Liverpool will come up against Trabzonspor in the Europa League Qualifier 2nd leg on August 26th, and one question most fans are asking is “how do I get there?” The short answer is: with great difficulty.
Everyone knows Trabzonspor are based in Turkey, but as it is miles from any of the major airports, getting to Trabzon is one of the most difficult things to do without spending more than what a fortnight abroad would cost.
Having looked into many different routes including flying from most UK airports to other European countries such as Holland, Spain, France, Germany and Switzerland, and then looking for connecting flights, the quickest and easiest way to get to the game is to fly to Istanbul, and then an internal flight to Trabzon.
Flying to Ankara then an internal flight to Trabzon can be ruled out too, as Turkish Airlines have realised Reds are booking on to flights and increased their prices – a one hour internal flight is coming up at over £350! The other main Turkish airports don’t fly directly to Trabzon; the majority go through Istanbul – either Sabiha or Ataturk.
There are ferries from Sochi in Russia, but these take around 14 hours and flights to Sochi are just as hard to come by and have been averaging around £1500.
Driving would be an adventure but would also take around 2 days each way – 2800 miles across 8 countries including toll roads will bump up the already high petrol costs.
Flying to Turkey, then internal connections to Trabzon have worked out around £350-£400 depending on when you look, as the prices have changed throughout the day. Try and book the internal flights as early as you can to avoid missing out on the cheaper deals.
Manchester to Istanbul:
Outbound – 24/8
| Dept | Arrive | Flight number | Provider |
| 1600 | 2205 | TK1996 | Turkish Airlines |
Outbound – 25/8
Inbound – 27/8
| Dept | Arrive | Flight number | Provider |
| 1120 | 1725 | TK1996 | Turkish Airlines |
| Return | |||
| 1250 | 1505 | TK1995 | Turkish Airlines |
Gatwick to Istanbul (sabiha)
Outbound – 24/8
return -27/8
| Dept | Arrive | Flight Number | Provider |
| 0630 | 1230 | EZY5461 | Easyjet |
| Return | |||
| 1255 | 1455 | EZY5462 | Easyjet |
Heathrow to Istanbul
Outbound – 25/8
Return – 27/8
| Dept | Arrive | Flight number | provider |
| 0655 | 1245 | TK1988 | Turkish Airlines |
| 1125 | 1715 | TK1980 | Turkish Airlines |
| 2230 | 0420 | TK1984 | Turkish Airlines |
| Return | |||
| 0805 | 1005 | TK1979 | Turkish Airlines |
| 1900 | 2100 | TK1983 | Turkish Airlines |
| 2030 | 2230 | TK1987 | Turkish Airlines |
Istanbul to Trabzon airport:
Outbound – 26/8
Return 27/8
| Depart | Arrive | Airport | Flight number | Provider |
| 0440 | 0620 | Istanbul | TK2822 | Turkish Airlines |
| 0705 | 0845 | Istanbul | TK2826 | Turkish Airlines |
| 1045 | 1225 | Sabiha | TK7226 | Turkish Airlines |
| Return | ||||
| 0200 | 0345 | Trabzon | TK2823 | Turkish Airlines |
| 0705 | 0855 | Trabzon | TK2839 | Turkish Airlines |
| 1300 | 1455 | Sabiha | TK7227 | Turkish Airlines |
Additional information
A £10 ‘Visa fee’ must be paid on entry to Turkey, don’t use a £20 note as it’s unlikely you’ll see any change from it.
Average temperatures: High – 28 °C, Low – 21 °C
The busiest place to go is Ataturk square, however hotels around this area may be expensive due to their location. Hotels nearer the port will be cheaper; however some double up as brothels so there may not be the best clientele around.
Finally, it is worth noting that the match is during Ramadan, so you may struggle to get food/alcohol in some places during the daytime.
Written by Tony, part of the car hire team at travelsupermarket.com