Green mountains, a cliff-hanging monastery and Black Sea flavours.
Trabzon is the main city of Turkey’s eastern Black Sea coast, a region of steep green mountains, tea plantations and misty highland pastures that feels very different from the Mediterranean.
Its star attraction is Sumela Monastery, built into a sheer cliff face high above a forested valley. In the city, the 13th-century church of Hagia Sophia has some of the finest Byzantine frescoes in Turkey.
Planning your trip? Read our guides to entry requirements, flights from the UK and Ireland and the best time to visit.