Places to Visit in Giresun and Giresun Travel Guide

The first stop of my trip to the Caucasus, which I planned to last 1,5 months. GiresunIt is one of the beautiful corners of the Eastern Black Sea Region with its cherries, hazelnuts and plateaus. What I experienced during my time in Giresun, Things to do in Giresun You will find my recommendations for this article.

How to go to Giresun?

If you are going from Istanbul to Giresun like me, the fastest and most practical is to go to Ordu-Giresun Airport by plane. More than one airline has direct flights to Ordu-Giresun Airport. I came to Giresun from Istanbul by plane at 08:05 in the morning. You can reach Giresun city center from Ordu-Giresun Airport by Havaş, 12TL.

Places to Visit in Giresun Center

Abdulkadir, whom we have been acquainted with for many years through social media, greeted me in Giresun. After all, when I said I was going to Giresun, he said "I'll show you around", thank you. I entrusted myself to him.

Among the places to visit in Giresun city center; There is Giresun Museum, Virgin Mary Monastery and Giresun Castle. Although Giresun Island is the only island in the Black Sea, there is no exit to the island. There are cruise boats around the island, you can look at them if you have time.

Giresun Castle

Giresun CastleA place worth seeing in the city centre. You can see both east and west of Giresun from the castle. There is also a tomb/monument of Topal Osman Ağa in the castle. Osman Ağa, who received the title of lame because he lost his leg in the Balkan War, is a commander who also played an important role in the War of Independence.

Places to Visit around Giresun

Since I only went to Giresun for one day, after our tour in the city, we set out for Erimez Plateau, which is close to the center. The road from Giresun to Erimez was the old Sivas-Giresun road, and this road was built by Halil Rıfat Pasha, who is considered the ancestor of the highway in Turkey, for Sivas to reach the port. While constructing the road, he had foreign architects brought in from abroad and asked them to construct a road facing south, where 2 vehicles could easily pass at the same time, and the education level would not exceed 6%. Due to this approach, he is considered a veteran of highway construction.

Bride Rock

Taşhan, which was used as an inn in the past but is now a new building, is located on the Sivas road. After Taşhan, Bride Rock. Bride Rock has a sad story; It is said that she turned into this stone after a young girl who was wanted to be forced into marriage said that she would become a stone instead of getting married.

Ermez Plateau

When we reached Erimez Plateau, we took a breakfast break. This is a green plateau where chestnut forests blend with beech forests. Even though we didn't have a chance to spend a long time because it started to rain when we went there, it was very enjoyable even to watch the rain.

Akcali Village

Our next stop after Erimez Plateau was Akçalı Village, the village of Brother Abdulkadir. Akçalı Village is famous for its school building, which was built by the people of the village right after the letter revolution, saying let's learn the new alphabet. The end date of the school is 1932. However, after the transportation system, the school was abandoned to its fate. I couldn't help but wish that this building, which has a beautiful building and a magnificent history, would not be demolished.

Yavsan Valley | Root House Restaurant

Our last stop was Kök Ev restaurant located in Yavşan Valley. Here you can find many dishes from local dishes to meat dishes. However, the main feature is the fact that the whole structure is made of wood and the sculptures made by the owner of the place, Ergün, from tree roots. That's why it's called the root house. This place by the creek is very pleasant to take a lunch break. There will be accommodation in the future, let me give good news already 🙂

I did not have the opportunity to go to the famous highlands in Giresun, but if you want to investigate, the most famous ones are Kümbet Highland and Sis Mountain Highland. Maybe I'll see them on another trip. It is possible to go to Giresun Highlands by minibuses from the city center, apart from your own vehicle. You can call the minibus stop to get information about the departure days and times of the minibuses. Phone: 04544113028

Tripolis

My next stop after Giresun was Tirebolu. The distance between Tirebolu and Giresun, which I reached in the evening, takes about 1 hour by minibus. It is 9TL to go to Tirebolu by minibuses departing from Giresun city center. When I woke up the next morning in Tirebolu, I went alone to explore the city this time. There is also a Genoese castle in Tirebolu in the city center, there is nothing else 🙂 You can have your tea in front of the castle at the kiosks on the beach. Luckily, the day I went was Friday, so there was a Sunday. So I had the chance to visit the market. My favorites in the market were the so-called Gümüşhane Black Bread and the cheeses pressed on the skin.

I stayed at Teacher's House in Tirebolu, private room price was 35TL (July 2018 price), no breakfast. When I couldn't find a place in the center of Tirebolu for breakfast, I managed with toast 🙂

What to Eat in Giresun?

Giresun is a place that grows both hazelnuts and tea, everyone already knows these. But did you know that Giresun's name comes from cherry and that it is a cherry variety unique to Giresun? I didn't know, I found out. This white/yellow cherry is consumed not only as a fruit but also as a meal. They have a dish called cherry salt, which I tasted for the first time. The cherries are first pressed in salty water, then roasted with onions and turned into a meal.

The pickle roast we are accustomed to seeing throughout the Black Sea is also available in Giresun. There is also a dish made with rice called “dible”, which I have not tried before. If a steamed dish is made with beans, it's called "bean dip". I don't know what else it is used for, if anyone knows, it would be great if they could add it as a comment.

Tirebolu is famous for its pide. I didn't try the pita since I only stayed for breakfast, but everyone suggested a lot 🙂

You can find other notes of my Black Sea trip from the links below:

• Giresun, the City Named after Cherry, Places to visit in Giresun
• Hidden Gem Santa Ruins
• Mysterious Trabzon Monasteries 
• The Most Beautiful Rize Plateaus
• Artvin Highlands

Stay tuned, stay on track 😉