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Voykit pocket guide · Türkiye (Turkey)

Trabzon

Give Trabzon 2 nights as a Black Sea base: Sümela Monastery, the old walled city and Uzungöl, then push east to Rize or Ayder.

Trabzon is the largest city on Turkey's eastern Black Sea coast and the practical base for the region: a Greek-founded port with a walled old town, a football obsession and the mountain monastery of Sümela an hour inland. The city itself needs one full day; the reason to come is the green, wet, tea-growing hinterland around it. No train and no ferry reach it, so you arrive by plane or bus.

AdanaAdapazarıAfyonkarahisarAkçakocaAksarayAkşehirAlanyaAmasyaAnamurAntakyaAphrodisiasArmutluAssosAvanosTrabzon200 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 (warm, wettest in Oct–Nov)
Avoid
Oct–Nov (heaviest rain), Jan–Feb (cold, snow on mountain roads)
Stay
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
Akçaabat köfte plate₺250–450
Hamsi (anchovy) dish in season₺250–500
Dolmuş ride in the city₺25–40 (check)
Taxi, 5 km₺250–350 (check)
Museum entry (City Museum)₺150–300 (check)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week₺300–600

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

TZX · Trabzon Airport
3 km east of the centre; frequent daily domestic flights from Istanbul, plus Ankara, Izmir and Adana; Havaş shuttle or dolmuş to town

Typical fares

Trabzon Airport → Meydan, Havaş shuttle
about ₺100, 15–20 min (check)
Trabzon → Uzungöl, dolmuş
about ₺150–200, 2 h (check)
Trabzon → Rize, bus
about ₺100–150, 1 h (check)

Get around

The centre is walkable: Meydan to the bazaar quarter to the walled city is under 1 km, but the old town sits on a ridge between two ravines, so expect stairs and slopes. Dolmuşes run constantly from Meydan and the Dolmuş gar on Çömlekçi Cd for out-of-town services. Taxis are metered; fares are low in lira but have risen with inflation, so check the meter and agree a price for Boztepe or the airport.

See and do

Known for

  • Sümela Monastery
  • Hagia Sophia of Trabzon
  • Boztepe viewpoint
  • Trabzonspor football
  • Black Sea tea and hamsi

Day trips

WhereHowTime
Sümela MonasteryDolmuş or tour minibus from the Dolmuş gar toward Maçka, then the monastery shuttleAbout 1.5 h
UzungölDolmuş or tour minibus from the Dolmuş gar, up the Haldizen valleyAbout 2 h
AkçaabatDolmuş west along the D010 coast roadAbout 30 min
Ayder and the Kaçkar plateausBus or dolmuş to Rize then on to Çamlıhemşin and Ayder3–4 h
GümüşhaneBus over the E97 mountain passAbout 2 h

Sleep

Meydan and Kemerkaya
The main square, cafés, dolmuşes and taxis; walkable to the bazaar and old town. Best for a short stay.
Ortahisar (walled city)
Quiet lanes inside the old walls between the two ravines; atmospheric but hilly and thin on services.
Boztepe
Hillside above the city with the classic view; cheaper rooms, but you need a taxi or a steep walk down.
Airport / Değirmendere
Chain hotels near the terminal for one-night stopovers and early flights.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
HelloMerhabamer-hah-BAH
Thank youTeşekkürlerteh-shek-kewr-LER
How much is it?Ne kadar?neh kah-DAR
The bill, pleaseHesap, lütfenheh-SAP lewt-FEN
Where is the dolmuş stop?Dolmuş durağı nerede?dol-MOOSH doo-rah-uh NEH-reh-deh
Can I pay by card?Kartla ödeyebilir miyim?KART-lah ur-deh-yeh-bee-LEER mee-yim

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

  • Sümela Monastery has been closed for rockfall restoration for years: check the official site before you set out.
  • Mountain roads to Uzungöl, Ayder and the plateaus are narrow and foggy; avoid driving them in winter and never rush the D915.
  • October and November bring the heaviest rain of the year; pack a real rain jacket, not an umbrella.
  • Avoid demonstrations around the Atatürk statue on Meydan.
  • The Archaeology Museum (Kostaki Mansion) has been closed for renovation since 2018.

Trabzon is a calm, safe city by day and night; the real risks are wet, winding mountain roads and slippery old-town steps — take the slopes slowly in the rain.

One and two days

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

  • Sümela Monastery
  • Hagia Sophia of Trabzon
  • Boztepe viewpoint
  • Trabzonspor football
  • Black Sea tea and hamsi

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.

Trabzon

Bu adrese, lütfen

To this address, please

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

  • All emergencies112

No embassies in Trabzon; most countries keep theirs in Ankara and consulates-general in Istanbul. The US has no consulate here.

112 works from any phone, including foreign SIMs.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

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