The Black Sea Caucasus
A 7-day journey through Pontus and eastern Turkey, to places that very few Greeks have experienced firsthand.
It combines Armenian, Greek and Ottoman monuments with spectacular mountain landscapes.
From Lake Van and Akhtamar, to historic Ani, the highlands of Erzurum and Kromni, and on to Panagia Sumela Monastery, Trabzon and Uzungöl,
the route reveals a region of deep history and cultural memory.
The journey includes half board, all transfers, guided tours and entrance fees, with a Greek-speaking tour leader and a small group of up to 16 travellers.
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Travel Identity
- Duration:7 days 6 nights
- Tour Type:Smart
- Departures:October 15 and November 5, 2026
- Flights with Turkish Airlines:Thessaloniki–Van and Trabzon–Thessaloniki, via Istanbul
- Route:Van · Akhtamar · Ani · Kars · Erzurum · Kromni · Argyroupoli · Sumela Monastery · Trabzon · Uzungöl
- Accommodation:Selected 4* and 5* hotels
- Meals:Half board: six breakfasts and six dinners served as a rich buffet
- Included entrances:All entrances included in the program. Akhtamar, Ani, Karaca Cave, Sumela Monastery, Hagia Sophia and Trabzon Museum
- Group Size:Up to 16 travellers
- Genius Care:Greek-speaking tour leader accompanying the group from Thessaloniki and licensed local guide at the monuments
Experiences that make this trip special
- Akhtamar The 10th-century Armenian Church of the Holy Cross, set on an island in Lake Van. Ani The “City of a Thousand Churches,” a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the border with Armenia. Kromni A valley dotted with Orthodox chapels, where Greek names still endure. Sumela Monastery A 1,700-year-old monastery built into a sheer cliff on Mount Mela. Karaca Cave At the beginning of one of the most spectacular mountain routes in Pontus. Trabzon Full-day tour: Theoskepastos, Hagia Sophia, Chrysokephalos, Kapagiannidis Mansion. Uzungöl Lake Saraho at 1,100 metres, surrounded by forests and mist. All entrances included with a group of up to 16 travellers and a Greek-speaking tour leader.
The trip day by day
Thessaloniki – Istanbul – Van
In the Highlands, Where the Journey Begins
Meeting at “Makedonia” Airport and departure with Turkish Airlines for Van, with a connecting stop in Istanbul.
The city stretches along the eastern shore of Turkey’s largest lake, at an altitude of over 1,600 metres. It was the centre of the Kingdom of Urartu long before becoming an Armenian cultural crossroads, and its name is now known around the world for the breed of cat known for its distinctive two-coloured eyes.
Arrival, first introduction to the historic centre and transfer to our hotel.
Van
Dinner
The first evening at 1,600 metres. The air feels different up here — and the conversation around the table, on the first day, is always the best.
Van – Akhtamar – Ani – Kars – Erzurum
The City of a Thousand Churches
After breakfast, we visit Van Castle and the central mosque, an example of early Islamic architecture, followed by a visit to the Cat Museum. We then take the lake route to Aktamar Island, home to the renowned Armenian Church of the Holy Cross, whose 10th-century reliefs cover its entire exterior.
We then head north towards Ani: an entire medieval city lying in ruins amid the steppe, with countless churches, chapels and hermitages, right on the border with Armenia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Via Kars we arrive in Erzurum in the late afternoon. This is the most demanding day of the journey in terms of kilometres — and the most rewarding.
Erzurum
Breakfast, dinner
The silence of Ani. You stand before the 10th-century cathedral, the wind passing through the gaps in its roof, while just a few hundred metres away, across the border, lies Armenia.
Erzurum – Kromni – Argyroupoli
From the Steppe to the Green of Pontus
We explore Erzurum visiting its historic mosque, madrasa and traditional town centre — a city at 1,900 metres, where harsh winters have shaped its architecture.
We then leave the highlands behind and descend towards Argiroupoli and the neighbouring Kromni Valley, where Orthodox chapels still stand among the villages.
This is the moment when the landscape changes dramatically: the dry steppe gives way to the greenery, humidity and forests of Pontus.
Argyroupoli
Breakfast, dinner
Village names you may have heard in the stories of your grandparents, still written on signs throughout a valley that has changed very little.
Argyroupoli – Karaca Cave – Sumela Monastery – Trabzon
The Cliff of Mount Mela
A day that showcases mountainous Pontus in all its grandeur. We begin at Karaca Cave, with its stalactites and stalagmites, and continue along a route through otherworldly yet idyllic landscapes.
The highlight is Sumela Monastery, on Mount Mela, just above the community of Macka: a 1,700-year-old monastery built into a sheer cliff. We begin at the recently renovated chapel of Saint Barbara, where the monks once hid the icon and sacred relics of the monastery, and climb further inside to the Church of the Virgin Mary — built into the cave and covered from end to end with frescoes.
Arrival in Trabzon in the late afternoon and check-in at our hotel, where we will stay for the final three nights.
Trabzon
Breakfast, dinner
The moment you turn the final bend and Sumela appears, clinging to the cliff, with the mist rising from the valley. No photograph can quite capture it.
Trabzon — Full-Day Tour
The Capital of the Grand Komnenoi
A full-day tour of the city. We begin at the Panagia Theoskepastos Monastery on the outskirts of Mithraios Hill, recently renovated and featuring remarkable frescoes, stone-built architecture and unique views. A short audiovisual presentation introduces us to the monastic community and the Komnenos emperors.
We continue to Hagia Sophia, today a mosque, standing at the southern edge of the city, with mosaics, frescoes and intricate decorative compositions, as well as sweeping views of the Black Sea. We cross part of the transverse city walls and ascend to Kryoneri to visit the Kapagiannidis Mansion, the summer residence of a Greek family from the city.
We descend to the central square and the pedestrianised streets of the historic centre. We visit Panagia Chrysokephalos, the metropolitan church where the emperors were crowned, pass through the Zagnos Valley with its traditional houses and conclude our tour at the Trabzon Museum.
Trabzon
Breakfast, dinner
Hagia Sophia with the sea behind it. The afternoon light falls across the frescoes at an angle, and for a few minutes you understand why it was built precisely there.
Trabzon – Uzungöl (Lake Saraho) – Trabzon
In the Plateaus of the Pontic Alps
Immediately after breakfast, we set off for Lake Saraho, Uzungöl, one of the most breathtaking landscapes of the Pontic Alps.
We ascend to the plateau, at an altitude of approximately 1,100 metres, surrounded by forests, wooden houses and mist that comes and goes within the same hour. There is enough time here to walk around the lake and enjoy a coffee at one of the traditional establishments.
We return to Trabzon in the late afternoon.
Trabzon
Breakfast, dinner
A walk around the lake early in the morning, before the other coaches arrive. The mist settles over the surface, and the only sound is the water.
Trabzon – Istanbul – Thessaloniki
The Return
After breakfast, free time depending on the flight schedule, followed by a transfer to the airport for our return flights, with a connecting stop in Istanbul.
Arrival in Thessaloniki in the evening.
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Breakfast
In seven days, you have travelled a route that most people know only through stories.
Everything we've arranged for you
- FLIGHTS & LUGGAGE
- Air tickets with Turkish Airlines: Thessaloniki–Istanbul–Van and Trabzon–Istanbul–Thessaloniki.
- Airport taxes, fuel surcharges and VAT.
- One carry-on bag up to 8kg and one checked bag up to 23kg per passenger.
- ACCOMMODATION & MEALS
- Six nights in selected 4* and 5* hotels or similar: one night in Van, one in Erzurum, one in Argyroupoli and three in Trabzon.
- Half board: six breakfasts and six dinners served as a rich buffet.
- ENTRANCES & GUIDED TOURS
- All transfers, tours and excursions by air-conditioned tourist coach, according to the itinerary.
- All entrance fees to the archaeological sites, monasteries and museums included in the program: Akhtamar Island by boat, Van Castle, Van Cat Museum, Ani, Karaca Cave, Sumela Monastery, Theoskepastos Church, Hagia Sophia in Trabzon, Kapagiannidis Mansion and Trabzon Museum.
- Licensed local guide in accordance with applicable legislation.
- Local municipal taxes at the destinations included in the itinerary.
- TOUR LEADER & SECURITY
- Experienced Greek-speaking tour leader accompanying the group throughout the journey, from Thessaloniki.
- Travel insurance covering up to 70% of the total package value and third-party liability insurance.
- Entrance fees to monuments, museums or sites not mentioned in the detailed itinerary.
- Lunches, drinks during dinners and tips.
- Porterage, personal expenses and any service not explicitly mentioned in the inclusions.
Reserve your seat with a 35% deposit.Balance due up to 14 days before departure.
- Card — up to 6 instalments
- Klarna
- Bank transfer
Payments secured by Worldline