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Region in Turkey
Photo: Flickr user: Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden IJmuiden, the Netherlands https://www.flickr.com/photos/joost-ijmuiden/, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Black Sea Turkey (Turkish: Karadeniz Bölgesi) is the northernmost region of Turkey, flanking the coast of the Black Sea. It has ancient ports and small resorts, with forested mountains rising steeply behind the coast.
This has several industrial towns but also the ancient port of Sinop, and the attractive resort of Amasra.
This has the large city of Samsun, Ottoman architecture in Amasya, and several Hittite ruins.
A mountainous region approaching the border with Georgia, with pine forests and ruined monasteries clinging to the cliffs.
The region's airports are at Zonguldak (ONQ), Kastamonu (KFS), Sinop (NOP), Samsun / Çarşamba (SZF), Trabzon (TZX), Ordu / Giresun (OGU) and Rize / Artvin (RZV).
Read in the guideThe coast road is a divided highway in good repair, so getting around by car is simple.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Amasya · Regional · MZH
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Zonguldak is a port on the Black Sea in the Western Karadeniz Region of Turkey. It's a grubby industrial place, mining and exporting coal, with a population of 103,417 in 2020.
Not to be confused with Amasya in Central Karadeniz region. Amasra is a small harbour and beach resort on the Black Sea, 310 km north of Ankara in the Western Karadeniz region of Turkey.
Safranbolu is a town in the Western Karadeniz region of Turkey, about 200 km north of Ankara and 100 km south of the Black Sea coast, with a population in 2022 of 52,999. Its well-preserved old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sinop is a city in the Western Karadeniz region, on the Turkish Black Sea coast. In 2022 it had a population of 57,404.
Samsun, in the Central Karadeniz region of Turkey, is the largest city on the Turkish Black Sea coast. In 2021 it had a population of 710,000, with about as many more in its surrounding province.
Amasya is a city in the Central Karadeniz region of Turkey, with a population of 116,000 in 2023. It's 333 km northeast of Ankara in the gorge of the River Yeşilırmak and has a well-preserved old town.
Giresun is a city in the Eastern Karadeniz region, on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. In 2023 the population was 144,000.
Trabzon is the largest city in the Eastern Karadeniz region of Turkey, with a population of 323,000 in 2023, and another 500,000 in the outlying towns. It was once known as Trebizond, ruling an independent "Empire" around the eastern Black Sea.
Rize is a city in the Eastern Karadeniz region, on Turkey's Black Sea coast, with a population of 122,000 in 2022. It has limited attractions for tourists but is a good base for exploring the northeast.
Ilgaz National Park (Turkish: Ilgaz Milli Parkı) is a mountainous area in the Western Karadeniz region of Turkey. Ilgaz ski resort is 310 km northeast of Ankara, so it's within a day-trip from the capital.
Boğazkale is a village in the Central Karadeniz or Black Sea region of Turkey, with a population of 1200 in 2022. The reason to visit is the Hittite city of Hattusa, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Ayder is a summer resort in the Eastern Karadeniz region of Turkey, at an altitude of 1350 m in the Kaçkar Mountains. It's a yayla, thronged with hikers June to August but virtually closed up in winter, so it has no resident population.
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