Photo: Öner Akgün (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Source Ordu is the largest hazelnut-producing province in Türkiye and a green Black Sea province stretching from the coast to the highland pastures. Its highlights are Boztepe and its cable car, with bird's-eye views of the city and the sea; Jason Point and its church, linked with the legend of the Argonauts; Taşbaşı Church; the Paşaoğlu Mansion Ethnography Museum; Ünye Castle; Ulugöl, a landslide-dammed lake; and the Çambaşı and Perşembe highlands. Ordu pidesi, Ordu tostu and Ordu çakıldak hazelnuts have registered geographical indications.
Last updated:
9 places worth seeing in Ordu, from historic monuments to natural wonders, grouped by type. Open any of them on the map with a single click.
Photo: Demir dude (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A Greek Orthodox church built in 1853 in the Taşbaşı neighbourhood; restored and used as a cultural centre, it stands out for its position overlooking the sea.
View on map
Photo: Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A castle on a steep rocky outcrop at Kaleköy, 5 km south-east of Ünye, thought to have been used in the Pontic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods; there is a rock-cut tomb at its foot.
View on mapIn the Selimiye neighbourhood, the 19th-century mansion of Paşaoğlu Hüseyin Efendi, who migrated from Batumi after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78; since 1987 it has been an ethnography museum displaying local costume, weapons and household goods.
View on map
Photo: Zeynel Cebeci (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A peninsula associated with the legend of the Argonauts, in the village of Çaytepe in Perşembe; it has the 19th-century Jason Church and a lighthouse. It is known as the only peninsula on the Black Sea coast with a church on it, and is a protected site.
View on map
Photo: Tncy.dmrc (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A landslide-dammed lake among forests at an altitude of 1,200 metres in Gölköy; it is the largest lake in the province and turns into a riot of colour in autumn.
View on mapIn Kabadüz, one of the best-equipped highlands in the province, with dozens of highland settlements and wide pastures; highland festivals are held in summer and skiing takes place in winter.
View on mapA small rocky island about 100 metres off the coast at Perşembe; it gives its name to the coastal-road tunnel beside it.
View on map
Photo: Öner Akgün (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Source A hill about 4 km south of the city, known for its viewing terraces with bird's-eye views of Ordu and the Black Sea, its restaurants and its paragliding take-off area. You can go up from the seafront by the cable car that opened in 2011.
View on mapThe highland pasture in Aybastı where a traditional fair, whose origins are believed to date back to the 12th century, and oil wrestling are held every July.
View on mapOrdu lies on the Black Sea coast, among green hills and mountains that rise straight from the sea; the provincial centre is Altınordu. The city’s ancient name was Kotyora, where Xenophon’s Ten Thousand halted on their way home around 400 BC. The region came under the rule, in turn, of the Kingdom of Pontus, Rome, Byzantium, the Danishmendids and the Hacıemiroğulları Principality, and joined the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. In the 19th century, when Greek, Georgian and Turkish communities lived here, Taşbaşı Church (1853) and the Paşaoğlu Mansion, which belonged to a family who came from Batumi after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, are traces of that period. Ordu became a sanjak in 1920 and a province in 1923.
The province’s economy and landscape are identified with the hazelnut: Ordu is the largest hazelnut producer in Türkiye, and the harvest season, which begins in August, is the liveliest time in the countryside. The land rises quickly inland from the coast and reaches wide highlands such as Çambaşı and Perşembe; the Perşembe Plateau Fair in Aybastı, with a history of more than 900 years, is known as one of the oldest highland festivals in Türkiye.
Ordu is one of the rainiest provinces in Türkiye; rain falls all year round and keeps the province lush and green. Ordu-Giresun Airport, built on land reclaimed from the sea jointly with Giresun and opened in 2015, is the first airport built on the sea in Türkiye and in Europe.
Ordu has a mild Black Sea climate with rain in every season. Averages for 1959–2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service:
| Month | Avg. high | Avg. low | Rainfall | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11.0 °C | 4.1 °C | 102 mm | 14 |
| February | 11.1 °C | 4.1 °C | 85 mm | 14 |
| March | 12.3 °C | 5.3 °C | 83 mm | 15 |
| April | 15.3 °C | 8.4 °C | 67 mm | 14 |
| May | 19.2 °C | 12.6 °C | 57 mm | 13 |
| June | 24.2 °C | 16.8 °C | 71 mm | 11 |
| July | 26.9 °C | 19.7 °C | 67 mm | 10 |
| August | 27.5 °C | 20.2 °C | 69 mm | 10 |
| September | 24.4 °C | 17.0 °C | 84 mm | 12 |
| October | 20.3 °C | 13.1 °C | 131 mm | 14 |
| November | 16.7 °C | 9.0 °C | 120 mm | 13 |
| December | 13.2 °C | 6.1 °C | 114 mm | 14 |
The best time to visit is June to September. The highland festivals and the Perşembe Plateau Fair are held in July; the hazelnut harvest begins in mid-August. October and November are the rainiest months. Winters are mild on the coast and snowy in the highlands.
By air: Ordu-Giresun Airport (OGU) lies between Gülyalı and Piraziz, about 20 km from Ordu centre.
By road: Ordu lies on the Samsun–Trabzon coastal road, about 160 km from Samsun and about 45 km from Giresun. The Ordu–Mesudiye road connects to Sivas. There is no railway in the province.
Day 1 – Ordu centre: Take the cable car up to Boztepe for views of the city and the Black Sea; Taşbaşı Church and the Paşaoğlu Mansion. In the evening, a walk along the seafront road and Ordu pidesi.
Day 2 – Jason Point and Ünye: Jason Point and Hoynat Island in Perşembe; then Ünye Castle and the historic houses.
Day 3 – The highlands: The Çambaşı Plateau, or Ulugöl in Gölköy; if you are there in July, the Perşembe Plateau Fair in Aybastı.
At the heart of Ordu cuisine are hazelnuts, corn, black cabbage and highland produce. The delicacies with a registered geographical indication are Ordu pidesi (yağlısı) (buttery pide), Ordu tostu, Ordu içli tava (stuffed pan dish), Ordu pancar (karalahana) çorbası (Swiss chard and black cabbage soup), Ordu zeytinyağlı karalahana sarması (black cabbage rolls in olive oil), Ordu sakarca mıhlaması (sakarca fish with cornmeal), Ordu galdirik (galdirik greens), melocan (melocan greens), fındık tirmidi (hazelnut tirmit) and fırın fasulyesi kavurmaları (oven-baked bean dishes), Ordu fındıklı burma tatlısı (hazelnut burma dessert), Ordu Perşembe ceviz helvası (Perşembe walnut halva), Kabataş helvası, Yalıköy köftesi (Yalıköy meatballs), Mesudiye kuru ekmeği (goliti) (Mesudiye dry bread), Ordu taflan turşusu (cherry laurel pickle) and yayla pancarı turşusu (highland chard pickle), and Ordu dağ çileği reçeli (wild strawberry jam). The registered products are Ordu çakıldak fındığı (Ordu çakıldak hazelnut), Gürgentepe çakıldak fındığı (Gürgentepe çakıldak hazelnut), Ordu kivisi (Ordu kiwi), Akkuş şeker fasulyesi (Akkuş sugar beans), Gürgentepe çoban fasulyesi (Gürgentepe shepherd’s beans) and Ünye izabella üzüm suyu (Ünye Isabella grape juice).
Ordu province has 19 districts. Explore the places to visit, local dishes and transport in each one.
A pide registered with a geographical indication.
A toasted sandwich registered with a geographical indication.
A soup made with black cabbage, registered with a geographical indication.
A dessert registered with a geographical indication.
A halva registered with a geographical indication.
The main stops are Boztepe and the cable car, Taşbaşı Church, the Paşaoğlu Mansion, Jason Point, Hoynat Island, Ünye Castle, Ulugöl, and the Çambaşı and Perşembe highlands.
Hazelnuts, Ordu pidesi, Swiss chard soup, hazelnut burma dessert and kiwi.
You can go up by the cable car from the seafront or by road; the hill is about 4 km from the city.
It is in the village of Çaytepe in the Perşembe district of Ordu.
June to September is the best period; the hazelnut harvest begins in mid-August.
The information in this guide has been compiled from and checked against the sources below (last checked: 8 October 2026). If you spot an error, please let us know.