A ferry between Russia and Turkey

In May 2019, a ferry will let between the Black Sea ports of Russia and Turkey, the Sochi authorities said.

Maritime traffic organized between Sochi and the Turkish Trabzon and Samsun. The goal is to establish freight and tourist transportation. “The ships will transport passengers and their cars twice a week. This route will give an additional boost to the tourist sector of Sochi and the surrounding regions of Russia, as well as attract tourists from the Black Sea coast of Turkey and Georgia,” said the administration of Sochi.

Estimated travel time – 12 hours. The ferry between these ports has already been shuttling, however were then stopped, the vice-president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RST), Yury Barzykin, told RG. “So far I see only two difficulties. The first is the weather, the sea is stormy in the fall and spring, and ferry transportation is possible only during the period of stable navigation. The second is visa formalities for Turkish citizens who come to Russia. When the Turks could come to us without a visa, they were among the top three foreign tourists in terms of attendance, ”says Barzykin. A visa to Russia now costs about 80 euros for tourists from Turkey.

The Turkish cities of Trabzon and Samsun can be gates for Russians who have decided to visit the popular Turkish resorts. Combining them with a holiday on the Russian coast. For example, from Trabzon you can easily get by bus to Istanbul. But the ports themselves have something to see. For example, monuments of Byzantine architecture saved in Trabzon. The city of Samsun has recently been developing as a resort, nearby the thermal springs and waterfalls.