Trabzon

Between Cape of Narlik to the east and Cape of Isikli to the west, the port sits on the eastern side of the city center. Trabzon is walkable, and shuttles are available too.

The main attractions lie well beyond the city: Sumela Monastery, plus the mountains and lake at Uzungöl.

Take a printable map along.

Trabzon stands on the cost of the Black Sea, with uninterrupted ocean connections, and occupies a strategic point as a gateway on the Iran Transit Route. The Port of Trabzon helps link Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, on the old Silk Road, to European markets by the shortest communication lanes. This connection also provides assurances of cost reduction for all.

The region’s best-preserved ruins are castle walls stretching from the coast to the city-center hills. Ortahisar, meaning Middle Castle, is the old fortified town’s centre, with an upstream upper citadel, Ortahisar Cami and several gates. Also called Fatih Cami, this mosque was likely a church in the 3rd century before becoming the Trapezuntine Empire’s main cathedral. Empress Irene built Fatih Tower in 1340 as a meeting-place for Trabzon aristocracy. Little remains of the upper citadel, once the Comnenius palace, beyond a few crumbling walls.

Trabzon itself has relatively little to see, apart from Aya Sofia Church, reached by a few-minute dolmus ride from the center, and Ataturk’s House/Museum in the center itself.

SüMela Manastiri (Meryem Ana Manastiri-Maçka) is a Greek Orthodox monastery built within a cavern midway up a steep slope above dense forests, 45km south of Trabzon. It was the most important of the area’s many Byzantine-era monasteries and remains the best preserved despite being abandoned in 1923, when the Turkish Republic was created.

Several years later, a monk discovered treasures including the famous icon, said to be painted by St Luke and credited with several miracles. Recent restoration has improved the various chapels, some with frescoes from the 9th century.

Within Altindere national park, its setting has dense forests, streams and trout farms, making it a popular weekend excursion, especially for locals. There are a few private bus tours from Trabzon, and travel is also possible by minibus or shared taxi.

Trabzon’s regional cuisine traditionally depends on fish, especially Hamsi, fresh European Anchovies resembling British Sprat or American Smelt. Food here reflects the hearty lifestyle of Turkish people living on the shores of this Black Sea city.

Popular purchases include traditional carpets, copper goods, painted ceramics and jewelry, together with a good range of leather goods, sandals and beachwear in most larger resorts.

At souvenir shops and stalls, try some haggling. Local mini markets cover basic food-shopping essentials, while supermarkets near larger resorts resemble those familiar at home. Most resorts hold a weekly market for local produce, crafts and textiles, and these are well worth visiting.

Turkish food ranks among the world’s best. Local climatic zones grow most ingredients, creating a vast range of produce to excite and entice the palate. Beyond famous kebabs are many traditional choices. Turkey’s justly famous meze, or appetizers, encompass hundreds of small dishes, from cheese with melon to elaborately stuffed vegetables. All Turkish restaurants serve these, traditionally with Raki, a clear anise-flavored spirit claimed as Turkey’s national alcoholic drink.

The Turkish Lira is Turkey’s currency. Coastal resorts and large cities have many shops and restaurants taking foreign-currency payments, but take some Turkish Lira when travelling to other parts of the country.

Credit or debit cards can withdraw local currency from cash machines in convenient city, town and resort locations.

Some hotels and restaurants/cafés, especially in big cities, offer free wireless connections.

For Emergency Ambulance, dial 112 (all over Turkey); Police is 155 (all over Turkey).

Tourist and coastal areas have flexible opening hours; during summer, many shops open late into the evening seven days a week, letting tourists browse at leisure and avoid the day’s heat.