Why put Trabzon, Uzungöl and Ordu in one trip?
Because between them they show every side of the Black Sea within a short distance: a busy port city with markets and mosques in Trabzon, a mountain lake between spruce forests at Uzungöl, and a calmer town in Ordu that looks over the sea from a green hill. A trip that covers only Trabzon and Uzungöl usually ends at the same airport and leaves the coast further west unseen. Adding two days in Ordu only means booking your return flight from a different airport, so you never drive the same road twice.
The plan is built for families and honeymooners: the days are not packed, the long drives happen in the morning, and every evening ends with something quiet close to the hotel. For more on the sights of Trabzon itself, see our guide to things to do in Trabzon; for the lake, our Uzungöl travel guide. This article is about how to string the whole trip together.
When to go: weather in Trabzon and Ordu
Rain is part of the Black Sea's appeal, since it keeps everything so green, but how much you get depends on the month. These are long-term averages from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) for the Trabzon station (1927–2025) and the Ordu station (1959–2025).
| Month | Trabzon: average temperature | Trabzon: rainy days | Ordu: average temperature | Ordu: rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 15.9 °C | 12.3 | 15.7 °C | 13.4 |
| July | 23.1 °C | 7.7 | 23.2 °C | 9.5 |
| August | 23.5 °C | 8.3 | 23.6 °C | 9.6 |
| October | 16.7 °C | 11.8 | 16.3 °C | 14.0 |
Source: MGM, Trabzon and Ordu province statistics.
In practice: July and August are the warmest and driest months and the peak of the family holiday season, so Uzungöl is at its busiest. Late spring and early autumn are milder and quieter but wetter; October is one of Ordu's wettest months, with an average of 131.2 mm of rain. Whatever the month, give every day an indoor fallback. Winter is a different trip altogether, with snow on the mountain roads; we cover it in Trabzon and Uzungöl in winter.
The route, day by day
| Day | Morning and midday | Afternoon and evening | Overnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive at Trabzon Airport, check in | Hagia Sophia Mosque, Meydan and Uzun Sokak, sunset on Boztepe, Turkish bath | Trabzon |
| 2 | Sümela Monastery in the Altındere valley; leave early | Rest, then pool and sauna or a massage | Trabzon |
| 3 | Uzungöl: leave in the morning, walk around the lake | Back before dark, then a massage or a quiet swim | Trabzon (or a night at Uzungöl in season) |
| 4 | Coast road west via Giresun to Ordu, with stops | Cable car up Boztepe, then the sea-view pool and Finnish sauna | Ordu |
| 5 | A morning on the coast or in central Ordu | Transfer to Ordu-Giresun Airport | — |
Day 1: an easy start in Trabzon
Keep arrival day light. Start with the Hagia Sophia Mosque (Ayasofya Camii): according to the Turkish Culture Portal it was built under Manuel I Komnenos between 1250 and 1260, became a mosque after Sultan Mehmed II took Trabzon, and is a mosque today. Visit outside prayer times and dress modestly; women should bring a headscarf. Then walk Meydan and Uzun Sokak for tea, and before sunset head up to Boztepe, where the tea gardens look down on the harbour and the coastline. Our Trabzon branch is in the same neighbourhood, so a Turkish bath is a natural way to close a travel day.
Day 2: Sümela Monastery
Sümela clings to a sheer rock face on a mountainside in the Altındere valley, in the Maçka district. According to the official museum page it is open every day from 08:00 to 17:00, with the ticket office closing at 16:30. Hours can change, so check the page before you go. Set off early, ahead of the tour buses, and wear comfortable shoes with good grip: the visit involves steps and paths that are often wet. Be back in Trabzon by early afternoon. It is a day of walking for adults and children alike, so keep the late afternoon for rest and the pool.
Day 3: Uzungöl
Uzungöl is in the Çaykara district, 99 km from Trabzon and 19 km from Çaykara, at about 1,090 m above sea level. The lake formed when rocks falling from the slopes dammed the Haldizen stream (Turkish Culture Portal). The road follows the coast east and then turns up the valley; the last stretch is narrow and winding, which is why many visitors prefer a driver who knows it, or an organised tour, over a first-time drive in a rental car.
Walk around the lake in the morning before the crowds, have tea on the shore and head back before dark. A night at Uzungöl is possible in season, but one day is enough for most families. Our Uzungöl travel guide covers the walks and the high pastures.
Day 4: the coast road to Ordu
From Trabzon the road runs west along the sea, through the city of Giresun, to Ordu. The distance is about 180 km, according to a route calculation we ran on OpenStreetMap data on 12 October 2026. We don't give an exact driving time, because traffic and stops change it a lot; allow half a day with breaks. Leave after breakfast, stop for tea on the coast and check in to your hotel in Ordu in the afternoon.
Then go up Boztepe. The hill rises about 450 m above the sea and is 6 km from the city centre by road; you can also take the cable car from Atatürk Park (Ordu Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism). The line is 2,350 m long and the ride takes about 6.5 minutes. From the top you see the whole city laid out along the shore with the sea behind it. Our Ordu branch is on Boztepe, within walking distance of the upper cable car station. After sunset, the indoor sea-view pool and the Finnish sauna are a quiet way to end a travel day.
Day 5: a morning in Ordu, then the airport
Keep the morning light: a walk along the coast, or a look around the town centre. Our guide to things to do in Ordu has the details. Then head to Ordu-Giresun Airport in Gülyalı, about 23 km from Boztepe by road according to the same route calculation. One for the trivia file: the airport was built on land reclaimed from the sea. It opened on 22 May 2015 and was presented as the first airport of its kind in Turkey and Europe (Anadolu Agency via NTV).
Where to find a hammam, pool and massage at each stop
Trabzon: separate baths and private rooms
Our branch at Radisson Blu Hotel Trabzon is on Boztepe and open all year. It has:
- Tiled Turkish baths, separate for women and men.
- An indoor and an outdoor pool, a sauna and a steam room.
- Massage rooms, a couples' massage room and a VIP room.
- A gym.
The couples' room works well on a honeymoon; our couples massage guide explains how a shared session runs.
Uzungöl: seasonal, and closed now
We want to say this plainly because it affects your plan: our branch at Flora Uzungöl Resort Hotel is seasonal and closed at the moment. Don't build your Uzungöl day around a hammam there; come back to Trabzon for the evening. You can check when it reopens on the branch page.
Ordu: the pool above the sea
Our branch at Radisson Blu Hotel Ordu is on Boztepe and open all year. It has an indoor pool looking out over the Black Sea, a Finnish sauna, a steam room, a Turkish bath and a gym, plus massage and body treatments. Ordu has a single hammam, not separate baths for women and men, so if the women in your group would like to use it, ask the branch in advance how this can be arranged. For pool rules and what to wear, see our hotel pool etiquette guide.
What applies at both branches
- You don't need to be a hotel guest. Come along even if you are staying elsewhere.
- Robe, slippers and towel are provided. Bring swimwear if you want to use the pool.
- Therapists come from Thailand and Bali, and English-speaking staff work at every branch.
- Therapist choice: therapist options vary from location to location; please call the location.
- Children: age rules for the hammam, sauna and pool vary by branch; ask before you come.
- Booking: there is no online booking system. WhatsApp and phone numbers and opening hours are on each branch page, or use our booking page. Hammam options are on the Turkish bath page and massages on the massage page. All our Black Sea branches are on our Black Sea spa page.
Heat after a long day: a few simple precautions
After a day of walking or driving, don't go straight into the hottest room. Sit somewhere warm for a few minutes, drink water, and step out if you feel light-headed. Harvard Health Publishing suggests staying in a sauna for no more than 15–20 minutes, avoiding alcohol and medicines that can affect sweating, and cooling down gradually afterwards. If you have uncontrolled high blood pressure or heart disease, or are pregnant, check with your doctor before using a sauna, steam room or hot hammam. What to pack for the bath is covered in what to bring to a Turkish bath.
On honeymoon: three small changes
The same route suits couples, with three tweaks:
- Two sunsets from two hills: both cities have a hill called Boztepe. Watch the sun go down over Trabzon on day 1 and over Ordu on day 4 after the cable car. The views are different: a busy port in one, a long curving coastline in the other.
- A couples' evening in Trabzon: book the couples' massage room or the VIP room at the Trabzon branch on day 2 or 3, after Sümela or Uzungöl. Ask the branch when you book how the session can be arranged for you.
- Later mornings: there is no need to leave at dawn every day on a honeymoon. Keep the early start for Sümela, where the crowds arrive early.
Start in Trabzon or in Ordu?
Either direction works; what matters is where Uzungöl sits. The lake lies east of Trabzon and inland. By the same route calculation, Uzungöl to Ordu is about 280 km by road, so a day trip to Uzungöl from Ordu makes no sense. Always do your Uzungöl day from Trabzon. If you start in Ordu, spend the first two nights there, then take the coast road to Trabzon, visit Uzungöl and Sümela from there and fly home from Trabzon Airport. In the end flight times usually decide: turn the route around to match whichever airport has the departures that suit you.
Rental car or driver?
It depends on how comfortable you are on mountain roads. The coast road between Trabzon and Ordu is wide and fairly easy, and a rental car is fine if you are used to motorways. The roads to Sümela and Uzungöl climb into narrow valleys and can be wet even in summer. One option is a driver or a tour for the two mountain days, then a rental car from Trabzon that you drop off at Ordu-Giresun Airport. If you do that, ask the rental company in advance whether a one-way return to another airport is possible.
Practical tips for families
- Rain and layers: a light waterproof jacket and an umbrella in any month, and a warm layer for Uzungöl, which is noticeably cooler than the coast at 1,090 m.
- Shoes: non-slip soles for the steps at Sümela and the lakeside paths.
- Prayer: both cities have plenty of mosques, and the Hagia Sophia in Trabzon is a working mosque.
- Driving: the coast road is straightforward; the valley road to Uzungöl is narrow and winding. Avoid it after dark if you don't know it.
- Flights: book into Trabzon and out of Ordu-Giresun (or the reverse) so you don't double back.
- Spa bookings: book your evening slot during the day, especially at weekends and in summer.
- Children: the Uzungöl trip is long for little ones; stop on the way and carry a change of clothes.
Fewer or more than five days?
| Length | What to cut or add |
|---|---|
| 3 days | Trabzon and Uzungöl only: day 1 the city, day 2 Uzungöl, day 3 Sümela and the airport. |
| 4 days | Drop the morning of day 5 and fly out of Ordu on the evening of day 4 if flight times allow. |
| 6–7 days | Add a second day in Ordu for the coast and the high pastures, or a night at Uzungöl in season. |
| A rainy day | Swap days around: museums, mosques and the town centre in the rain, mountains on the clear day. An indoor pool and a hammam work in any weather. |
