Giresun sits at the meeting point of two worlds: the Black Sea coast, with its harbors, castles and fishing towns, and the high mountain plateaus behind it, with their green pastures and summer festivals. Both are within easy reach of the town, and the coast road opens up a string of historic places along the sea. This guide covers the best day trips from Giresun, what you will find at each, and how to organize them by bus, dolmuş or hire car.
The Mountain Plateaus: Kümbet and the Yayla World
The classic excursion from Giresun is the drive up into the summer plateaus, and Kümbet, about an hour inland, is the most famous of them. The road climbs through forests and hazelnut orchards into a green world of high meadows, wooden chalets and cold, clean air.
In summer the plateau is the great gathering place of the region, when the shepherds move up with their herds and the yayla festivals bring music, dancing and families from the whole coast. The wooden lodges serve the simple cooking of the mountains, and the nights are cold enough for a fire.
The plateau is at its best from June to September, and the festival days, which vary from year to year, are the most colorful time to come. A day trip gives you the meadows, the air and the atmosphere; an overnight stay adds the true yayla rhythm.
The plateau roads can be busy on festival days, so start early and carry warm clothes; even in August the evenings up high are cold. The return drive in the dusk, with the coast lights appearing below, is a journey in itself.
Tirebolu: The Castle Town of the Coast
East of Giresun along the coast road, the little town of Tirebolu climbs from its harbor up a rock crowned by a medieval castle. The fortress, of Byzantine and Genoese origin, commands the bay and gives the town one of the most dramatic settings on the coast.
The town itself is a pleasant jumble of timber houses, tea gardens and fish restaurants, with a small harbor that is still busy with fishing boats. The castle hill is the main climb, and the view from the walls takes in the whole curve of the bay.
Tirebolu is about an hour from Giresun by dolmuş or bus, and it makes a gentle half-day or full-day trip. The coastal road between the two towns, running through one green valley after another, is itself one of the pleasures of the journey.
Görele: The Folk-Music Town of the Region
Further east along the coast, Görele is a town with an outsized cultural reputation: it is one of the great centers of the Black Sea’s kemençe, the bowed instrument that plays the dance music of the region. The town’s musicians and their music are known across Turkey.
The town itself is a workaday coastal settlement with a pleasant harbor and a historic mosque district, but its real attractions are its music and its atmosphere. In the evenings, the tea gardens of the region often fill with the sound of the kemençe.
For travelers interested in the living culture of the Black Sea, Görele is worth the hour-long journey from Giresun. It is a place where the region’s traditions are not a museum display but a daily fact of life.
If you are lucky, an evening in Görele will catch an impromptu gathering of musicians, and the kemençe will play for the dancers of the town. It is the living tradition, and it needs no stage.
Ordu: The Twin City of the West
To the west, the city of Ordu, about an hour and a half from Giresun, is the region’s other hazelnut capital and a lively port in its own right. Its castle hill, its long seafront and its markets make it a pleasant full day out.
Ordu’s old quarter and its tea gardens have a charm of their own, and the city’s position on the coast, with the mountains behind, mirrors Giresun’s. The two cities are close enough that many visitors base themselves in one and see the other in a day.
The coastal road between them runs through the hazelnut orchards that cover the hillsides, and in the harvest season the roadside is busy with the crop. Ordu is easy to reach by bus, and it is the most substantial of the day trips west of Giresun.
Ordu’s hillside tea gardens have some of the best views on the coast, and its market is the place for the hazelnut sweets of the region. The two cities make natural partners for a longer exploration.
şebinkarahisar: The Fortress of the Interior
Inland and to the south, the old fortress town of şebinkarahisar sits high above the valleys at the head of the region’s mountain roads. Its great castle, one of the most impressive in the region, crowns a volcanic rock above the town.
The town itself is a market center with a long history, and the castle and the surrounding gorge make it the most dramatic of the inland excursions. The drive from Giresun climbs steadily, and the views over the valleys are spectacular.
şebinkarahisar is a longer trip, about two hours each way, and the road is mountainous, so it suits travelers with a hire car and a full day. The fortress, the fresh air and the quiet mountain town repay the effort.
The road to the town climbs through the region’s mountain scenery, and the fortress above the town is one of the most dramatic in the northeast. Allow time to walk the walls and the gorge below.
The Coast Road: A Day of Harbors and Beaches
If you have a car, one of the best days from Giresun is simply to drive the coast road, stopping at the harbors and beaches as the mood takes you. The road runs along the shore for much of the way, with the green mountains on one side and the sea on the other.
The small fishing harbors between the towns have their own character, and in summer the beaches and coves fill with swimmers. The tea gardens along the route serve the region’s tea, and the fish restaurants grill the day’s catch.
This is the most flexible day trip from Giresun, and the one that best captures the everyday beauty of the coast. Pack a towel, take your time, and let the road decide the itinerary.
The coast road is best taken slowly, with stops at the small harbors and the tea gardens along the way. In the summer months the beaches fill, and in the spring the road is quiet and green.
Organizing Your Day Trips: Transport and Practicalities
The coast road is well served by buses and dolmuşes, and Tirebolu, Görele and Ordu are all easy to reach by public transport from the Giresun otogar. The plateau excursions and the inland trips to şebinkarahisar are best done by hire car, which also gives you the freedom of the coast road.
Hire cars are available in Giresun, and the town’s position on the highway makes it a convenient base for exploring both directions. Check the mountain roads before driving to the plateaus, which can be affected by weather even in summer.
Start early for the longer trips, carry water and layers for the change in altitude, and plan your return before dark. With those basics, the day trips from Giresun are among the most rewarding on the whole Black Sea coast.
The hills behind the coast are one vast hazelnut orchard, and the back roads through them are a day trip in themselves, green, quiet and entirely without crowds.
In the harvest season, from August to September, the villages are alive with the gathering and drying of the crop, and the roadsides are spread with the nuts in the sun. It is the region’s great annual working festival.
Drive slowly, stop in the villages, and buy a bag of nuts from a farm gate. The hazelnut country is the heart of Giresun, and a day among the orchards shows you the region as it really lives.
The region’s public transport is built around the towns rather than the sights, so check the return times before you go out to the villages. With a hire car the whole coast and the mountains are yours.
The Hazelnut Country Drives
The hills behind the coast are one vast hazelnut orchard, and the back roads through them are a day trip in themselves, green, quiet and entirely without crowds.
In the harvest season, from August to September, the villages are alive with the gathering and drying of the crop, and the roadsides are spread with the nuts in the sun. It is the region’s great annual working festival.
Drive slowly, stop in the villages, and buy a bag of nuts from a farm gate. The hazelnut country is the heart of Giresun, and a day among the orchards shows you the region as it really lives.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best day trip from Giresun?
The plateau excursion to Kümbet is the classic choice, giving you the high meadows, the wooden chalets and, in summer, the yayla festivals that define the region’s mountain culture. For a coastal day, the castle town of Tirebolu is the most atmospheric and the easiest to reach.
Do I need a car for day trips from Giresun?
Not for the coastal towns: Tirebolu, Görele and Ordu are all served by regular buses and dolmuşes from the otogar. A hire car is recommended for the mountain plateaus and for şebinkarahisar, where the inland roads and the freedom of a car make the trips far more enjoyable.
When is the best time for the plateau trips?
June to September is the plateau season, when the meadows are green, the chalets are open and the yayla festivals take place. July and August are the liveliest months, with the most visitors and events; May and early June are quieter and greener, though some mountain roads can still be affected by weather.
All Over Information
The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.
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