Getting Around Trabzon: Contactless Buses, Dolmuş Hubs for Sumela and Uzungöl

Even if you do not rent a car, Trabzon's public bus and minibus (dolmuş) network connects downtown Meydan Parkı with every major historical monument inside the city as well as the mountain valleys of Maçka (Sumela) and Çaykara (Uzungöl).

1. Inside Trabzon City: Tap Your Contactless Bank Card on Municipal Buses

Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality (Trabzon Büyükşehir Belediyesi) operates modern red-and-blue city buses across all urban routes. You do not need to buy a local plastic Trabzon Kart for a short trip: every municipal bus validator accepts contactless Visa and Mastercard debit/credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay directly when you board. On smaller white private dolmuş minibuses, you pay the driver a small flat fare in Turkish lira coins/notes.

2. Exact Minibus & Bus Stops for the 5 Main Sights

• To Trabzon Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) (10 mins from Meydan): walk two blocks down from Meydan Parkı to the Meydan Köprüaltı (Underpass) minibus rank and hop onto any white minibus marked "Ayasofya" or "Beşirli", which drops you directly outside the church garden.
• To the Atatürk Pavilion (Atatürk Köşkü) & Boztepe (15 mins from Meydan): board Municipal Bus 121 (Meydan, Köşk) or the white "Köşk / Soğuksu" and "Boztepe" minibuses departing from the southern (upper) side of Meydan Square.
• To Sumela Monastery & Maçka (45 mins south): walk five minutes down the hill from Meydan toward the port to the Moloz / Çömlekçi Minibus Terminal (underneath the coastal viaduct). Direct Maçka / Sümela minibuses and seasonal tour shuttles depart from here in the morning (or take the regular every-20-minute Maçka minibus to Maçka town centre, where park shuttles and taxis run the final 16 km up Altındere Valley).
• To Uzungöl Lake (90 mins east): from the same Çömlekçi / Pazarkapı Minibus Terminal below Meydan, green-and-white Çaykara Tur / Uzungöl minibuses depart every 30 to 40 minutes from early in the morning until evening straight up to Uzungöl lakefront.
• To Akçaabat & Sera Lake (15 to 20 mins west): frequent Akçaabat minibuses and municipal buses run every 5 minutes along the western coastal road from Moloz/Meydan.