Giresun is a small city with an outsized collection of experiences: a castle on a green hill, an island in the bay, an old quarter of timber houses, and a harbor that still works for a living. The town is compact enough that most of these things fit into a single day, but each one rewards a little time. This list runs through the best things to do in Giresun, in the order that makes the most sense for a visit.
1. Climb to Giresun Castle
The castle on the hill above the town is the essential Giresun experience. Its walls and towers rise from the green slope, and the climb from the old quarter takes about half an hour through gardens and terraces.
From the top, the whole town is laid out below: the harbor, the old quarter, the island in the bay, and the green mountains inland. Go in the late afternoon for the golden light, and stay until the town begins to light up below you.
The castle is at its most dramatic in the late afternoon, when the light rakes across the walls and the sea behind the town catches the sun. Allow a full hour at the top, walking the walls and looking down into the old quarters.
The castle is also the starting point of the town’s story: the ancient walls, the cisterns and the old quarters around its foot all belong to the same long history. Walking its circuits, you understand why the town grew exactly where it did.
2. Wander the Old Quarter of Zeytinlik
Below the castle, the lanes of Zeytinlik wind through a neighborhood of Black Sea timber houses, many of them restored, some of them still family homes. The wooden houses with their shingled roofs are among the finest traditional architecture on the coast.
The quarter is full of small surprises: tea gardens between the houses, sudden views of the sea, workshops and quiet courtyards. Give yourself an hour or two and let the streets decide your route.
In the early morning the quarter is at its quietest and most beautiful, with the light soft and the lanes empty. The restored houses make the best photographs, and the gardens between them hold some of the town’s best breakfast tables.
3. Take a Boat to Giresun Island
Giresun Island, the only inhabited island on the Turkish Black Sea coast, lies a short boat ride from the harbor. Known in antiquity as Aretias, it carries the ruins of a monastery and the little church of Saint George.
Boat trips run from the harbor in summer, and the crossing gives you the town from the sea. On the island you can walk the ruins, watch the birds, and swim from the shore in the warm months.
The crossing is part of the experience, with the castle and the town receding behind you and the open sea ahead. Take water and shoes for the shore, and give yourself a couple of hours on the island.
4. Visit the Museum in the Old Church
The Giresun Museum is housed in the former Gogora Church, a nineteenth-century Greek Orthodox building in the center of town. The collections cover the archaeology and ethnography of the Black Sea region, from the ancient Greek cities of the coast to the Ottoman centuries.
The building itself, with its stone walls and pointed arches, is worth the visit, and the displays are thoughtfully arranged. It is the best place in town to understand the deep history of this coast.
The museum is small enough to see comfortably in an hour, and its collections give the town’s history a human face. The building itself, with its church architecture, is one of the most distinctive museum settings on the coast.
5. Walk the Harbor and Watch the Boats
The harbor is the everyday heart of Giresun: fishing boats unloading their catch, tea shops along the quay, and the constant coming and going of a working port. Watching it all from a tea garden is one of the town’s simplest pleasures.
In the evening the waterfront fills with families taking the air, and the fish restaurants along the shore grill the day’s catch. The harbor is at its liveliest at dusk.
The harbor is also the starting point for the region’s ferries and the daily life of the port, which gives it an authenticity that purpose-built marinas lack. Sit long enough and you will see the whole rhythm of the town pass by.
6. See the Mansions of the Merchant Age
The restored mansion of Hacı Hıseyin and the other historic houses of Giresun show how the town’s wealthy merchants and officials lived in the Ottoman centuries. These timber mansions, with their carved details and hillside gardens, are the domestic counterparts of the castle above.
A slow walk from the old quarter through the mansion district connects the town’s architecture into one story. The houses are the most photographed buildings in Giresun after the castle itself.
The houses of the merchants tell the story of Giresun’s nineteenth-century prosperity, built on the hazelnut trade. Their restoration has been a labor of love, and walking among them is like reading the town’s fortunes in timber.
7. Eat the Food of the Black Sea
The cooking of Giresun is the cooking of the eastern Black Sea: anchovies, black cabbage, corn bread and the melted-butter cornmeal dishes of the region. The fish restaurants at the harbor and the lokantas of the center serve it all with honesty and local pride.
Breakfast is a feast of cheese, honey and corn bread, and the pastry shops turn out the sweet breads of the region. Follow the locals and you will eat very well.
The food of Giresun is at its best in the seasons: the anchovies of winter, the greens of spring, the fruit of summer and the hazelnuts of autumn. Order with the season and you will eat as the town eats.
8. Explore the Hazelnut Country
The hills behind Giresun are one vast hazelnut orchard, and the town’s economy, its markets and its identity all turn on the nut. In the harvest season, from August to September, the whole region is busy with the gathering and drying of the crop.
Visit the market to see the trade in action, buy a bag of the fresh nuts, and in autumn catch the hazelnut festival that celebrates the harvest along the waterfront. It is the taste of Giresun itself.
The orchards cover the hills in every direction, and even the drive between the coastal towns runs through them. The trade is visible everywhere, from the warehouses of the port to the sacks in the market.
9. Drive into the Mountain Plateaus
Behind the coastal hills, the mountain plateaus of the Giresun region open onto high summer pastures, where shepherds still move their herds and the yayla festivals bring the whole region together. The plateau of Kümbet, about an hour inland, is the classic excursion.
The drive climbs through forests and orchards into a green world of mountain meadows, wooden chalets and cold air. In summer the plateaus are the favorite escape of the coast, and their festivals are among the great cultural events of the Black Sea.
The drive to the plateaus is a climb of a thousand meters in about an hour, and the change is abrupt: the air cools, the views open, and the world of the coast falls away below you. It is the classic escape of the region.
The plateaus are also the place for the region’s festivals, when the music of the Black Sea plays in the high pastures and the dancers of the coast gather. If your visit coincides with one, the drive is doubly worth it; the yayla festivals are the great gatherings of the region’s summer.
10. Watch the Sunset from the Old Quarter
The old quarter of Zeytinlik has some of the best evening views in town, with the sea, the harbor and the island framed between the timber houses. As the light fades, the castle above and the boats below take on a quiet, golden beauty.
End the day in a tea garden in the old quarter, with the lights of the harbor coming on below. It is a calm, beautiful way to finish a day in Giresun, and the view will stay with you.
The old quarter’s lanes frame the sea between the houses, and the castle above catches the last light. It is the quietest moment of the day in Giresun, and the one that photographs best.
The sunset view from the old quarter is best combined with an evening walk down to the harbor, where the fish restaurants and the tea gardens take over. It is a short, beautiful descent, and it ends the day exactly where the town’s life is.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need for Giresun’s main sights?
The main sights, including the castle, the old quarter, the museum and the harbor, fit comfortably into one full day. With a second day you can add the boat trip to the island and an excursion to the mountain plateaus, which makes two nights the ideal length of stay.
Can I visit Giresun Island all year round?
Boat trips to the island run mainly in the summer months, when the weather and the sea are settled. In spring the island is a stopover for migrating birds, but crossings depend on conditions. Outside the season, the island is best seen from the shore or from the castle viewpoint.
What is Giresun most famous for?
Giresun is the hazelnut capital of Turkey, and the nut is the heart of the town’s economy and culture. It is also known for its castle, its island, its timber-house old quarter and its position on one of the most beautiful stretches of the Black Sea coast.
All Over Information
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