If you are staying a few days in Giresun, it makes sense to use the city as a base and take day trips around it. The coast road is straight and fast, while the interior is mountain road and slower. Below I have gathered four directions, their approximate times and what is worth seeing.
West: towards Ordu
Heading west along the coast road, the neighbouring province of Ordu is about an hour away. On the way are the Piraziz and Bulancak shores. Before crossing into Ordu, on the Giresun side you can see the Sarayburnu Mosque and the Bulancak seafront. A relaxed, sea-view direction; the day trip that needs the least effort.
East: the Tirebolu and Görele line
To the east the coast road passes Espiye, Tirebolu and Görele in turn. The highlight of this line is the St. Jean (Tripolis) Castle and harbour at Tirebolu; visiting the castle and eating fish on the terrace below makes a pleasant half-day. Turning inland from Görele leads to Sisdağı. The Uluburun cove is also on this direction.
South: a Şebinkarahisar day
South from the city, into the interior, a drive of about two hours reaches Şebinkarahisar. This deserves a full day: the Şebinkarahisar Castle carved into the rock mass, the Meryem Ana Monastery cut into the cliff, the Tamzara neighbourhood and the historic mosques. Where the Black Sea meets inner Anatolia, this region offers a completely different landscape from the coast. Set out early, the road is long.
Up: highland days
In summer the most popular day trip is the highlands. Kümbet and Kulakkaya are the closest to the city (about 1.5-2 hours). They can be combined with the water stops (Kuzalan, Mavigöl, Göksu). Bektaş and Sisdağı are a little further but their views are worth it. On highland days, setting out early avoids both the crowds and the afternoon mist.
How to plan
A simple rule: plan the coastal directions (Ordu, Tirebolu) as shorter trips and the interior and distant-highland directions (Şebinkarahisar, far highlands) as full days. Average speed drops on mountain roads, so look at time rather than distance. Seeing the stops district by district on the map is the most practical way to combine nearby ones into a single day.
On the map
On the map you can see the stops district by district and combine the ones close to each other into a single day.
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