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Giresun Travel Blog

Travel articles about Giresun: its seasons, highlands, waterfalls, history and food. These sit behind the free map guide to 63 stops.

Seasons 3

April–June Spring in Giresun: Water, Green and Awakening Snow melts, waterfalls overflow, melocan appears in the forest and the highlands slowly open. What changes from April to June. 7 min · 0 – 1,900 m June–August Summer in Giresun: Highlands at Their Peak Every highland is open, festivals run one after another, the sea is warm. The busiest season, with ways to escape the crowds and the mist. 6 min · 0 – 1,900 m September–November Autumn in Giresun: Mist, Colour and Calm The crowds thin, the highlands turn colour and the mornings sink into mist. The most photogenic, least crowded season. 7 min · 0 – 1,900 m

Themes and planning 4

Base yourself here Day Trips from Giresun Ordu to the west, the Tirebolu-Görele coast to the east, Şebinkarahisar to the south and the highlands above. Which one takes how long. 7 min · 0 – 1,900 m Morning and evening Sunset and Viewpoints in Giresun For sunset the castle and seaside terraces, for daytime the hills and highlands. The best spots and what time to go. 6 min · 0 – 1,700 m View + coffee Coffee and Sea-View Cafes in Giresun Sea terraces along the shore, cafes looking down from the castle road, tea gardens in the mist in the highlands. Where and when. 5 min · 0 – 1,700 m Year-round Giresun Festival and Event Calendar The Aksu Festival in May, highland festivals through summer, the Kuşköy whistled language in August. A month-by-month calendar. 6 min · 0 – 1,800 m

Planning basics 6

Start here Places to Visit in Giresun: 63 Stops The castle, island, highlands, glacial lakes, waterfalls and monasteries, in five elevation bands from sea to summit. 11 min · 0 – 3,107 m Itineraries How Many Days in Giresun? Ready-made 2, 3 and 4-day routes built with realistic driving times. Which day goes where, and in what order. 8 min · 0 – 1,800 m Short stop One Day in Giresun City tour or nature? Two hour-by-hour alternative routes for a single day, with pros and cons. 6 min · 0 – 800 m Timing When to Visit Giresun? Month by month: weather, highland roads, anchovy season, festivals and how crowded it gets. 7 min · 0 – 2,000 m Getting there How to Get to Giresun? Ordu-Giresun Airport, bus times, road distances and getting around the city. 6 min · 0 – 150 m Where to stay Where to Stay in Giresun? Centre, coastal districts, highlands and Şebinkarahisar: which area suits whom, and when to book. 6 min · 0 – 1,800 m

Highlands 6

OverviewGiresun Highlands GuideKümbet, Bektaş, Kulakkaya, Sisdağı and Gölyanı: which one suits whom, with roads, seasons and festivals.9 min · 1,400 – 2,000 m 1,640 mKümbet HighlandGiresuns best-known highland: easy road, facilities, a July festival. The easiest option for first-timers.7 min · 1,400 – 1,700 m 1,600 mBektaş HighlandThe most photographed highland: colourful wooden houses, open views and mist that lifts in the morning.6 min · 1,400 – 1,750 m 1,500 mKulakkaya HighlandThe highland inside a spruce forest: shaded and cool, ideal for walking and for staying over.6 min · 1,300 – 1,600 m 1,800 mSisdağı HighlandThe highland that lives up to its name: mist descends in the afternoon. Go for atmosphere, not a clear view.6 min · 1,600 – 1,900 m 3,107 mKaragöl: Glacial LakesThe roof of the province, with glacial lakes. A serious hike with safety rules, not a day-trip picnic.7 min · 2,400 – 3,107 m

Water and nature 6

WaterfallsGiresun WaterfallsKuzalan, Yedi Değirmenli, Çağlayan and Yenice, sorted by difficulty and access, with fees and the fullest season.7 min · 300 – 900 m LakesKaragöl and MavigölFrom the easy valley-floor Mavigöl and travertines to the glacial lakes of Karagöl at 3,107 metres.7 min · 700 – 3,107 m TravertinesGöksu TravertinesThe Black Seas Pamukkale: turquoise pools amid green mountains, and you can go into the water.6 min · 600 – 800 m The seaCan You Swim in Giresun?Where to swim, the sea temperature and, most importantly, Black Sea rip-current safety.6 min · 0 – 10 m CampingCamping and CaravansNature parks and highland areas, road conditions, water and electricity, season and safety notes.7 min · 0 – 1,900 m TrailsGiresun Walking TrailsEasy family paths, forest routes and the Karagöl summit hike, by difficulty, with equipment and safety.7 min · 0 – 3,107 m

History and culture 11

CastleGiresun CastleThe city summit from Pontus to today: history, the park, the Topal Osman tomb, how to go up and the best hour.7 min · 0 – 130 m The islandGiresun IslandThe Black Seas only island: the Amazon legend, Hellenistic ruins, seasonal boat trips and the Aksu Festival.6 min · 0 – 60 m CastlesGiresuns CastlesFive castles, five stories: Giresun, Tirebolu, Andoz, Bedrama and Şebinkarahisar, by difficulty and access.7 min · 0 – 1,400 m MuseumGiresun MuseumOne buildings three lives: a 19th-century church, a prison, and a museum with finds from the Bronze Age on.5 min · 40 – 80 m Old quarterZeytinlik NeighbourhoodStone streets and 19th-century merchant mansions, with the best hour for photography and the castle walk.5 min · 20 – 120 m FestivalThe Aksu FestivalThe third week of May: spring rituals around the island, their origins, and notes for festival week.5 min · 0 – 60 m HistoryGiresun's HistoryFrom Pontus, Rome and Byzantium to the Ottomans and the Republic, the cherry legend and the hazelnut economy.8 min · 0 – 1,400 m MosquesGiresun's MosquesBehramşah, Fatih, Kurşunlu and the central mosques, from the Seljuks to the Ottomans, with dates and locations.7 min · 0 – 1,400 m ChurchesChurches and MonasteriesThe Meryem Ana rock monastery, the Gogora church and the Kırkharman ruin: a multi-community heritage.7 min · 0 – 1,400 m MonasteryMeryem Ana MonasteryA monastery cut into the rock in Şebinkarahisar, entered through a narrow tunnel. How to get there and visit.5 min · 1,200 – 1,400 m UNESCOThe Whistled Language of KuşköySpeaking across valleys by whistling, a UNESCO-listed heritage. What it is, why it is endangered, and how to visit.7 min · 600 – 900 m

District guides 7

InteriorŞebinkarahisarA different face of Giresun at 1,350 m: castle on the rock, Tamzara, the mosques, the Atatürk House and the monastery.7 min · 1,250 – 1,400 m CoastTireboluThe most photogenic coastal district: St. Jean Castle on the cape, the harbour and shore tea gardens.6 min · 0 – 200 m NatureDereliWhere most of Giresuns nature gathers: waterfall, travertines and lake in one valley, with a one-day route.7 min · 200 – 1,700 m FamilyEspiyeThe Yedi Değirmenli Cave nature park and Andoz Castle: the provinces most practical nature spot for families.6 min · 0 – 600 m WestBulancakThe largest western district: a long shore, the Sarayburnu Mosque and the start of the Kulakkaya highland road.5 min · 0 – 1,500 m CultureGöreleThe home of the Black Sea kemençe: a district experienced through music, horon and local cuisine rather than sites.5 min · 0 – 1,200 m BridgesYağlıdereFirst in Turkey with 12 stone arch bridges, plus the 1816 Ağa Bridge and the abandoned Kırkharman church.6 min · 0 – 900 m

Food and cuisine 5

DishesWhat to Eat in Giresun?Nine genuinely local flavours built on black cabbage, cornmeal, butter and hazelnut, and where to eat them.8 min · 0 – 1,800 m BreakfastBreakfast in GiresunWhere to eat kuymak: the highland, the shore and the centre, with what to order and timing notes.5 min · 0 – 1,700 m FishAnchovy SeasonThe anchovy season is November to January; what to eat in and out of season, and where to find fresh fish.5 min · 0 – 60 m HazelnutGiresun HazelnutWhy the round hazelnut is a quality class of its own, when it is harvested, where to buy and how to choose.6 min · 0 – 700 m SouvenirsWhat to Buy in Giresun?From hazelnut and köme to Tamzara cloth, cornmeal and honey: where to buy and how to carry it home.6 min · 0 – 1,400 m

Trips by interest 5

FamilyGiresun with ChildrenWhich stops are easy with children and which mean steep paths and slippery rock, with toilet, food and safety notes.7 min · 0 – 1,700 m PhotographyPhotography SpotsWhere and at what hour to shoot: the castle, Zeytinlik, Bektas and the travertines, by light and weather.7 min · 0 – 1,900 m WinterGiresun in WinterAre the highlands open in winter? What is open, what is closed, plus the anchovy season and snow notes.6 min · 0 – 600 m Rainy dayA Rainy Day in GiresunIndoor places and the spots that are better in the rain, for one of the rainiest regions in Turkey.6 min · 0 – 600 m RouteGiresun on a Black Sea TourHow many days to give Giresun on a Black Sea tour, with Ordu and Trabzon links and route logic.6 min · 0 – 1,700 m

All 53 guides are now available in English. You can also read them in Turkish on the Turkish blog.