Tour programmes
Black Sea in Eight Days: Rize to Safranbolu
Tea country, mist and mountain lakes — Rize, Ayder, Uzungöl and Sümela from the valley, then Ottoman Safranbolu on the road back to İstanbul.
- Duration
- 8 days · 7 nights
- Route
- İstanbul · Rize · Ayder · Uzungöl · Trabzon · Samsun · Safranbolu · İstanbul
The cool, green half of the country
The Black Sea coast is the part of Türkiye that most visitors never picture: tea terraces climbing straight out of the water, cloud sitting in the valleys until noon, wooden houses above fast rivers. This programme stays in that landscape for most of its length and only turns back towards İstanbul at the end.
How the route is built
It starts at the far eastern end — a domestic connection into Rize-Artvin — so that the trip runs westward and the long drives come after the mountains rather than before them. Rize gives the tea, Ayder and the Fırtına valley give the highlands, Uzungöl gives the lake, Trabzon gives the Hagia Sophia of the Black Sea and the view towards Sümela.
Then the road turns: Samsun on the coast, Safranbolu inland — an Ottoman market town of timber houses, a bazaar and a merchant’s house you can walk through — and İstanbul at the end, closing on the Bosphorus.
Two things we would rather state plainly
Sümela is a viewpoint here, not a climb. The included service is the panoramic photo stop from the valley. The interior visit, the shuttle and the walk up are a separate arrangement, and we will quote them if you want them — but we will not let a group arrive expecting to go inside on the strength of a photograph.
The mountain roads decide some of the day. Around Zilkale, Palovit and Ayder a full-size coach is sometimes not permitted, and a smaller local vehicle has to be arranged. Where that applies to your group size, it goes into the offer as a line item rather than becoming a surprise at a junction.
Weather is part of the product here
Rain, fog and low cloud belong to this coast; they are why it is green. They also shorten stops, close viewpoints and slow the driving. The guide and driver may reorder a day, cut a stop short or leave out a location that is unsafe on the morning. Waterproof shoes and a rain jacket are worth more here than a light coat.
Asking for the offer
Tell us your dates, your final passenger count and whether you want the İstanbul–Rize flight arranged with the ground services. We will send the eight days written out line by line, with every inclusion and exclusion named. The per-person figure depends on group size, dates and the hotels confirmed, so it belongs in that written offer rather than on this page.
Day by day
Day 1 · İstanbul – Rize
- Arrival in İstanbul and connection to the confirmed domestic flight to Rize-Artvin Airport (RZV)
- Domestic-flight procedures and baggage collection according to the airline routing
- Meet and greet with your English-speaking local guide at the confirmed arrival point
- Private transfer to the hotel in Rize
- Hotel check-in and dinner, timed to the confirmed arrival
- Free time to rest after the journey
- Dinner
Day 2 · Rize – Zilkale – Ayder
- Breakfast at the hotel and check-out
- A tea factory or tea gallery in Rize, with a Turkish tea presentation, subject to production and opening hours
- Zilkale Castle — a visit or a panoramic photo stop, depending on access and timing
- Palovit Waterfall photo stop, subject to road, weather and safety conditions
- Transfer to the Ayder plateau
- Hotel check-in and dinner
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 3 · Ayder – Fırtına valley – Uzungöl
- Breakfast at the hotel and check-out
- Photo stop at Gelintülü Waterfall, subject to visibility and access
- The road through Çamlıhemşin and the Fırtına river valley
- Lunch at a selected local restaurant
- A traditional knife-maker's or handicraft workshop
- On to Uzungöl — panoramic stop and free time by the lake, subject to weather and traffic
- Hotel check-in and dinner
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 4 · Uzungöl – Trabzon
- Breakfast at the hotel and check-out
- Drive to Trabzon
- Hagia Sophia Mosque of Trabzon, subject to the prayer schedule, opening hours and official visitor rules
- A hazelnut products shop
- Photo stop at a Trabzon panoramic point, subject to traffic and safe access
- Sümela Monastery — the included service is the panoramic photo stop from the valley
- Hotel check-in and dinner
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 5 · Trabzon – Samsun
- Breakfast at the hotel and check-out
- The coast road to Samsun — a long driving day, with rest stops arranged by the guide and driver
- Tekkeköy Pier — a visit or photo stop, subject to time and access
- Amisos Hill or an approved panoramic area, subject to operating hours and local conditions
- Free time or a photo stop along the Samsun shoreline where operationally suitable
- Hotel check-in and dinner
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 6 · Samsun – Safranbolu
- Breakfast at the hotel and check-out
- Drive to Safranbolu
- The old bazaar of Safranbolu on foot
- A traditional Safranbolu merchant's house, subject to the confirmed venue and its opening hours
- Handicraft and Turkish delight shops in the old town
- Photo stop at Köprülü Mehmet Paşa Mosque, subject to the prayer schedule and access
- Hotel check-in and dinner
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 7 · Safranbolu – İstanbul
- Breakfast at the hotel and check-out
- Drive to İstanbul
- The Blue Mosque, subject to the prayer schedule, visitor capacity and official regulations
- Photo stop at Topkapı Palace, subject to access and opening arrangements
- The Grand Bazaar, subject to weekly closing days and public holidays
- A leather showroom and fashion presentation if the timing allows
- Hotel check-in and dinner
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 8 · İstanbul
- Breakfast at the hotel and check-out
- Bosphorus cruise
- Shopping or free time at Taksim Square, subject to the confirmed flight time and traffic
- Transfer to the confirmed airport roughly four hours before the international departure, or earlier where traffic, airline or security procedures require it
- Assistance at the airport drop-off; check-in, baggage and departure formalities remain with the travelling guests
- Breakfast
What the package includes
- Seven nights in four-star hotels — one each in Rize, Ayder, Uzungöl, Trabzon, Samsun, Safranbolu and İstanbul
- Meals: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 7 dinners, with first- and last-day service arranged around flight times
- English-speaking licensed tour guide for the confirmed operation
- Private air-conditioned vehicle suited to the confirmed passenger and luggage count
- Vehicle Wi-Fi where network coverage allows
- Entrance fees named as included in the written offer
- Parking, motorway tolls and local transport taxes for the confirmed ground programme
- 0.5 litre of bottled water per guest per day on the vehicle, plus the meal-water arrangement where confirmed
- Hotel porterage and local-restaurant gratuities where expressly included in the offer
- One complimentary single room for groups of twenty guests and above, subject to hotel availability
- 24/7 operational support for the duration of the tour
Not included
- International flights, and the İstanbul–Rize domestic flight unless expressly included
- Airline baggage, excess baggage, seat selection, ticket changes, airport porterage and airport trolleys
- Visa, passport, travel insurance, medical, vaccination and personal-document costs
- Sümela Monastery interior entrance, shuttle transport and the walk up to the monastery unless separately quoted
- A local minibus or shuttle for restricted mountain roads unless included in the written offer
- Optional activities — rafting, zipline, special shows, private boat services and room upgrades
- Early check-in, late check-out, minibar, laundry, telephone, room service and personal expenses
- Guide and driver gratuities unless the written offer states that they are included
- Services, meals, transfers, entrances and visits not named as included
- Additional costs caused by flight disruption, weather, road closure, undeclared luggage or late passenger information
Good to know
- This programme assumes a same-day domestic connection from İstanbul to Rize-Artvin Airport (RZV) unless another routing is confirmed in writing. Arriving through Trabzon Airport (TZX) changes the transfer time and the route, and has to be confirmed separately.
- The İstanbul–Rize flight ticket, airline baggage allowance, seat selection and any change costs sit outside the package unless the written offer says otherwise. Domestic baggage allowances are often lower than international ones and should be checked with the airline.
- Final flight numbers, airports, terminals, connection times and baggage details are needed before operational confirmation. Delays, missed connections and lost baggage should be reported to our operations line immediately.
- The roads around Zilkale, Palovit, Ayder and Uzungöl can be narrow, steep, winding, wet or temporarily restricted. Where a full-size coach is not permitted, a smaller local vehicle may be required; that arrangement belongs in the written offer.
- Days 5, 6 and 7 carry long intercity drives. Published driving times are approximate and exclude traffic, comfort stops, meals, weather, roadworks and the legal rest periods a driver must take.
- The Black Sea region can bring rain, fog, sudden temperature changes and reduced mountain visibility outside winter as well. Waterproof footwear, a rain jacket, layered clothing and personal motion-sickness medication are worth packing.
- Waterfall, plateau, monastery and lakeside areas involve stairs, slopes and uneven ground, and accessibility is limited in places. Mobility needs must be declared before booking so the route can be assessed honestly.
- Tea production, waterfall volume, lake colour and mountain visibility change with the season and the weather, and none of them can be guaranteed on a given day.
- Dietary requirements — halal-friendly, pork-free, vegetarian, vegan, child menus and allergies — should reach us in writing before confirmation; what can be delivered depends on the local supplier.
Optional extras
- Sümela Monastery interior visit, with the shuttle and the climb — quoted separately; the standard programme stops at the valley viewpoint
- A local minibus or shuttle where the mountain roads do not admit a full-size coach — confirmed in the written offer when the route requires it
Arranged on request and not part of the package.
Reserve · no payment today
Reserve your dates.
We hold your dates for you; payment is only taken through a secure link once you have confirmed the written quote.
Your details are only used to hold these dates.Privacy Policy
Start here · Free
Ask us for this programme.
Tell us your dates and group size — we will come back with the plan and the price for your party.
Go deeper · Your guide
Twenty minutes with the guide who leads this route
Not a call centre — the licensed guide who would actually run your trip, on the route, the season, and what is truly worth the time.
Credited toward your booking the moment you book.Updated: