Trabzon is having a moment. As a travel trade event on Türkiye's Black Sea coast draws buyers, tour operators and travel media from around the world, the city and its surrounding highlands are emerging as one of the country's most talked-about up-and-coming destinations. For travelers who have long associated Türkiye with Istanbul, Cappadocia and the Aegean coast, the message is simple: there is a lush, green, dramatically mountainous corner of the country that deserves a place on the itinerary.
The timing is good. New attention from the trade means more packaged tours, more direct connections and more reasons for independent travelers to look north — and the region is ready for them.
Why Trabzon Is Suddenly on Everyone's Map
Trabzon sits on a dramatic stretch of the Black Sea where steep, forested mountains drop almost straight into the water. It is a city with a long history — once a major stop on Silk Road and Byzantine trade routes — and today it blends a lively bazaar quarter, a landmark Ottoman-era mosque and a bustling harbor with easy access to some of Türkiye's most spectacular natural scenery.
The trade event has focused international attention on exactly this combination: cultural heritage, mountain landscapes and a distinctive local food culture built around anchovies, corn, dairy and tea. Operators see a destination that offers something genuinely different from the classic Türkiye circuit.
For travelers planning a first visit to the region, our destinations guide is a useful place to start mapping out what the Black Sea has to offer.
Sumela Monastery: The Region's Headline Attraction
Perched on a sheer cliff face high above a forested valley, Sumela Monastery is the image that sells the region. The Greek Orthodox monastery, founded in the Byzantine era and dramatically restored in recent years, clings to the rock below the Altındere valley and draws visitors for both its setting and its surviving frescoes.
The approach through the valley — often wrapped in mist, with streams running alongside the road — is part of the experience. Access involves a short shuttle ride and a walk, so allow a half day and go early to avoid the busiest hours.
Sumela is the anchor of most regional itineraries, and the renewed international interest should make it easier than ever to find guided day trips from Trabzon city center.
The Yaylas: Türkiye's Highland Summer World
Above the coast, the landscape opens into the yaylas — high summer pastures where families have long moved with their livestock to escape the heat and humidity of the shore. Places like Uzungöl, with its lake framed by forested slopes, and the higher plateaus around Ayder and the Kaçkar Mountains have become increasingly popular with travelers seeking cool air, hiking and village life.
What makes the yaylas special is that they are working landscapes, not theme parks. Wooden houses, tea gardens, cowbells and simple guesthouses are part of daily life, and visitors who slow down are rewarded with warm hospitality and some of the best trekking in Türkiye.
Summer is the season to go. If you are weighing dates, our best-time-to-visit guide explains how the highland season shapes a Black Sea trip.
Tea Country: Scenery You Can Taste
The hillsides around Rize and Trabzon are blanketed with tea plantations — a vivid, terraced green that defines the look of the region and the livelihood of its people. Türkiye is one of the world's largest tea producers, and this is where almost all of it grows.
Travelers can visit tea gardens and small processing facilities, taste freshly brewed çay in village cafés and drive the winding roads that link the coast to the highlands. The combination of tea terraces, misty valleys and mountain passes makes the region a dream for photographers and road-trippers alike.
It is also a reminder that the Black Sea is a year-round agricultural landscape, not just a summer beach destination — though its pebbly beaches and cool water have their own appeal in July and August.
Better Connections, Easier Planning
The trade attention is translating into practical improvements for travelers. Trabzon's airport already receives frequent domestic flights and a growing number of international services, and improved road links make it possible to combine the city, Sumela, Uzungöl and the eastern highlands in a single loop.
That growing connectivity is opening up multi-stop itineraries that link the Black Sea with Cappadocia, Istanbul and eastern Anatolia. Our itinerary collection includes routes that slot the region into a wider Türkiye trip, and the trip planner can help you work out how many days to set aside.
For travelers who prefer to have the logistics handled, local experts can arrange guides, mountain transfers and tea-country excursions.
Practical Tips for Adding Trabzon to Your Trip
- Allow at least three to four days to cover the city, Sumela, Uzungöl and a taste of the highlands without rushing.
- Visit between June and September for the yaylas and tea country, when mountain roads and pastures are at their best.
- Pack layers. The coast can be warm and humid while the highlands are cool, misty and prone to sudden rain, even in midsummer.
- Rent a car or book a driver if you want to explore villages and viewpoints beyond the main tour routes.
- Eat locally. Hamsi (anchovy) dishes, kuymak (a cornmeal and cheese dish) and Black Sea tea are essential to the experience.
The Black Sea travel trade event has given Trabzon a global platform. For travelers, the takeaway is practical: this is the moment to look beyond the well-worn routes and discover a greener, cooler, more mountainous side of Türkiye — one that is finally getting the international attention it deserves.
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