Black Sea Turkey (Turkish: Karadeniz Bölgesi) in northern Turkey, is a humid and verdant region renowned for its natural beauty thanks to the high precipitation levels distributed evenly throughout the year. The region is very mountainous and is heavily forested, while the highest parts of the mountains are covered with alpine meadows, glacier lakes, and glaciers.
It occupies much of the country's northern (Black Sea) coast, while the rest of it is part of Marmara Region.
- Amasya. — a historic city with riverside Ottoman mansions and ancient rock-cut tombs watching them from above
- Amasra. — a beautiful seaside resort town with a nice beach, pleasant vistas, and great fish restaurants
- Giresun. — city standing out with its lively nightlife; trips to a nearby island with lush vegetation can be arranged from here
- Rize. — the heart of Turkey's tea growing region; not a real tourist attraction, but a good base for exploring the northeast
- Safranbolu. — a town known for its preserved Ottoman old town and streetscape with whitewashed houses. Also a World Heritage site.
- Samsun. — largest city on the Turkish Black Sea coast with big city attractions: such as opera and museums. Also many sports, including wakeboarding in summer.
- Sinop. — an ancient fortified port city jutting out on a peninsula into Turkey's northernmost tip
- Trabzon. — the main city of the northeast has a lot to offer a visitor, and is the place to stay when traveling to the stunning Sümela Monastery
- Zonguldak. — a bleak industrial city surrounded by coal mines
Amasya. — a historic city with riverside Ottoman mansions and ancient rock-cut tombs watching them from above
Amasra. — a beautiful seaside resort town with a nice beach, pleasant vistas, and great fish restaurants
Giresun. — city standing out with its lively nightlife; trips to a nearby island with lush vegetation can be arranged from here
Rize. — the heart of Turkey's tea growing region; not a real tourist attraction, but a good base for exploring the northeast
Safranbolu. — a town known for its preserved Ottoman old town and streetscape with whitewashed houses. Also a [[UNESCO World Heritage List|World Heritage site]].
Samsun. — largest city on the Turkish Black Sea coast with big city attractions: such as opera and museums. Also many sports, including wakeboarding in summer.
Sinop. — an ancient fortified port city jutting out on a peninsula into Turkey's northernmost tip
Trabzon. — the main city of the northeast has a lot to offer a visitor, and is the place to stay when traveling to the stunning Sümela Monastery
Zonguldak. — a bleak industrial city surrounded by coal mines
- Abant. — a resort around a mountain lake of the same name; fairly popular among the locals due to its easily accessible location near the Istanbul–Ankara motorway
- Ayder. — a village up in the lush Kaçkar Mountains/Pontic Alps
- Bogazkale. — an ancient Hittite city
- Ilgaz National Park. — ski resort amidst beautiful fir forests
- Sümela. — stunning monastery hanging on a cliff in the lush Altındere Valley
Abant. — a resort around a mountain lake of the same name; fairly popular among the locals due to its easily accessible location near the Istanbul–Ankara motorway
Ayder. — a village up in the lush Kaçkar Mountains/Pontic Alps
Bogazkale. — an ancient Hittite city
Ilgaz National Park. — ski resort amidst beautiful fir forests
Sümela. — stunning monastery hanging on a cliff in the lush Altındere Valley
As the Black Sea Region spreads over most of northern Turkey elongatedly, getting out of region involves heading for destinations hugely different in character:
- To west, Marmara Region with some of the country's greatest cities, packed full of historical sights.
- To south, you have two inland options depending on where you cross over the coastal mountain range—wide open steppes of Central Anatolia or mountainous territory of Eastern Anatolia.
- To east, Georgia with its as lush topography as Black Sea Turkey, and its great culinary tradition.