The Black Sea port of Bartin is the jumping off point for Safranbolu, a key stop-off on the old caravan routes between East and West. Safranbolu’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a veritable open-air museum of Ottoman-era wooden architecture.

Named after a mythical Amazon queen, the pretty town of Sinop is situated on a rocky promontory that guards the Black Sea’s finest natural harbour. You can explore the ruins of the city walls and the old fortress, or simply relax at one of the many seafront cafés and restaurants.

The bustling Black Sea port of Trabzon has a few interesting sights of its own, such as the Aya Sofya mosque (originally a church, like its namesake in Istanbul), but if you’re here it’s probably to visit the remarkable Sumela Monastery, which clings to a sheer mountainside just south of the city.

The balmy Black Sea port of Batumi is Georgia’s most popular beach resort, and a great introduction to this intriguing country. Significant investment over the last few years has resulted in a glut of eye-catching new buildings, along with a delightfully spruced-up seafront boulevard.

Sochi’s sub-tropical climate and spectacular setting, where the Caucasus mountains meet the Black Sea coast, mean that this has long been a popular summer beach destination, which made it all the more surprising when the city was chosen as the venue for the Winter Olympics in 2014!

Founded by Catherine the Great in 1794, the sunny port of Odesa has a rich and storied history as a cosmopolitan playground for Russian high society, reflected in the city’s gloriously faded neoclassical architecture. Famous sights include the Potemkin Steps, so called after featuring in the classic 1925 film ‘Battleship Potemkin’.

Sleepy Sulina is the gateway to the Danube Delta, an incredibly rich ecosystem that has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Delta is a birdwatcher’s paradise, home to species including white and Dalmatian pelicans, glossy ibis, small egrets and pygmy cormorants.

Basking on the Black Sea coast is Varna, Bulgaria’s cosmopolitan third city. It’s a pleasant place to explore, with charming Baroque architecture and some interesting Roman remains, and it’s also easy to take a day trip out to one of the nearby beach resorts.

The main attraction in Nessebar is the pretty old town, connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus and full of Byzantine churches in varying states of decay. In summer the crowds can be a little overbearing, but the cobbled streets are sufficiently charming to make a visit worth your while.

Istanbul is the place where East meets West, where Asia Minor reaches out across the Bosphorus and almost touches Europe, and the city remains a bristling, bustling cultural melting pot, the skyline dotted with magnificent minarets and domes.

Çanakkale occupies a key strategic location guarding the Dardanelles, at the meeting point of the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara. This region of Turkey is full of historical interest, including the battlefields of the disastrous Gallipoli campaign and the ruins of ancient Troy.

Glamorous Mykonos is the most popular of the Cyclades islands, well known as a haunt of the rich and the famous. It’s also the gateway to the nearby island of Delos, home to one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece.