Şile and Ağva

Şile sits on the Black Sea coast about seventy kilometres from Istanbul, and it is where the city goes when it wants sea without flying anywhere. The town has a small Genoese castle on an offshore rock, a black-and-white striped lighthouse from the 1850s that is among the largest in the country, white sandstone cliffs and a run of wide beaches. It also gives its name to şile bezi, the loose crinkled cotton cloth sold in every shop along the main street. Ağva, half an hour further east, is quieter and greener: it lies on a neck of land between two rivers, the Göksu and the Yeşilçay, that reach the sea within a kilometre of each other, and it has built its trade on riverside guesthouses, boat trips and long weekend breakfasts. The Black Sea here is genuinely dangerous - rip currents drown people every summer - so swim only on beaches with lifeguards and take the flags seriously.

What you actually see

• The striped lighthouse - the 1850s tower on Şile's headland.
• The white cliffs - sandstone bluffs along the coast.
• The two rivers - the Göksu and Yeşilçay meeting the sea at Ağva.
• The şile cloth - crinkled cotton sold through the town.

When to go

June to September for swimming; May and October for empty beaches and mild weather. Weekends bring heavy traffic from Istanbul on a two-lane road.

Honest expectations

Black Sea rip currents are lethal and claim lives here most summers - swim only where there are lifeguards and obey the flags. Weekend traffic and accommodation prices both spike. The sea is cold well into June.

Nearby

Polonezköy is inland on the way back; Istanbul's Asian side is about two hours west.