By Plane
BoraJet, Onur Air, Pegasus, SunExpress, and Turkish Airlines have flights to Trabzon from Ankara and/or Istanbul. There are some international flights as well from Germany, Georgia and the Crimea.
Trabzon’s airport (TZK) is 6 km (3.7 miles) southeast of Atatürk Alanı along the Black Sea shore (map).
By Bus
There’s frequent direct bus service from Istanbul, Ankara and other major Turkish cities, particularly by the Ulusoycompany.
By Car
Although the Black Sea coast offers some beauty spots, it’s really not worth the long drive and the fuel expense to drive all the way to Trabzon from some distant city. Unless you have a particular interest in many cities and towns along the coast, I’d suggest that you fly to Trabzon, then rent a car there if you want to explore further on your own.
Eastern Turkey Tour
If you’re following my Eastern Tour itinerary, you’ll go from Trabzon up into the Kaçkar Mountains to Artvin, Yusufeli or Erzurum on the Anatolian plateau.
Local Transport in Trabzon
With no Metro or tram, with narrow, twisting streets difficult for large buses, a lot of Trabzon’s public transit needs are met with dolmuş minibuses, and of course taxis. Ask at your hotel for directions on how to reach a particular destination.
Distances & Travel Times
Amasya: 500 km (311 miles) W, 8 hours
Ankara: 780 km (485 miles) W, 12 hours
Artvin: 235 km (146 miles) E, 4 hours
Ayder: 131 km (81 miles) E, 2.5 hours
Erzurum: 325 km (202 miles) SE, 6 hours
Giresun: 150 km (93 miles) W, 3 hours
Gümüşhane: 100 km (62 miles) S, 2 hours
Istanbul: 1110 km (690 miles) W, 18 hours
Hopa: 165 km (103 miles) E, 3 hours
Kars: 434 km (270 miles) E, 8 hours
Rize: 75 km (47 miles) E, 1.25 hours
Samsun: 346 km (215 miles) E, 5.5 hours
Sinop: 514 km (319 miles) W, 9 hours
Sumela Monastery: 46 km (29 miles) S, 45 minutes
—by Tom Brosnahan
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