Rize in 3 days: tea gardens, the Fırtına Valley and Ayder

Locals call the Tuzcuoğlu Mansion the "Yellow House". It is a two-storey 19th-century townhouse set over a basement, and it opened as a museum in 1998. The stone basement, once a stable and storeroom, is now an exhibition hall with baroque and rococo style furniture and display cases from the 17th and 18th centuries. In the middle of the rearranged kitchen stands the large chained hearth known locally as a "clemuri", and the mill where maize was ground is brought to life with mannequins. The upper floor is laid out as the family's living quarters, which makes this a quick way to understand everyday life in a Black Sea mansion.

The Mataracı Mehmet Efendi Mansion has three storeys over a basement. On his tour of the country after the proclamation of the Republic, Atatürk came to Rize on 17 September 1924 and stayed in the house of Mataracı Mehmet Efendi, whose efforts during the War of Independence had earned his appreciation. The house was donated to become a museum in the centenary of Atatürk's birth, and the Ministry of Culture restored it and opened it to visitors on 27 December 1985. The rooms take only a short visit, which makes it a good second stop of the morning.

The castle south-west of the city centre consists of an inner castle and a lower castle. The inner castle is thought to date from the reign of Justinian I (527–565) and the lower castle from the 13th century. The inner castle stands on a natural hill 150 metres high; it is built of cut stone and rubble, has five towers and a semicircular plan, and is entered from the east. The walls of the lower castle run north-east and north-west down to the sea. From the top you see the city's shoreline and harbour together.

The mosque in the İslampaşa neighbourhood was built in 1571 by İskender Cafer Pasha. The rectangular building has a dome pierced by 24 windows. It is an easy stop in the city centre for a short break after lunch.

This park brings nature into the city and offers a panoramic view of the sea, Rize Castle and the town. Alongside plants native to the region there are trees and flowers brought from elsewhere that have adapted to the humid climate. The tea garden serves light food and drinks, making it the natural place to end the day with a glass of Rize tea, which is registered with a designation of origin.

Among Rize's streams — İyidere, Taşlıdere, Büyükdere, Hemşin, Fırtına and Çağlayan — the Fırtına is the most widely known. It is fed by waterfalls and brooks running down the Black Sea slopes of the Kaçkar Mountains; its flow is strong and it is suited to rafting. Along the valley you pass historic stone bridges with round or slightly pointed arches, among them the Şenyuva Bridge and the Çat Bridge. The construction dates of most of Rize's bridges are unknown, so each is enjoyed as much for its setting as for its history.

Zil Castle stands 15 kilometres south of the district centre, on the western slope above the Fırtına stream; the rock it is built on rises 750 metres above sea level and 100 metres above the streambed. It has an outer wall, a middle wall and an inner keep, and within the middle walls are a guardhouse, a chapel and the main tower. Joist marks in the walls show that the tower had four floors. Together with the Kale-i Bala, Ciha and Kız castles it guarded the region and the medieval caravan route to İspir, and it remained in use in the Ottoman period. Two cannons found at the castle are now displayed in the Trabzon Museum, and the building was recently restored.

Ayder, part of Çamlıhemşin, sits at 1,350 metres among slopes covered in spruce and beech forest, facing the Kaçkar Mountains. It is known for its hot springs, plateau houses, nature walks and local food; its springs have been regarded as a source of healing since Ottoman times. Ayder honey, registered with a designation of origin, also comes from here. Walking among the wooden houses early in the morning, while the plateau is still quiet, is the best part of the day.

Kavrun, 10 kilometres from Ayder, is made up of Lower and Upper Kavrun and lies between 1,980 and 2,350 metres. It is a short upland trip from Ayder for those who want to climb higher, and on the way you watch the forest give way to open meadows. Other plateaus in the area include Huser at 2,328 metres, known for its views over a sea of cloud, and Elevit at 1,884 metres, known for its summer festivals in August.

Most of the national park that contains Ayder lies in Çamlıhemşin, with parts in the provinces of Erzurum and Artvin; it covers 52,970 hectares. It is bounded by the Fırtına stream to the west and the Hemşin stream to the north and east. It is described as the only place in Türkiye where rhododendrons reach 3,000 metres, and about 300 of its 2,500 plant taxa are endemic to Türkiye. It is also one of the rare places where traces of Pleistocene glaciers are found alongside present-day glaciation, with glacial lakes, valleys, cirques and moraines. Before heading back, a short walk around Ayder lets you see this landscape once more.