Trabzon walking tour & city guide

The city center

Life in Trabzon centers on Meydan, the main square with its park and tea gardens, and Uzun Sokak, a long pedestrian street lined with shops, bakeries and cafés. In the evening the whole area is full of people, as the night walking tour shows.

On the western edge of town, Trabzon's Hagia Sophia is a 13th-century Byzantine church famous for its well-preserved frescoes, set in a garden overlooking the sea. The Atatürk Mansion, a white villa in the hills surrounded by gardens, and the Boztepe viewpoint above the city are also worth visiting.

Sümela Monastery

About an hour inland, Sümela Monastery clings to a sheer cliff face high above a forested valley in Altındere National Park. Founded, according to tradition, in the 4th century, the present buildings date mostly from later centuries and include a rock church covered in frescoes. Reaching it involves a walk through the forest, often in the mist.

Uzungöl and the highlands

Uzungöl, about 100 kilometers from the city, is a lake village surrounded by steep forested mountains, with a mosque reflected in the water. It is one of the most photographed places in the Black Sea region. The region's high plateaus, or yaylas, are famous for wooden houses, summer festivals and fresh air. Expect frequent rain: it is what keeps everything so green.