Trabzon Airport to Sümela Monastery Transfer

Your driver waits with a name sign at the exit of the arrivals hall at Trabzon Airport (TZX), in front of the terminal exit. He tracks your flight number; if the flight is delayed, the pick-up time shifts automatically at no extra charge. After landing, 60 minutes of waiting at the airport meeting point are free.

The ride to Sümela Monastery is a private VIP transfer with a 6-seat Mercedes Vito as the base vehicle. Vehicles go as far as the Altındere Valley car park, and from there national park shuttle minibuses take visitors up to the monastery. Your driver waits at the car park for the return. Journeys are available 24/7, and a baby seat is provided free of charge on request.

The distance from Trabzon Airport to Sümela Monastery is 46 km and the drive takes about 54 minutes on a traffic-free, dry road. The route leaves the coastal D010 highway near Trabzon and climbs inland through Maçka towards the Altındere Valley National Park, where the monastery sits at an altitude of 1,200 m.

High season in the Eastern Black Sea runs from June to September, but the highlands receive rain in every month of the year, and fog and rain are common. Between December and March there can be snow on the highland roads, which can add 20 to 40 minutes to the journey. If your flight lands late in the day, note that the Sümela Monastery ticket office closes at 16:30 and visiting hours are 08:00 to 17:00.

The fixed price of 78 EUR per vehicle includes highway and bridge tolls, luggage and driver waiting time. It is charged per vehicle, not per person, and the base class is a 6-seat Mercedes Vito. Payment can be made online by card in advance or in cash to the driver in EUR, USD, GBP or Turkish lira.

Reservations can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before the pick-up. There is a 20 percent night tariff for pick-ups between 22:00 and 06:00, and a 5 percent discount on round-trip bookings. GET4S is a TÜRSAB-licensed travel agency with certificate number 14225, and the drivers speak English. For larger groups or extra luggage, the vehicle class can be adjusted on request.

Sümela Monastery is a Byzantine monastery carved into a steep rock in the Altındere Valley National Park in the Maçka district of Trabzon, at 1,200 m altitude. It received a record 520,000 visitors by 15 September 2026 and is open all 12 months of the year, with visiting hours 08:00 to 17:00 and a ticket office that closes at 16:30. The entrance fee in 2026 is 20 EUR. The car park at Altındere is the transfer point, and shuttle minibuses from the national park cover the final climb. Highland hotels in Maçka and Altındere are also reached by this route.

Public transport is limited: municipal buses and dolmuş minibuses go to Trabzon city centre, but there is no direct public transport from the airport to Uzungöl, Ayder or Sümela. You would need to go to the centre first and then take a district minibus, which takes 3 to 4 hours in total. Airport taxis run on the meter, while GET4S offers a private transfer with a fixed price from 78 EUR per vehicle. Because the distance is 46 km and the drive is about 54 minutes, the private transfer saves both time and the uncertainty of meter fares.