Giresun is a Black Sea coastal city in northeastern Turkey, famous as the legendary homeland of the Amazons and the origin of the hazelnut known to the world as 'giresun fındığı'. Perched on a hillside above the sea, the city blends Byzantine and Ottoman history with lush green mountains and a thriving hazelnut-farming culture. The ancient Giresun Island — the only island on the entire Turkish Black Sea coast — lies just offshore and shelters the ruins of a Byzantine monastery.
Top attractions
The most popular and significant attractions in Giresun.
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1
Giresun Island (Aretias/Giresun Adası)
This is the only island in Turkey's share of the Black Sea, and it carries a heavy weight of Greek mythology: ancient writers linked it to the Amazons and to a temple of Ares, and it appears in the Argonautica as a stop on Jason's voyage. Today it is uninhabited apart from ruins and greenery, reached by a short boat ride from Giresun's harbor. The appeal is less about built sights than standing on a scrap of land that shows up in the oldest Black Sea legends.
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Giresun Castle (Giresun Kalesi)
Perched on the hill directly above the old town, this fortress marks the original defensive point around which Giresun grew, with walls dating back through Byzantine and earlier occupation of the site. Little of the interior structure survives intact, but the walls and terrace remain, and the hill itself is the highest accessible point in the city center. Visitors come mainly for the position rather than for museum-grade ruins.
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Giresun Museum
The museum is housed in a former Greek Orthodox church building in the old town, which is itself part of what's on display: the structure's stone architecture and layout reflect Giresun's pre-1923 Greek Orthodox community before the population exchange. Inside, the collection covers regional archaeology and ethnography, including artifacts recovered from the province's ancient and Ottoman-era sites. It's a small, walkable museum rather than a major regional institution.
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Kümbet Plateau (Kümbet Yaylası)
Kümbet is one of the high yaylas (summer pasture plateaus) in Giresun's mountainous Dereli district, sitting well above the humid coastal city in cooler, greener terrain used historically for grazing and still dotted with wooden yayla houses. In summer it draws people escaping the Black Sea coast's heat and humidity for hiking, picnicking, and the region's plateau festival culture. It's a working highland landscape rather than a manicured park, so the experience is open meadows, forest edges, and mist rolling in and out.
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Zeytinlik Picnic Area
Zeytinlik is a coastal neighborhood area in Giresun set up with picnic tables and green space along the shoreline, giving city residents and visitors a free spot to sit by the water without leaving town. It's a local, everyday-use space rather than a landscaped tourist park, popular for weekend family gatherings and grilling. The draw is simple: shade, sea air, and a low-key alternative to the busier central waterfront.
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Batlama Valley (Batlama Vadisi)
Batlama is a wooded valley cut by the Batlama stream just inland from central Giresun, offering a quick escape into greenery and running water without a long drive. The valley is known locally for trout restaurants built along the creek, where fish are often kept in trout ponds beside the dining tables, plus picnic spots shaded by the surrounding forest. It's a half-day nature stop rather than a major hiking destination.
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Giresun Atatürk Park and Waterfront
This is the main waterfront strip running along the coastal boulevard, the everyday public space where Giresun's residents walk, cycle, and sit out in the evenings with the harbor and Giresun Island in view across the water. It's built around function rather than spectacle — benches, a promenade, tea gardens along the way — and it's the natural place to get an orientation of the city's relationship to the sea. There's no single monument to see; the park is the connective strip between the harbor, the old town hill, and the newer city.
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8
Giresun Grand Mosque (Büyük Cami)
The Büyük Cami is the principal historic mosque of Giresun's old town, serving as the city's main congregational mosque in the older Osmanlı neighborhood near the base of the castle hill. Like many of the city's older religious buildings, it reflects the layered Ottoman-era fabric of this part of Giresun rather than standing out as an architectural showpiece. It functions as a working neighborhood mosque, not a monument set up for visitors.
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9
Limni Lake (Limni Gölü)
Limni Gölü is a small highland lake set in the forested mountains above Espiye, reached by a winding rural road rather than any coastal route. Its water is fed by the surrounding slopes and stays cold even in summer, and the setting is quiet pine-and-beech forest rather than an developed resort. It's the kind of stop travelers make on a highland drive rather than a standalone destination.
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10
Kuzalan Waterfall (Kuzalan Şelalesi)
Kuzalan Şelalesi drops through a narrow, forested gorge near Kuzalan village in Espiye district, one of several waterfalls in the valleys inland from Giresun's coast. A footpath leads down from the road to the base, where the water falls into a rock pool below. It's a short, self-contained outing rather than a long hike.
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Practical information
What you need to know before you go.
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- Giresun Museum is closed on Mondays — plan accordingly, The island boat operates only May–September in fair weather; confirm at the harbor office (+90 454 212 1212), Bring cash for entrance fees — card machines are rare at smaller sites, Comfortable walking shoes are essential; the castle involves a steep uphill walk
Tips for visiting attractions
Make the most of your sightseeing time.
Buy a Turkish Müze Kart (museum card) if visiting multiple sites
valid at Giresun Museum and other state-run museums. The island boat trip is the single most memorable experience; it only runs in calm weather so book the earliest possible day after arrival
Frequently asked questions
Can I visit Giresun Island?
Yes. Boats depart from Giresun main harbor pier from approximately May through September, weather permitting. The crossing takes about 10 minutes each way. Tickets cost ~100–150 TRY (~$3–4.50 USD) and are purchased at the harbourmaster kiosk on the pier.
Is Giresun Castle worth visiting?
Yes — it is the city's most iconic landmark, offering panoramic Black Sea views and Byzantine-era walls. Admission is ~30 TRY (~$0.90 USD) and the walk up takes about 15 minutes from the city center.