100 notes.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/giresun). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.