Summer holiday time is almost over. Autumn is around the corner. The days of increased pressure, responsibilities and orderly life lay ahead of us. Those who live in Istanbul or other big cities will be waiting for the summer holidays again. However, instead of doing this you can continue to enjoy life by changing course and exploring places close to your city which remain undiscovered.

Today, let's talk about Ağva – a perfect town for the residents of Istanbul to prepare for the change of seasons. I was introduced to Ağva, my favorite holiday destination, in my primary school years. At the insistence of a group of friends from Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), my father built a country house where he could rest his head and enjoy nature on the weekends. And we started spending some of the summer and weekends in this beautiful town. You can imagine that much has changed in the town since then. There are now five-star luxury hotels on both sides of the two rivers. However, I can say that every investor who came to the town has built structures that fit the natural beauty of this place. Everywhere you stay there are country houses that are both natural and stylishly polished by the modern world and trends.

On the other hand, you can visit the boutiques selling simple and elegant products made of the Şile cloth at a time when the world is pursuing natural fabrics. I am sure you will return home having bought a lot of dresses, shorts and skirts for the next summer season. You can also enjoy handcrafted jewelry and accessories. The best part of Ağva, which is located in the Marmara Region but on the coast of the Black Sea, is its culinary delights. The seafood is always fresh. You can easily choose the products brought by small boats. Dairy products, field crops and meat products are constantly coming in from the surrounding villages. Ağva is also an ideal distance from the city and allows visitors to spend a pleasant weekend in nature. After a one-and-a-half-hour drive (half of this trip is through dense forests) you come to a magnificent place. You will not even notice much of that time as you will spend it by having snacks and breathing the forest air in small countryside restaurants.

You can spend your weekend going on short walks, reading books by the river and eating delicious food. You will not notice how the time passes in nature. Of course, outdoor sport is another pleasure. When you arrive at the center of town, you can rent a bicycle or canoe or stroll along the river... You can also join ATV safari tours and enjoy the bays and the sea with boat tours. Some choose to fish or trek... by the end of your two-day weekend break, you can say hello to Monday again by changing your mode without being distraught on the roads.

History dating back to 7 B.C.

We like Ağva very much, but we didn't discover these naturally sheltered and fertile lands first. The history of the town dates back to the 7 B.C. It has been the transition area of many civilizations over time, including the Hittites, Phrygians, Romans and Ottomans. Major findings include the remains of churches and tombstones from the Roman era in Kalem village, the Gürlek Cave in the Hacıllı village discovered in the late 3rd-early 4th centuries, castle ruins on Hisar Hill, and a mountain mill in the Sungurlu neighborhood. It is a town that has a lot of historical features as well as its natural beauties... Türkmen tribes settled in the second half of the 14th century in the town, which is mainly dominated by Greek culture.

The name Ağva is actually proof of the history of the town. Ağva means a village built between two streams in Latin. This seaside town is in the middle of Göksu and Yeşilçay streams. Located 12 kilometers away from the center of town, the Hacıllı village is famous for its caves and waterfalls. Kilimli and Kadırga bays are also very convenient for walking.