Trabzon, Turkey

Trabzon, formerly known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and is the capital of Trabzon Province. It is the most important and largest port on the Black Sea coast being the starting point of the Iranian transit route.

Trabzon has a number of tourist attractions, some of them dating back to the times of the ancient empires that once existed in the region. The most important structure is the Ayasofya (Saint Sophia) Museum. The church, which is used as a museum today, was constructed in the thirteenth century. The Gulbahar Hatun Mosque is the most beautiful mosque in the city. The Hatip and Iskender Pasha Mosques, from the sixteenth century, are among the other mosques in the city worth seeing.

In the city itself, one can find a hub of shops, stalls and restaurants surrounding the "Meydan", a square in the center of the city, which includes a tea garden. The old streets of Trabzon and its historical houses are very picturesque.

Things to See & Do

* The Hagia Sophia - a stunning Byzantine church
* Boztepe Park - a small park and tea garden on the hills above Trabzon
* Atatürk Köşkü - a lovely Victorian-era villa
* Trabzon's Bazaar District
* Trabzon Museum
General Information

Cruise Season - Feb to Dec

Currency - New Turkish Lira (YTL)
Language - Turkish
Land Area - 4.685 km²
Population - 278,000 approx.
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC + two hours
International Country Telephone Code - + 90

Port Location - The port of Trabzon is located on the eastern side of the city centre.

Travel Links - The main bus station is 3km east of the port, although many buses will drop passengers off closer to the city. Regular services include Istanbul (18 hours), Erzurum (6 hours), Ankara (12 hours), Artvin (4½ hours) and Van (17 hours). There are daily buses to Georgia, to Tblisi (10 hours) and Batumi (4 hours).

There is a weekly car-ferry from Istanbul (41 hours) leaving Istanbul on Mondays, and making the return journey on Wednesdays. It is also possible to use this ferry for the shorter journeys between Rize and Samsun. In the summer, there are four ferries a week, plus daily catamarans from Sochi in Russia. The port is on the eastern side of the city centre.

Trabzon airport is the largest in the region, 8km east of the city centre, with several daily direct flights from Ankara and Istanbul, some which connect with flights from Izmir and Antalya. Minibuses and Havas buses operate services between the airport and city.