Black Sea Coast of Turkey

Alpine forests? Tea plantations? Billions of hazelnuts? World's oldest cherry orchards?

Turkey's Black Sea coast comes as a surprise.

The sky is often grey but the land is green from plentiful rain. Fat dairy cattle munch lush grass and produce the country's best milk and butter. Fresh sardines are a delicacy.

The Black Sea coast (maps) is never crowded because cloud is more common than sun, and the sea water is chilly. But that's fine with the adventurous types who come here for a few days to savor its deep history, its dramatic beauty, its special cuisine, and its prime legend: Jason led his Argonauts along this coast in quest of the Golden Fleece.

Concentrate on the coast east of Sinop, a fortified town with a long history. (The only exception west of Sinop is the small, beautiful seacoast town of Amasra [not Amasya], with its own dramatic fortress and history.)

The coast's prime destination is Trabzon (Trebizond). Other towns worth a look, or good for an overnight are Ordu and Giresun. Samsun is big, bustling and mostly modern, with lots of services but little to see.

Starting from Amasya, you can drive 130 km (81 miles, 2 hours) north to Samsun, then continue 365 km (227 miles, 6 hours) to Trabzon, enjoying the scenery, all in one day, but two days is obviously more relaxed, and three gives you the time to explore in detail.

From Trabzon, head up into the mountains to the alpine spa and hiking village of Ayder, then up onto the Anatolian plateau with Erzurum as your goal. The short route is via Gümüshane and Bayburt, the longer and more interesting route is via Rize, Hopa, Artvin and Yusufeli in the Kaçkar Mountains.

Click here for maps of Turkey's Black Sea Coast.

Amasra

Ayder

Giresun

Samsun

Sinop

Trabzon

Central Anatolia

Eastern Turkey

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Above, the dramatic Black Sea coast, where Jason and the Argonauts sought the Golden Fleece.

Below, tea bushes flourish on a hillside near Rize.