3 Days in Trabzon: Hagia Sophia, Sumela Monastery, Uzungöl and Boztepe

Because mountain viewpoints are always clearest in the morning before afternoon valley mist rises, this three-day itinerary starts each morning at the highest elevation sights (Atatürk Pavilion, Sumela Monastery and Uzungöl) and saves coastal walks, caves and bazaar dining for the afternoons and evenings. Read our transport guide before Day 1.

Day 1: Trabzon Hagia Sophia, Atatürk Pavilion, Ortahisar & Boztepe Sunset Tea

• Morning: start with a bubbling copper pan of kuymak cheese fondue and warm Vakfıkebir bread, then ride 10 minutes west to Trabzon Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya, 1260) to admire the carved Genesis porch frieze, the 13th-century frescoes and the 1427 Bell Tower overlooking the sea.
• Midday: drive or bus 10 minutes uphill into the pine and cedar forests of Soğuksu to tour the white 1903 Art Nouveau Atatürk Pavilion (Atatürk Köşkü) and stroll through the Trabzon Botanical Park.
• Midday: head 15 minutes west to the coast at Akçaabat for a seaside lunch of chargrilled garlic Akçaabat köftesi, followed by a walk through the 19th-century Ottoman stone mansions of hillside Ortamahalle.
• Afternoon: return to the centre to cross Zağnos Bridge through the medieval walls of Ortahisar Citadel into Kemeraltı Copper Bazaar and the 15th-century Bedesten, finishing at sunset with a charcoal samovar of tea on Boztepe Hill.

Day 2: Sumela Monastery, Alpine Hamsiköy (Sütlaç) & Karaca Cave

• Morning: depart early for the 45-minute drive south into the spruce gorge of Altındere Valley National Park; take the park shuttle up and spend two hours exploring the cliff-hanging 4th-century Sumela Monastery and its frescoed Rock Church before midday tour buses arrive.
• Midday: continue 25 minutes south up the old Silk Road mountain pass to the alpine village of Hamsiköy (1,300m) for a mountain trout or lamb lunch and a clay bowl of authentic baked Hamsiköy sütlacı rice pudding buried under crushed hazelnuts.
• Afternoon: drive through the new Zigana Tunnel to marvel at the multicoloured dripstone curtains and travertine pools of Karaca Cave (or head west to walk above the underground river inside Çal Cave and Hıdırnebi Yaylası) before returning to Trabzon for a round butter-and-egg Karadeniz pidesi dinner.

Day 3: Uzungöl Lake, Observation Terrace & High Yayla Pastures (or Ayder & Zil Kale)

• Morning: head 90 minutes east up the Solaklı canyon to Uzungöl Lake (1,090m): climb to the forest Observation Terrace for the panoramic lake view, walk along the rushing Haldizen stream, and take a local 4x4 minibus up to 2,250-metre Karester Yaylası or Sultan Murat Yaylası above the clouds (stopping at a traditional tea factory and the tiled wooden Çifte Köprüler bridges in Of on the way back to Trabzon).