Alongside its stunning natural scenery, Trabzon offers an authentic shopping experience far removed from modern malls, blending time-honored local products with lively traditional markets.

Kunduracılar Street. This pedestrian street is the heart of shopping in Trabzon, just a short walk from Atatürk Square (the main Meydan). It's lined with jewelry shops showcasing local treasures, alongside clothing stores and handcrafted goods. It's an ideal spot for an evening shopping stroll, where the atmosphere buzzes with local life.

The Covered Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı) and Kemeraltı Market. For a more authentic, less tourist-oriented shopping experience, the Covered Bazaar is worth a visit: prices are competitive and the goods are genuinely local. The historic Kemeraltı Market, meanwhile, is one of the liveliest markets in the city, offering a wide range of clothing, accessories, and varied souvenirs, all set against an atmosphere that reflects the city's long history as a Silk Road trading hub.

Hazelnuts: the region's top treasure. The Black Sea region, and Trabzon specifically, is one of the largest and highest-quality hazelnut-producing areas in the world. You can buy hazelnuts fresh, roasted, or even as a ground paste, making them one of the most sought-after souvenirs and among the easiest to pack and carry home. Avoid buying from airport shops if you can — specialty shops in the city center or local markets are a better bet for both quality and price.

Traditional crafts: silver and copper. Trabzon is renowned for its traditional silver craft locally known as "kazaziye," a delicate technique for making silver jewelry decorated with fine wire, along with braided gold or silver bracelets known as "hasır bilezik." You can also find traditional handmade copperware — distinctive gifts that carry a genuinely local character you won't find replicated elsewhere in Turkey.

Tea and local sweets. The Black Sea region is Turkey's tea-producing heartland, and packaged Trabzon tea makes a practical, well-loved gift. Traditional sweets worth trying and buying include pestil (dried fruit leather) and köme (a type of walnut or hazelnut candy dipped in grape molasses), along with laz böreği (a light pastry filled with custard and a mild sugar syrup), best sampled fresh from a local bakery.

Tips for smart shopping. Prices in local markets and small shops are often mildly negotiable, especially for bulk purchases, unlike malls and large stores with fixed pricing. Remember that bank cards are accepted at most large shops, but local markets and small vendors may prefer cash payment in Turkish lira. Finally, if you're planning to buy large quantities of hazelnuts or tea, check the customs allowance when returning to Saudi Arabia to avoid any complications on arrival.

Shopping in Trabzon is an experience in itself — blending the flavor of a traditional eastern bazaar with genuinely local products hard to find replicated in any other tourist destination.