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Car rental in Trabzon is the gateway to Türkiye's mountain north-east. This is the Black Sea, wetter than the Mediterranean — near-daily rain, around 750 mm a year, fog above 800 metres. The car's job here is mountain day-trips: Sumela, Uzungöl, Ayder, the Hemşin plateaus.
Trabzon is the one Turkish stop where the first check at handover is whether the fog lights and wipers actually work.
The airport (TZX) sits inside the city — 5–6 km from the centre, 10–15 minutes along the coastal D010. Rental desks are in the arrivals hall and most operators run 24/7 to cover late flights from Istanbul. From kerb to driving seat is fifteen minutes — a rare case where airport pickup is as easy as a city pickup.
Hotel delivery map
Hotel delivery in Trabzon doesn't follow the usual Mediterranean pattern. Most travellers spend the first night in central Trabzon (Radisson Blu, Ramada Plaza, Park Dedeman, Zorlu Grand, Hampton by Hilton) and have the car handed over either there, or straight up in the mountains.
City zone: free or €15–25
Delivery to central Trabzon hotels is normally free. TZX and hotels within ~7 km — no charge. Akçaabat to the west, Rize on the road east (60 km) — €15–25.
Mountain zone: €40–80, sometimes more
Uzungöl (100 km, 2.5–3 hours of serpentine) — €40–60. Ayder via Rize and Çamlıhemşin (130 km, ~3 hours) — €50–80. Hopa near the eastern border (200 km along the D010) — €100+, only worth it on non-standard itineraries.
A couple landed at TZX at 23:40 and were driving towards Uzungöl by midnight — they had the car waiting on the upper terrace by mid-morning instead of doing the serpentine after a red-eye.
The logic: inside Trabzon and as far as Rize, delivery is cheap or free; beyond that, into the mountains, the price scales with how long the driver spends on the road. If your plan is two nights in Uzungöl straight off the flight, book delivery up there. Driving an unfamiliar serpentine on a hire car after a red-eye is not a bargain.
Frequent Questions
TZX sits inside the city — 5–6 km from the centre, 10–15 minutes along the coastal D010. Rental desks are in the arrivals hall and most chains run 24/7.
50 km / about 1 hour on the E97 with the turn-off at Maçka. Tarmac all the way, no serious serpentine. Lower car park ₺15–25, shuttle up ₺35.
100 km / 2.5–3 hours. The first 50 km on the coastal D010 is fast. The last 50 km from the Of turn-off is a narrow mountain serpentine — hairpins, sections without crash barriers. An overnight is the smarter call.
130 km / ~3 hours: D010 to Rize, then inland through Çamlıhemşin. Thermal springs, Hemşin villages, plateaus at 2,000+ metres. July–August is the window for the high plateaus.
Yes. Uzungöl runs €40–60, Ayder €50–80, Hopa €100+. Inside Trabzon and as far as Rize — usually free or €15–25.
The wettest region in the country, ~750 mm/year. Rain possible in any month. Fog above 800 m is normal and arrives quickly on the plateaus. Take a mid-range or SUV with an automatic; fog lights are non-negotiable.
A UK or EU photocard licence is accepted at the major chains. A 1968-convention IDP from the Post Office (£5.50) gives you a margin of safety with rural police and at smaller local desks. For non-Latin-script licences, an IDP is required.
The international chains require a credit card in the main driver's name with €500–1500 of available headroom for the deposit hold. Local operators accept UK debit cards (Revolut, Wise) and cash deposits.
International chains: €500–1500 depending on operator, held on credit card. Locals: $200 in cash or on a debit card.
Basic CDW + TPL is standard. On the Trabzon mountain roads, with rain and gravel, Super CDW with no excess (€7–12/day) is genuinely worth it. Tyres, glass and the underbody are the typical exclusions of the basic policy and exactly what gets damaged here.
21+ with 1 year of licence for economy and mid-range. 25+ with 2 years for vans, SUVs and premium.
Per leading price comparison sites: economy from $19–25/day in shoulder season, mid-range $41–64, SUV $33–94, vans peaking around $82/day in May. Peak demand is July–August.
May, June, September and October — 18–25°C, mountains green, plateaus open, fewer coaches than in July–August. Winter works for the coast and Sumela; the high plateaus are closed under snow.
No — Sumela, Uzungöl, Ayder, Rize and the D010 have no toll points. HGS only matters if you're driving west via Samsun towards Istanbul.
Yes at the international chains. Istanbul — €200–400, Ankara — €150–300, Samsun — €80–150. Distances are long, so a one-way is often pricier than a flight plus a local hire at the other end.