Black Sea Coast 2026: When to go to, the place to remain, and what to do

Trabzon: Once a busy buying and selling port alongside the Silk Road, the seafront metropolis preserves an array of historic structure. Like its namesake in Istanbul, Trabzon’s Hagia Sophia began life as a Byzantine church earlier than conversion right into a mosque. Homes within the Orta Mahalle neighborhood are distinctly Ottoman whereas the elegant Atatürk Museum displays Türkiye’s fascination with European type throughout the early twentieth century.

Rize: Cultivated on steep, emerald-green hillsides behind the coast, wealthy black tea is the forte of this seaside metropolis. Family-run Çeçeva Köyü is certainly one of a number of plantations that welcomes guests for excursions, tasting, and an opportunity to apply your tea harvesting ability with a wicker basket and shears.

Ayder Plateau and Fırtına Valley: This scenic upland area affords scorching springs resorts, wedding-veil waterfalls, off-road excursions, and mountain climbing trails by means of forest and flower-filled meadows to the snow-topped granite peaks of Kaçkar Mountains National Park. The Firtina Valley flaunts zip strains, whitewater rafting, Ottoman-era stone bridges, and the ruined 14th-century Zilkale fortress.

Snow sports: Snow usually falls on the Pontic Mountains between mid-December and early March. Çambaşı Ski Resort has quite a few runs, rental tools, and a ski village with a number of eating places and lodging choices. Akdağ Ski Center close to Samsun is essentially self-serve, however the views on blue-sky days are unbeatable.