Artvin is a rugged mountain province in northeastern Turkey, bordered by Georgia to the east and the Black Sea coast to the north. The province shelters a remarkable concentration of medieval Georgian Orthodox churches and monasteries hidden in forested valleys, alongside the Çoruh River — one of the world's fastest-flowing rivers and a world-class whitewater rafting destination. Dense chestnut and pine forests cloak the slopes of the Kaçkar and Karçal mountain ranges, while high plateaus offer cool summer escapes and pastoral landscapes that have changed little in centuries.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Trabzon & Sümela Monastery
This pairs a Black Sea provincial capital with one of Turkey's most striking religious sites: a Greek Orthodox monastery built directly into a cliff face in the Altındere valley above Maçka. The monastery's frescoed chapel and multi-storey rock-cut structure are the reason to make the trip; Trabzon city gives you a coastal counterpoint with its own Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia church-museum. Because Sümela sits an hour or so inland and uphill from Trabzon, this is really two stops combined into one long day, not a single easy outing.
Highlights: Sümela Monastery - cliff-face monastery with surviving fresco cycles inside the rock church · Altındere Valley National Park - the forested gorge the monastery overlooks, with a walking approach to the site · Hagia Sophia, Trabzon - a 13th-century Byzantine church, now a museum, with its own fresco programme distinct from Sümela's · Boztepe - the hill above Trabzon city used for a wide view over the town and the Black Sea coastline
Georgia Day Trip via Sarp Border
The Sarp crossing is a functioning international land border, and Batumi, Georgia's Black Sea resort city, sits close enough beyond it to work as a same-day trip from Artvin. The appeal is the contrast: an Ottoman-Black Sea Turkish province giving way, within half an hour of the border, to a Georgian seaside city with its own Soviet-era and post-2000s architecture, casinos, and a different alphabet and cuisine. This only works smoothly if your nationality doesn't require a Georgian visa in advance - check your own passport's status before planning the day around it.
Highlights: Batumi Old Town - the historic core with its mix of 19th-century European-style buildings and Georgian street life · Batumi Boulevard - the long seafront promenade along the Black Sea, the city's main public space · Europe Square - a central plaza and a natural point to start exploring the old town on foot · Alphabet Tower - a tall tower spelling out the Georgian script, a distinctive modern Batumi landmark
Borçka Karagöl Lake
This is a landslide-dammed lake sitting inside Karagöl-Sahara National Park, reached via the Camili (Macahel) valley, one of the more intact forest areas in this part of the Black Sea mountains. The draw is the setting rather than any single monument: dense mixed forest coming right down to still, dark water, with walking trails around the shore. Camili itself is known regionally for traditional forest beekeeping, which gives the drive in its own point of interest beyond the lake.
Highlights: Karagöl (Black Lake) - the landslide-formed lake at the heart of the national park, with a shoreline path · Karagöl-Sahara National Park forest - old-growth mixed forest surrounding the lake, part of the wider Macahel/Camili biosphere reserve · Camili village - the valley settlement known for traditional log-hive beekeeping, worth a stop on the way in or out
Şavşat Georgian Church Circuit
Şavşat district holds several of the medieval Georgian churches that once served the historic Georgian principality of Tao-Klarjeti, scattered across a district best known otherwise for high pastureland and forest. The churches themselves are working structures of local stone, most with partial roofs and walls still standing rather than restored monuments, so this trip rewards people interested in medieval architecture and the region's Georgian-Christian history rather than travellers wanting a polished heritage site. Meydancık Castle, above Şavşat town, adds a defensive counterpoint to the religious sites.
Highlights: Tbeti Church (Cevizli village) - a 10th-century Georgian church, one of the better-preserved structures from the Tao-Klarjeti period in this district · Meydancık Castle - a hilltop fortification above Şavşat town with views over the surrounding valleys · Şavşat town centre - the district seat, useful as a base for orienting between the scattered village church sites
Rize Tea Country
Rize province is the centre of Turkey's tea industry, and the terraced hillsides of tea bushes running down to the Black Sea coast are the actual sight here - this is a landscape trip built around agriculture rather than a single monument. Rize city itself, the provincial capital, has a hilltop castle and a tea research institute that gives context to what you're driving past all day. It works well combined with a stop in the Fırtına Valley if you want to add a Genoese-Ottoman fortress to the day.
Highlights: Rize tea terraces - the hillside plantations that define the province, best seen from the roads climbing inland from the coast · Rize Castle - a hilltop fortress in Rize city giving a view over the tea-covered hills and the coast · Zil Kale (Zilkale) - a stone castle in the Fırtına Valley, reachable as a detour if you have time beyond the tea country itself
Yusufeli & Barhal Valley
Yusufeli is a relocated town - the historic centre was resettled uphill after the Yusufeli Dam flooded the old valley floor - and it now serves mainly as the gateway to the Barhal (Altıparmak) valley behind it, a trekking corridor running up toward the Kaçkar Mountains. The valley's centrepiece is the Barhal Church, a 10th-century Georgian church built when this area formed part of Tao-Klarjeti, still standing in Barhal village among walnut trees. This suits travellers who want at least a short walk rather than a purely sightseeing day.
Highlights: Barhal Church (Church of St John the Baptist) - a 10th-century Georgian stone church in Barhal village, one of the most complete of the region's Georgian churches · Barhal (Altıparmak) village - the valley settlement that serves as the trailhead for routes into the Kaçkar range · New Yusufeli town centre - the rebuilt town above the reservoir created by the Yusufeli Dam, worth a look for context on the area's recent flooding
Ardanuç & Dolishane Monastery
Ardanuç is the closest of these trips to Artvin city and centres on Dolishane, a 10th-century Georgian monastery church that's one of the better-preserved religious buildings from the historic Tao-Klarjeti period in this district. The town also has its own hilltop castle, giving the trip a second, shorter stop. Because it's the nearest option on this list, it works well as a half-day trip rather than needing a full day.
Highlights: Dolishane Monastery church - a 10th-century Georgian church with carved stone detailing on its exterior, among the more intact examples of the period in the district · Ardanuç Castle - a hilltop fortress above the town with a view over the Ardanuç valley · Ardanuç town centre - a small district seat useful as a lunch stop between the castle and the monastery
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
Items
Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
Multi-day tours from Artvin
If you have longer than a day, these are organised multi-day trips that start here.
Browse multi-day tours from ArtvinWe may earn a commission from bookings made through this link.
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Start early — most popular day-trip destinations get crowded by mid-morning.
Check return transport times before you leave — missing the last train or bus can be costly.
Carry water, snacks, and layers — weather and food options can be limited at smaller destinations.