Rize is a city in the Eastern Karadeniz region, on Turkey's Black Sea coast, with a population of 122,000 in 2022. It has limited attractions for tourists but is a good base for exploring the northeast.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Rize is best known for cultivation of tea: the climate of the northeast coast is the most suitable in the country. This is serious business: Turks are among the heaviest tea drinkers per capita in the world, very little is imported, and almost all of it is produced here.
Much of Rize can be accessed on foot, but it sprawls a long way east and west. Dolmuşes ply the main streets.
1 Seyh Mosque built in 1711 is the city's main mosque. Rize Museum, Palmiye Sk 4 (50 m west of Rize Museum), ☏ +90 464 214 0235. Tu-Su 08:00-16:30. Small museum of local history. Free. (updated Jun 2025) Yeni Orta Mosque, built in 1941, is plain outside, with a tatty line of shops at street level, but handsome within. The entrance is on Hal Sk opposite Grand 464 Otel. 2 Ataturk House, Kirazlık Cd 16, ☏ +90 464 214 0429. Tu-Su 08:00-16:30. House where Atatürk stayed on a visit of 1924, with ethnography exhibition. Free. (updated Jun 2025) 3 Rize Castle, Piri Reis Cd. Daily 08:00-00:00. Gnarly 13th century ruin perched on a hilltop with city views. Free.
Şafak Lunapark is a weary-looking children's amusement park on the downtown waterfront. Football: Çaykur Rizespor play soccer in Süper Lig, the top tier. Their Rize City (aka Çaykur Didi) Stadium (capacity 15,200) is on the seafront 6 km east of city centre. Beach: sorry, no. Land has been reclaimed all along the shore, for instance to build the main highway, so the sea comes right up to the concrete foundations.
Lots of eateries along the main east-west streets through tow, no stand-out. Local specialties include muhlama (cheese melted into oatmeal), hamsi boreği (a tortilla of fried bread, anchovies and rice), and alabalik (trout).
Tea, the national drink, is produced here. Ziraat Tea Garden (Ziraat Çay Bahçesi), On a bosky hillside at Narenciye Sk 16. Open daily 08:00-23:00. It's a conservative city, few places serve alcohol.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Aug, Rize typically sees ~27°C daytime highs and 17 rainy days.
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