Energy shoots out from every pore of Black Sea Trabzon’s downtown; from every salt-washed jetty of its bustling port district; every cracked stone of its ancient walls; every fiery stove of its Lahmacun pizza joints. But, hidden amidst its urban fray also lays such a wealth of lichen-spotted reminders of the town’s long and interesting past, it’s almost impossible not to get wrapped up in tales of Byzantine emperors, Genovese traders and Roman generals here.

Your Trabzon tour guide will recommend heading right away to the terse and succinct exhibitions of the Trabzon Museum, or a brilliant introduction to the city from the rooms of the pretty Hagia Sophia museum. Afterwards, be sure to head down to the sleepless strips of Uzun Sokak and Meydan Park, where salty sprat anchovies and kofte kebabs blend with the bubbling crowds.

Trabzon is also famed as the gateway to the greater Trabzon Province and the Turkish Black Sea coast. This region throws up some truly fascinating points of interest, ranging from the historic trodden roadways of the Old Silk Road, to the gravity-defying edifices of the ancient Sumela Monastery—a veritable must see!