Black Sea Turkey travel guide

Black Sea Turkey (Turkish: Karadeniz Bölgesi) is the northernmost region of Turkey, flanking the coast of the Black Sea. It has ancient ports and small resorts, with forested mountains rising steeply behind the coast.

The western end of this coast is within the metropolis of Istanbul, and is described elsewhere as part of Marmara Region.

Cities

Zonguldak is a bleak industrial city with coal mining heritage.

• Amasra is an attractive beach resort, formerly a Genoese island citadel.
• Safranbolu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a well-preserved Ottoman old town.
• Sinop is an ancient fortified port on the peninsula that is Turkey's northernmost tip.
• Samsun is the largest city on this coast, with big city attractions and water sports.
• Amasya has riverside Ottoman mansions and ancient rock-cut tombs above.
• Giresun is a lively resort city. Its nearby island was supposedly the abode of man-hungry Amazons.
• Trabzon is a large city, with many historic sites within and in the valleys above.
• Rize grows most of Turkey's tea, and is a good base for exploring the northeast.

Other destinations

• Ilgaz National Park is a ski resort amidst fir forests.
• Hattusa is the ruins of the Hittite capital.
• Ayder is a village up in the Kaçkar Mountains.

Understand

The mountains draw the clouds (Photo: Flickr user: Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden IJmuiden, the Netherlands https://www.flic, CC BY 2.0)

The Black Sea is backed by mountains rearing up to almost 4000 m, the Pontic Alps. These draw the clouds and rain, creating a fertile coastal strip, but make transport difficult. Historically it was easiest to get in and around by sea, and there’s a string of ports plus a few valley settlements. This encouraged the formation of small independent kingdoms, which gradually succumbed to the Roman Empire expanding from Constantinople. In 47 BC a brief battle at Zela near Tokat inspired Julius Caesar’s quote that “I came, I saw, I conquered”.

Neither the Romans nor their Byzantine, Venetian, Seljuk and early Ottoman successors developed the region much, and frequent earthquakes took their toll. Suitable land for building is scarce so ruins were swiftly built over. This means that the region has many antiquities but lacks big-draw sites. In the 19th century a fleet of steamers huffed and puffed with freight and passengers to Istanbul, and in the 20th century better roads were blasted through the mountains. Leisure travel and domestic tourism developed along the coast, and hiking and climbing inland, but never the mass international tourism seen on Turkey's Aegean and Mediterranean coasts.

Get in

The region's airports are at Zonguldak (ONQ IATA), Kastamonu (KFSIATA), Sinop (NOP IATA), Samsun / Çarşamba (SZFIATA), Trabzon (TZXIATA), Ordu / Giresun (OGUIATA) and Rize / Artvin (RZV IATA). They all have daily flights from Istanbul (both IST and SAW), less often from Ankara or Izmir. They seldom have international flights, change in Istanbul. For central inland cities such as Çorum it might be quicker to fly into Ankara (ESB) and drive from there.

Buses from Istanbul run several times a day to Samsun, Trabzon and the other coastal towns. One per day continues to Batumi in Georgia, where you change for Tbilisi and Baku.

The coastal highway is divided and in good condition. Some of the mountain roads can be difficult in winter.

Get around

The coast road is a divided highway in good repair, so getting around by car is simple. By public transport is slow: there are frequent buses city-to-city, but many places of interest lie at a distance from transport routes.

See

Ottoman houses in Safranbolu (Photo: Hamdigumus, CC0)

• Museums depict the millennia of cultures that have flourished then disappeared here, from prehistoric times to the Republic. Many cities have a mansion where Atatürk stayed awhile, and they're typically 19th century merchant residences made over into ethnography museums. Zonguldak has museums of its mining history.
• Old churches and monasteries were variously Greek Orthodox, Armenian or Georgian, but all of those communities were driven out or slain over a century ago. Some buildings have been converted into mosques, others are gaunt ruins. There are plenty in the cities, but the most striking are in remote spots in the mountains.
• Ottoman architecture, with half-timbered houses with protruding upper stories, is best preserved in Amasya and Safranbolu.
• Castles and forts were variously built by the Romans, Byzantines, Genoese, Seljuks and Ottomans.
• Caves: Western Karadeniz has karstic bedrock, with several show caves.

Do

Sunset over the Bay of Gideros (Photo: The original uploader was Crebain at Turkish Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0)

• Beaches on the Black Sea are sparse: the coastal highway was built on reclaimed land so the sea laps against the embankment. And they're mostly shingle, and trash-strewn wherever there's easy public access. Decent sandy beaches are found at Amasra, Sinop, Akçaabat and Giresun. This means insufficient custom to support water-sports businesses such as wind-surfing, so for these you need to be self-sufficient.
• Hiking and trekking trails thread through the mountains.
• Winter sports: the snow can be heavy but it doesn't last long. A couple of small resorts stand above Bolu, but those above Trabzon have folded.
• Hamams are traditional Turkish baths, found in most towns. They're heated by conventional means, this region has no geothermal springs.
• Football: Samsun, Trabzon and Rize have top-tier soccer teams.

Eat

Lots and lots of cafes but no stand-out restaurants. The hotels may offer the best dining.

And not much choice of cuisine either, as this region has never attracted international immigration or tourists. So it's a choice of trad Turkish (meat meat meat) and Mediterranean. Veggies may struggle.

Drink

Tea plantation above Rize (Photo: Koliva, CC BY 3.0)

Tap water is safe to drink - not true of most of Turkey, but here it's from mountain catchments free of pollution. However it's often "hard", with high mineral content, or highly chlorinated, so you may prefer bottled.

Tea is drunk in great volumes, and the slopes above Rize grow lots of it.

Very few free-standing pubs, but many cafes and restaurants serve alcohol.

Wine is grown in Western Karadeniz, chiefly red, but most vineyards are further south.

Stay safe

Beware traffic, safeguard valuables and steer clear of low-life, same as anywhere else.

The Black Sea is not tidal but in places has long-shore currents, seek local advice. The main beach hazards are trash such as broken glass, and idiots revving on jet skis.

The mountains deserve your respect. They rise to 4000 m, and even at low altitude can be hazardous with slippy rocks, strong winds, and fog-bound. And no mobile signal to call for help.

Go next

• Marmara Region lies west, with unmissable Istanbul, other historic cities such as Bursa, and the battle sites of Gallipoli.
• Central Anatolia south is a plateau with the capital Ankara, birthplace of the dervishes Konya, and the surreal landscape of Cappadocia.
• Eastern Anatolia southeast is mountainous, and Mount Nemrut is crowned by giant heads of deities.
• Georgia is also mountainous but lush, with its fascinating ramshackle capital at Tbilisi.

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