Trabzon
Introduction
Trabzon sits on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey, the capital of Trabzon Province. Historically known as Trebizond, it was founded in 756 BC as Trapezous by Greek colonists from Miletus, and its long history is layered into the city you see today.
- It was absorbed into the Achaemenid Empire by Cyrus the Great.
- It later formed part of the independent Kingdom of Pontus, which challenged Rome until 68 BC.
- It was then part of the Roman and later Byzantine Empire.
- After the Fourth Crusade in 1204, it became the capital of the Empire of Trebizond, one of the Byzantine successor states.
- In 1461, the city came under Ottoman rule.
Before you go
Trabzon sits on a defensible tableland between two ravines above a natural harbour, with a valley leading through the mountains towards Anatolia. That geography made it a cosmopolitan trading city on the Silk Road, and it later passed from Byzantine rule to the Ottomans. The mountains draw clouds and rain, so expect warm, humid summers with frequent light showers and sticky nights, a wet autumn, and near-freezing winters that occasionally turn balmy when southerly winds blow. Spring is dry and mild, with sunshine between the clouds.
Turkish is the official language, spoken here in a distinctive eastern Black Sea dialect; English is more likely among younger people and in the service sector than in some other parts of the country. In the mountains between Trabzon and Giresun you may encounter kuş dili, a whistled "bird language". The city has a strong place in Turkish theatre, photography and cinema, and Trebizond long loomed large in western writing and music, from Xenophon's Anabasis to Rose Macaulay's The Towers of Trebizond. In the city, take the usual precautions with traffic and valuables; in remote areas also prepare for harsh weather, slips and strains far from help, and bears in the mountains.
Getting there
Trabzon has no railway and no ferry service, so you'll arrive by air or road. The airport receives flights from Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and Ercan in Northern Cyprus, with few European connections beyond the occasional German route; domestic links are excellent, with hourly services from both Istanbul airports and at least daily flights from Ankara, Izmir and Adana. A Havaş shuttle runs downtown, or you can walk to the coastal highway for a westbound dolmuş. By road, the six-lane D010 coastal highway brings you from Sarp on the Georgian border in about two and a half hours, or from Samsun in roughly four and a half. Inland, the E97 crosses the mountains to Gümüşhane and on to Bayburt and Erzurum, while the D915 from Of to Bayburt looks like a shortcut but is scenic and scary — take it slow and avoid it in winter. Long-distance buses from Istanbul run several times daily, take around eighteen hours and continue to Batumi; there are also frequent services from Erzurum, Ankara, Erzincan and Adana, hourly dolmuşes from Gümüşhane, and one daily bus from Batumi. Operators include Metro Turizm, Flixbus and Ulusoy. The otogar sits on Terminal Sk, three kilometres east of the centre, with a free servis shuttle downtown; otherwise walk north to Devlet Karayolu Cd for a dolmuş.Getting around
Trabzon has no train, metro or tram, and no ferries, so you'll get around by dolmuş, city bus, taxi, on foot, or with a rental car for trips out of town. Walking links the main sights — Meydan to the east, the central bazaar quarter, and the historic walled city southwest — and the distances are short, but the old city sits on a ridge between the ravines of Zagnos to the west and Kuzgun to the east, so expect plenty of up and down, inclines and stairs away from the coastal road. Neighbourhoods such as Ortahisar, with the remnants of Trabzon Castle, mean uphill walking; wear comfortable shoes, and take care at pedestrian crossings, which may be less respected than in Western cities.
- Dolmuş: Shared minibuses are the most common form of public transport, running fixed routes with no designated stops — flag one down anywhere along the route and ask to be dropped off where you like, provided it's safe and on the route. Route names show in the front window; pay the driver in cash on boarding, so carry small lira notes. In the city, dolmuşes are more likely to start from Meydan, on the southeast side beneath the viaduct of Yavuz Selim Bulvarı, and make multiple stops through town. For out-of-town services, go to the dolmuş gar on Çömlekçi Caddesi by the coastal highway, a short walk southeast of Meydan. They generally run from early morning until late evening, can be crowded at peak hours, and require climbing steps.
- City buses: Municipality buses cover more ground than dolmuş routes and reach many attractions, though they run less frequently. Fares are paid with a prepaid contactless smart card — the Trabzon Kart or Kentkart — tapped on entry, bought and topped up at kiosks and at shops and machines selling snacks and drinks. Buses run from early morning to late evening, with hours varying by route; routes and schedules are hard to decipher without Turkish, so mapping apps can help with planning.
- Taxis: Licensed taxis are yellow with a "Taksi" sign on the roof, numerous in the centre and at hotel stands, and can be hailed on the street. They operate around the clock, with airport taxis at both terminal exits. Fares are metered — make sure the taksimetre is running — and payment is almost always cash. Ride-hailing apps such as BiTaksi and Uber show an estimated fare and driver details in advance. Taxis are the practical choice for late-night travel, luggage and direct drop-offs.
- Car rental: The most flexible way to reach Uzungöl Lake, Sumela Monastery and Çal Cave; agencies operate at the airport and in the city centre, so book ahead in peak season. City-centre traffic is dense and parking scarce, with paid car parks marked "Otopark". Roads outside the city are generally well maintained, but mountain roads are winding, steep and sometimes in poorer condition, and can be affected by fog, rain-induced landslides and winter snow.
Where to stay
Budget options cluster in two areas. Down towards the port from Atatürk Square you'll find the cheapest hotels, though many of them operate as brothels; business there is conducted in an orderly manner and the area is safe. Near the Otogar, Şanlı Otel on Terminal Sk is cheap and convenient, and Hotel Horon is central on Sıramağazalar Cd.
Mid-range choices are mostly downtown or near the ferry port. Hotel Nur on Doktor Kemal Dursun Sk is a simple downtown place, while Ural Otel on Güzelhisar Cd and Otel Efe opposite it are basic and near the ferry port. Usta Park Hotel is clean and central with small rooms, and Sumela Park Hotel sits next to it with mixed reviews. Cephanelik Hotel, the city's former medieval arsenal restored as an upscale hotel and restaurant, sits on Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Blv. For more comfort, the splurge hotels include the Ramada Plaza east of the airport, with the Movenpick next door; the Novotel at Yomra, which has a good beachfront location and comfy rooms but many adverse reports for reception and service; the very central Zorlu Grand Otel, which offers good service and comfort though its a/c struggles in hot weather; and the smart modern Radisson Blu on Boztepe hill.
Food & drink
Black Sea cooking leans on hearty stews and soups built from vegetables and beans, with dairy featuring prominently through kuymak or muhlama, fresh milk served with ayran, and a range of local cheeses. Trabzon pide, a cheese-and-egg flatbread, is the signature eat, alongside distinctively flavoured local köfte. Vakfikebir ekmegi is a sourdough loaf baked in a stone oven, while cornbread is common because the climate suits maize better than wheat. Hamsi, the locally caught anchovy, is a staple usually fried and eaten whole, and the region's hazelnuts are a major crop; local fruit includes cherries, persimmon and kiwi. For cheap eating, the west side of Meydan is packed with fast food outlets and kebab shops, a strip that runs into Uzun Sk, which is also where you go for desserts such as baklava, helva and dondurma. Options there and nearby include Çardak Pide for traditional cheap eats, Midyeci Onur for inexpensive seafood, Sebnem Cafe for burgers and meatballs, and Rengârenk Balık Evi for small no-frills fish meals. Mid-range choices cluster around the centre: Cemilusta on the north side of Meydan, Kalender Lokanta near the Trabzon Museum, Kulüp Bahçe Kafe off Uzun Sk with live music, the long-established Tarihi Kalkanoğlu Pilavı serving traditional pilav, and the garden settings of Bahce Cafe and Sofia Garden west of Hagia Sophia. Further west, Akçaabat is known for its own style of meatballs, Akcaabat koftesi, made with ground meat, garlic and bread and eaten with beans, lettuce and ayran; kiymali refers to mincemeat, served in a pide or with eggs. Tap water is safe but heavily chlorinated, so you may prefer bottles. For coffee and tea, Kahve Durağı is a chain with a central branch, Time's Coffee Restaurant sits on the seventh floor of the Silk Road Business Center, and SineK and Edward's Coffee are neighbours on Yavuz Selim Blv. Ganita tea garden by Kalepark Fortress is pleasant by the seafront, and the Boztepe hillside east of the Radisson has scattered cafes with terraces for watching the sunset. Pubs include Biravoo near Meydan, Şehir Kulübü Restaurant, the live music bar Sahne, the rooftop sports and rock bar Barikat, and Şişman in the Suluhan Centre, which has both a family-friendly and a men-only part.What to see and do
Pace yourself if you aim to tick off the city's many religious sites. The oldest survivor from the Christian era is St Anne's Church, a small Greek Orthodox basilica in Çarşı dating from the 6th or 7th century, restored in the early 2020s. In Ortahisar, the Fatih Mosque began as the Panagia Khrysokephalos, the city cathedral where the Emperors of Trebizond were crowned, and a raised glass platform now lets you see its late-Roman mosaic floor. The Kudrettin Mosque was built as St Philip Church in 1302 and extended into a cathedral in 1461, while the Molla Siyah Mosque began life as the Orthodox church of St Andreas. The Bazaar Mosque, raised in 1839 in the market quarter, is the oldest surviving mosque in the city, and the İskender Paşa Mosque, built by its namesake governor in 1559, anchors the Meydan district. Santa Maria Church is the only church in Trabzon that still holds regular Roman Catholic masses. The Meydan is the leafy central square, with cafes and bars and a statue of Atatürk around which demonstrations sometimes gather — visitors should stay clear of those. Dolmuşes and taxis wait at the south end. Fatih Park, a relaxing leafy space just southeast of Meydan, holds an elegant building that once served as the US Consulate. The City Museum traces the city from its Ancient Greek foundation through Ottoman times, with local natural history and ethnography alongside, while the History Museum occupies a restored mansion with photographs and artefacts from the Ottoman and Republican periods. The Trabzon Art House, in a former governor's mansion, is an art space and cultural centre. In Çarşı, the Bedesten is a 16th-century covered market hall now housing arts and crafts shops, and the Taş Han, a former caravanserai from the 1530s, has two storeys around a courtyard, also given over to shops. The Silk Road Museum and the Science Museum, with its planetarium, sit along the coastal road. The city walls are best viewed from the valleys and bridges on either side, Zagnos to the west or Tabakhane to the east, where the masonry is a hotch-potch of Roman, Byzantine, Trebizond and Ottoman work. Kalepark Fortress, rebuilt by the Genoese in 1306, is now a shambles of a ruin.When to go
Trabzon has a humid Black Sea climate, and the season you choose shapes your trip considerably. Summer is warm and humid with frequent light showers, though it is generally a good time to visit; nights can feel sticky. Spring is dry and mild, with sunshine breaking between the clouds.
Autumn is the wettest time of year, so expect plenty of rain and cloudy days. Winter temperatures hover near freezing, though occasional southerly winds push in warm snaps that feel balmy by comparison.
Festivals & events
Trabzon's calendar follows the seasons and the Orthodox and folk traditions of the Black Sea coast. Kalandar falls in January, while the Black Sea Theatre Festival arrives in May.
- Kadirga Festival — June
- International Folklore Festival — July
- Sultan Murat Festival — August
- Assumption Day — August
Three days in Trabzon
Day one: Start in Trabzon itself, the city historically known as Trebizond, founded as Trapezous by Greek settlers from Miletus. Trace its layers in the old centre, where Byzantine churches, Ottoman buildings and the memory of the Empire of Trebizond after the Fourth Crusade sit together. In the afternoon, walk the harbour and look out over the Black Sea, the water that made this a Silk Road port under the Ottomans.
Day two: Head out into Trabzon Province, where the Pontus kingdom, Rome and the Byzantine Empire all left their mark on the landscape. The spring weather here is mild and green, and the Turkish and English signage in Giresun country reminds you how far along the coast you have come. Xenophon passed through this region with the Ten Thousand, an episode he recorded in the Anabasis, and Rose Macaulay later wrote about the towers of Trebizond.
Day three: Follow the coast east or west and let the Black Sea set the pace. The Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great once reached these shores, and later Anatolia was reshaped by the Ottomans. If you want a longer view, remember that this corner of Turkey has been connected by trade and travel to places as distant as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.