Rize

Rize is a coastal city in northeastern Turkey and the capital of Rize Province, widely known as the country's tea capital. Green hills drop steeply toward the Black Sea, and the region's rainy, subtropical climate shapes its dense tea gardens, rushing rivers and misty highland valleys.

The city has deep roots as the ancient settlement of Rhizus, later part of Byzantine and Ottoman territories. Its heritage includes the partly ruined Rize Castle above the centre, the 16th-century İslampaşa Kurşunlu Mosque, the Atatürk House Museum where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk stayed in 1924, and the Rize Museum with regional ethnographic collections.

Around the compact centre, neighbourhoods such as Merkez, Pazar, Ardeşen and Çamlıhemşin lead travellers toward the Black Sea coast and the Kaçkar Mountains. Key nearby experiences include the Ayder Plateau, the Fırtına Valley, the medieval Zilkale, stone arch bridges and waterfalls, plus highland villages such as Pokut and Gito.

Rize's economy is built on tea cultivation and processing, complemented by Anzer honey, hazelnuts, corn and growing tourism. The Rize–Artvin Airport, opened in 2022, has improved access for the tea trade, regional business and visitors.

For leisure travellers, Rize offers highland trekking, tea-garden visits and local culture, while business visitors come for the tea and agriculture industries, trade and regional events. Its blend of a working Black Sea port city with dramatic mountain escapes makes it distinctive among Turkish destinations.