An interesting place in the mountains (1200m). Recently renovated, entrance is paid. There is also a paid lift by minibus from the parking lot. There is a cafe with good coffee and souvenirs. Beautiful ancient mosaic on the walls. Wonderful view of the mountains. You can get from Trabzon in 50 minutes and $100 round trip with a 2h wait.
A curious place, of course. But Admission is 30 euros per person, children are free. Parking (50 lire per hour). You buy a minibus ticket (40 lire people) and they take you all the way to the monastery. You can walk uphill, but it will be hard and long, so you will have to pay for a minibus.
I didn't like these extortions, I wouldn't go there a second time. The views around are beautiful, judging by the photos. When we were there, it was foggy. And apart from walking around the monastery for a bit, we couldn't do anything else.
I urge you to think hard before visiting this place. There are an excessive number of disadvantages in my opinion.
For four adults, the visit cost almost 10,000 rubles. We arrived on our own in our own car. The scheme is the same for everyone: arrival at the square with parking, then transfer to the "minibus" to the monastery and a walking march to the goal. The price consists of three payments: 900 liras entrance ticket for one, parking 50 liras per hour and a ticket for a minibus to the monastery 52 liras each (round trip). The toilet is 2 lira. August 2024
I do not recommend saving on a minibus. The ascent is very steep, and the distance is decent (about 2 km.). We saw the enthusiasts who went on foot, they looked unhappy.
After disembarking from the bus, you need to walk up the path with stairs. About 400-500 meters. The young and healthy will have eyes at half past five after climbing to the goal, those who are older by half past seven. At the stages of the ascent, there are benches for recreation.
The "monastery" itself is very modest in size. It takes no more than 10-15 minutes to inspect it with a visit to all the farthest corners.
Here the most important disappointment and perplexity will befall you. These are some kind of semi-ruins mixed with an open-air remodel and rivers of people who scurry back and forth taking selfies. There is practically nothing to look at there.
Judging by the pictures, the weather here is rarely good, so we got into rain and heavy fog. Take umbrellas and raincoats.
The use of copters is prohibited (warnings are hanging).
The total visit time is 2 hours.