Rize is one
of the smallest provinces of Turkey on the Black Sea coast but also one of the most important since it is the tea-industry center with processing and packing factories. The city is built in an area where the bright green tea bushes cover entire mountainsides. From Ziraat Park in the city you will have a panoramic view of the area and be able to capture that unique beauty. You may have the opportunity, to have the best blend of tea, at the Summer Tea Festival, and taste the very famous, rarely found Anzer honey which comes from the mountains around. Do not forget to purchase high quality, lightweight summer clothes, known by the name of the city "Rize Bezi". In the city the 16th century Islam Pasha Mosque and the remains of a Genoese
castle can also to be seen.
In th
e south of Rize there is an excellent camping spot, at a lovely alpine lake, surrounded by mountains and meadows. This is Uzungol. The beautiful little town of Camlihemsin is a perfect starting point for a trekking tour in the Kackar Mountains. There, you will pass by Firtina Vadisi, the Storm Valley, with its beautiful castle, Zirkale and bridges of Byzantine origin. Ayder comes next, which has many hot springs and it provides good opportunities for a peaceful time surrounded by nature. Cayeli, Pazar and Ardesen are the other towns close to Rize with their typical settings of Black Sea Region. Rize is also the hometown of Mesut Yilmaz, one of the former Prime Ministers of Turkey, and leader of ANAP political party.
