Holidays in Bursa

General information

Bursa - a large city in northern Turkey 160 kilometers from Istanbul and 20 kilometers from the shore of the Sea of Marmara (Bursa on the map). This is a modern developed city, the fourth in terms of population (more than one and a half million people).

Bursa is not a beach resort, there are no beaches here. But in 2014, the city was recognized by UNESCO as the birthplace of the Ottoman Empire, which attracts the attention of tourists. The city has preserved a historical area with attractions, including mosques, a mausoleum, ruins of a fortress, many museums. Also, Bursa is the base for recreation at the main ski resort of Turkey on Mount Uludag (Uludag, or little Olympus). In summer, Mount Uludag is climbed by one of the longest cable cars in the world. Another reason why people come here is the hot springs of natural mineral water in the suburb of Cekirge.

Osmangazi tourist area, Bursa — Osmangazi tourist area in Bursa

One rarely goes to Bursa for the duration of the entire journey. Most often, tourists visit the city for 1-2 days with an excursion from the beach resorts of Turkey, or as a short independent trip, which is most convenient to do from Istanbul. In the center there is a historic district Osmangazi or just Central Bursa (Osmangazi on the map). It is here that most of the attractions are concentrated, transport is well developed, there are cafes and shopping centers. This is the best place if you are coming here for a short stay to explore the sights.

Another popular tourist area is Cekirge. It is a suburb of Bursa popular with a large number of natural hot springs for bathing (Cekirge on the map). Staying in one of the hotels in the area you will be able to take a bath for free, but will be somewhat away from the historical monuments.

You can find and book accommodation in Bursa through the following websites or the search form:

The infrastructure for tourists in Bursa is well developed. In fact the Osmangazi area is completely touristy with lots of markets, travel agencies, banks and exchange offices. Here you can exchange cash at a very favorable rate, even higher than in Istanbul. We found the best rate at the exchange office in the main aisle at Kapali Carsi Indoor Market.

At the bus station and in the city there are free tourist maps and tourinformation, pointers to attractions and iconic places. Museums, mosques and historical sites have racks with free booklets in different languages describing the attraction, and what is even better, most of the historical sites and museums are free to visit. In general, it is felt that the city authorities are trying to develop the tourist infrastructure, and they are doing it successfully: the city is very comfortable for recreation. In general, in our opinion (the authors of the site), the atmosphere and comfort in Bursa is much better than in Istanbul, which is hyped and packed to the brim with tourists.

In the tourist area of Osmangazi, in addition to countless markets and shops, there is a shopping center and Zafer Plaza and a large supermarket Migros. Everywhere in the city you can find existing historical drinking Springs, where you can drink water or collect it in bottles. Toilets in the city are separate, but most often they can be found at mosques. Entrance to them is paid, 1 lira. There is a free WiFi network in the Osmangazi area, but you will need a local mobile operator number to register.

Free Wi-Fi zone, Bursa — Free Wi-Fi zone

Weather and tourist seasons in Bursa

Given the nature of the holiday in Bursa, you can go here at any time of the year, but the most popular time is the warm months from May to October. But if you plan to go here in May, September or October, it will not be superfluous to take light warm clothes with you, since it can be cool in the evenings. In other months it is cool and rainy in Bursa, and in winter it even snows. It is better to go to the Uludag ski resort from December to March.

Seasons in Bursa by month, when is the best time to go
Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov.	Dec

* best time to visit;
acceptable time to visit;
not recommended time to visit

Current weather in Bursa and forecast

How to get there

Bursa is 160 kilometers from Istanbul (Bursa on the map), which is usually the easiest way to get here. There are buses from Istanbul and its airports to Bursa, and you can also get there with a transfer by bus+ferry+bus. From other cities of the country it is best to get by bus, but there is no railway in the city. You can also get to Bursa directly by plane, but international flights do not fly here, you will have to change inside the country.

Learn more about all the ways, How to get to Bursa here.

Transport

Bursa is a large city with a developed public transportation system that covers not only the city but also its suburbs and neighboring cities. Urban transport consists of a network of bus routes, metro, trams, and, of course, you can travel by taxi.

Payment in the metro, trams and city buses is carried out only with the help of contactless cards, which must be purchased in advance before the trip. You can pay for travel in fixed-route taxis-dolmushy and car taxi in cash.

Contactless cards are one-time for several trips (5 lira for 1 trip, 8 lira for 2 trips), and a single refillable transport carat BursaKart, or as it is called BuKART. Travel on the latter is Cheaper (from 2 lire), but the card itself costs 6 lire. You can buy cards at cash desks at large stations and automatic terminals for cash. You can replenish the card immediately after purchase at the same terminals or cash desks. Children under 6 years old are free, over 6 years old pay as adults.

Learn more about Bursa transport here.

Attractions

Bursa is filled with historical and cultural attractions, museums and exhibitions. To see everything, it will take at least 4 days, because there are almost two dozen museums here alone, not to mention historical monuments and mosques. But there are still interesting places in the vicinity of the city.

To plan your Bursa sightseeing itinerary, you should know the following:

Most mosques in Bursa tourists can visit freely, but when visiting you need to adhere to the rules in clothing and behavior, because these are not only attractions, but also active religious sites. You can not enter the mosque in bright immodest clothes, short shorts, skirts, T-shirts. Women should cover their heads with a headscarf. It is better to avoid visiting mosques during prayer, so as not to disturb the faithful, besides, there are a lot of people there.
In most state museums, Monday is a day off.
It is important to know about such a concept as kullie in Bursa (Külliyesi). Kulliye is a traditional complex of social and cultural life, consisting of a mosque, Madrasah, Hamam, almshouse, hospital, market and other important buildings for the population. Such centers were created during the Ottoman Empire, and today are places of concentration of attractions and still important cultural centers for citizens.

And here are the main attractions that are worth seeing first if you only have one full day in Bursa:

Ulujami Grand Mosque (Ulucamii) and kulliye Orhan Gazi. It is the very center of the tourist area. There are historical markets, a hamam, two mosques, a pleasant park for walking with fountains and places to relax.
Green Mosque Yesil Camii and kullie Yesil. In addition to the beautiful mosque, there is the green mausoleum of Yeşil Türbe.
Mosque and Mausoleum of Sultan Emir / Emir Sultan Camii. Another important and interesting Coullier.
Yildirim Bayezid Camii Mosque. Another important and interesting Coullier.
Bursa Fortress / Bursa Hisar. The ruins of the fortress, which appeared at the dawn of the Ottoman Empire.
Muradiye Külliyesi historic complex. One of the most beautiful kulliye of Bursa.

Learn more about all the sights of Bursa here.