Artvin is a town in the mountains of Eastern Karadeniz region of Turkey. In 2021 it had a population of 26,000.
Understand
[edit]Artvin is 30 km from the coast at a junction of routes through the mountains. For over 1000 years it's had a castle, better for hiding in than defence as passing armies had little difficulty capturing the town. It was part of the Kingdom of Georgia in medieval times, but once Trabzon fell to the Ottomans in 1460 the mountain towns soon succumbed. When the Ottoman Empire crumbled in the 19th century Artvin was ceded back and forth to Russia, before re-joining Turkey in the peace treaties after World War I.
The mountains draw the rain and snow, so above Artvin is surprising lush pasture suitable for dairy farming. Nowadays an even richer cash cow is mountain sports, and by season there's hiking, kayaking and skiing.
Get in
[edit]
Artvin is at a road junction. D010 runs almost the length of the Black Sea coast, until at Hopa it climbs inland to Artvin. (Stay on the coast road to cross into Georgia.) It continues west through the mountains to join D965 to Kars. D950 forks from D010 at Artvin to run south to Erzurum and Diyarbakır.
Buses run twice a day from Istanbul, taking 21 hours via Samsun, Trabzon, Rize and Hopa. Three run from Ankara, taking 15 hours. Bus lines are Luks and Flixbus.
1 Artvin Bus Terminal is at the highway junction one km west of the foot of town, and then it's a long climb to accommodation.
Get around
[edit]You need a vehicle. The distances, gradients and sun are daunting to all but the toughest cyclists.
See
[edit]
- 1 Central Mosque or Çarşı (Market) Mosque is at Çağal Sk 2. The minaret, pulpit and sermon stand are from the original structure of 1861, the rest is a re-build of 1958.
- 2 Çoruh Mosque is on Kültür Sk 5 by the university. Also called Çayağzı or Salih Bey Mosque, it was built in 1792 AD / AH 1207.
- 3 Artvin Castle perches on a crag northwest edge of town. Also called Livana Castle, it was built in 937 AD and reinforced during the Ottoman era. In 2025 there's no access and the path is overgrown.
Do
[edit]- Genya is the mountain just south of town, the most accessible hiking area.
- Mountain sports include kayaking in spring and skiing / snowboarding in winter, in the hills southwest beyond Balcıoğlu. Contact the organisers on Sa or Su on +90 530 542 0608.
- Kafkasör is a Caucasian Bullfighting Fiesta in July. The bulls fight each other. The main events are in Çamlık southwest of Artvin.
Buy
[edit]
Lots of small stores, Şok is the main chain, typically open daily 09:00-21:00.
Eat
[edit]Artvin has a dairy industry so look out for local cheese and butter.
Most eating places are in village centre along Cumhuriyet Cd or the parallel İnönü Cd.
There's a couple across the river from the bus station, use the footbridge.
Drink
[edit]Cafes may serve beer but this is a conservative farming area.
Sleep
[edit]
- Huriye Butik Otel is in town centre at Cumhuriyet Cd 23.
- 1 Villa Da Otel, Kazım Karabekir Cd 101, ☏ +90 466 212 1600. Clean comfy place northwest edge of town. B&B double 3000 TL.
- 2 Koru Butik Otel, Orman Yolu, 1st Sk 2, ☏ +90 466 212 6565. Mostly good reviews for this hotel 2 km west of town. B&B double 3500 TL.
- 3 Katrevan Butik Otel, Kafkasör Sk 42, ☏ +90 534 266 7869. Smart hotel to the south with great views over town and decent restaurant. B&B double 2000 TL.
- 4 Mars Otel, Çiftlik Sk 49, Balcıoğlu, ☏ +90 544 905 1647. Clean hotel in the hills further south. Double (room only) 2000 TL.
Connect
[edit]As of August 2025, there is 4G in town from all Turkish carriers, but only a patchy signal on the approach roads. 5G has not yet rolled out in Turkey.
Go next
[edit]- Hopa on the coast is a dreary place. You'd only stay here to change transport, perhaps to cross the border at Sarp towards Batumi.
- Rize has a castle and a few other antiquities, but is best known for its tea plantations.
| Routes through Artvin |
Rize ← Hopa (  N   ) ←
|
W  E
|
→ Ardahan |
Ends at  ←
|
N  S
|
→ Erzurum → Mardin |