A different Türkiye
The Black Sea is the part of the country that never makes it onto the postcards: it rains, everything is green, tea grows on terraces all the way down to the sea and people talk faster than elsewhere. Trabzon, once Trebizond, was the capital of its own Byzantine empire for more than two centuries and a port on the Silk Road; Marco Polo passed through here.
People come for Sümela Monastery, and then discover that the best thing about the region is the mountains behind it.
What to see
Sümela Monastery
Founded in the 4th century, it clings to a cliff 300 metres above the Altındere valley, with the mist rising up from below in the morning. Its rock-cut churches are covered in frescoes — many of them damaged, all of them striking — and the walk up through the forest is part of the visit. It is one of the most photographed places in Türkiye, and it deserves every photo.
Hagia Sophia of Trabzon
A 13th-century Byzantine church right by the sea, with frescoes from the time of the Komnenos emperors and a free-standing bell tower. Today it serves as a mosque, and you can visit it outside prayer times.
Atatürk's mansion and the old town
The Crimean-style mansion where Atatürk stayed on his visits to the city, set in its own garden; and Trabzon's bazaar, with shops selling preserved hamsi, copperware and the city's traditional scarves.
Uzungöl and the high plateaus
A lake among the mountains at 1,100 metres, with its mosque reflected in the water and the peaks of the Kaçkar range behind. Further east, in neighbouring Rize province, are the yayla — the summer pastures high in the mountains — of Ayder and Pokut: wooden houses, mist and, in Ayder, hot springs.
When to go
June to September, when the plateaus are open and the mountain passes are clear of snow. It rains all year round, and that is exactly what keeps the landscape so green. May and October are beautiful but damp.
How to get there
Trabzon Airport has direct flights from Istanbul (about 1 hour 45 minutes). Sümela is 45 kilometres from the city and Uzungöl about 100; for the plateaus you need a vehicle and a driver who knows the mountain tracks.
What to eat
Hamsi, the Black Sea anchovy, in every form imaginable; kuymak, a fondue of cornmeal and cheese; Trabzon pide with butter and egg; karalahana çorbası, a black cabbage soup; and tea from Rize, which the whole country drinks, but which here you drink where it grows.
How to fit it in
Three days, flying in from Istanbul and back: one for Sümela and the city, one for Uzungöl and one for the plateaus. It is the perfect escape in July and August, when the rest of the country is baking in the heat.