Agreeably walkable downtowns and plentiful sea-view cafes make the small eastern Black Sea cities of Giresun and Ordu – each with a population fewer than 250,000 people – pleasant stops on a coastal road trip in Türkiye.
Though settlements were founded in this area as Greek colonies as far back as the 7th century BCE, little visible remains of that ancient history, with the smattering of historic buildings in both cities mostly dating to the last two centuries. The real reason to come is as a jumping-off point to explore the Black Sea region’s distinctive blue-meets-green geography: blue for the waves that crash on its rocky shores and green for the lush hillsides that rise steeply from the coast. This forested interior is dotted with remote mountain villages and yaylalar (mountain pastures), along with canyons, waterfalls and other natural beauties to discover.
Summer is the busiest season, as travelers, largely from elsewhere in Türkiye and countries in the Middle East, seek respite from the heat at home on the Black Sea’s beaches. It can still be pretty warm though – typically mid-20°Cs but sometimes hitting low- to mid-30°Cs (around 77–95°F) – and humid in July and August, so head for the region’s cooler yaylalar and mountain areas. It’s also the time for local village festivals marking the beginning of the hazelnut harvest, which typically starts in August.
Spring and autumn are pleasant for exploring though access to the yaylalar may be limited by snow. Winter travel is best avoided; the weather is typically rainy and cold – dipping into the low single digits along the coast and below-0°C (32°F) temperatures in the highlands – and some mountain areas get snowed in.
Two or three days is enough to see the sights in both city centers, which are 50km (31 miles) apart. You’ll need at least four or five days to include some time in the mountains as minibus services are limited and travel between villages typically either involves backtracking down to the coast or driving on narrow, winding roads that aren't always fully paved.
Ordu–Giresun Airport sits roughly halfway between the two cities and is served by daily flights from both of Ìstanbul’s airports. The Havaş airport shuttle bus (timed to the flight schedules) takes 30 to 45 minutes to reach either city. (In Ordu, the “eski otogar” stop is closest to the city center; for Giresun, ask for the “liman,” or port.) Getting between Giresun and Ordu by minibus takes around 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Both Ordu and Giresun have walkable city centers, with regular minibus connections to smaller towns along the coast. Exploring the yaylalar, mountain waterfalls and other inland natural beauties is much easier with your own car, however, as many
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