Bursa

Understand

History Prusa, the kernel of present-day Bursa, was named for Prusias king of Bithynia, who laid its foundation stone in 202 BC. This was fortified into a walled citadel on the ridge of Tophane, controlling the valley trade routes. The Romans annexed Bithynia in 74 BC, and they especially enjoyed the thermal springs of Çekirge just west of Prusa - so it was a tourist resort even in those days. Byzantium (from 330 AD called Constantinople) became the metropolis of their eastern empire, continuing long after Rome itself fell. By 1300 AD both the Byzantine Empire and their eastern rivals the Seljuks were in terminal decline, and a patchwork of independent territories and warlords appeared. One particularly successful leader was Osman, born in Söğüt around 1250. Next-to-nothing is reliably known about his life and works, it's all been mythologised and politicised in retrospect. He captured a series of small forts and towns but Prusa was a stout citadel, which he didn't have the technology or strategy to storm. Thus began a siege that (like that of Troy) may have lasted for ten years, and Osman died in 1323. His son Orhan captured the city in 1326, making it his capital Hüdavendigâr ("God's gift"). Over the following century the Ottoman dynasty went on to capture Thrace then make their move on Constantinople and found an empire. So Bursa always had a special place in their psyche and their sultans continued to be buried here. Throughout the Middle Ages, Bursa was a commercial and industrial centre, prospering through the silk trade. The "Silk Road" was a network of overland and maritime trading routes from the Far East to Turkey and Europe, with multiple high-value products to be traded, processed, taxed, or looted along the way - so stout caravanserais were needed. The secrets of silk-making were smuggled out of China by 140 AD, with Bursa initially processing raw silk from Iran and from 550 AD tending its own silk-farms. It remained the principal manufacturing centre though the capital and wealthy royal customers moved to Constantinople. It weakened when Ottoman grip on the trade routes faltered, and calamity struck in 1855 with an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 followed by a fire. The city was rebuilt in Ottoman baroque and rococo style, but the Empire was crumbling, and sectarian tensions led to the massacre of Armenians here and elsewhere in Turkey. In the late Ottoman era, the city became a hub for population movement from the Caucasus, with Circassian and Georgian ancestries being represented in the city's demographics. After the First World War, the

Getting there

By plane International visitors usually arrive via one of the Istanbul airports. Sabiha Gökçen (SAW IATA) the Asia-side airport has many European and domestic flights. Burulaş Bus runs hourly to Bursa Otogar taking 90 min, single 70 TL. You're looking for the yellow bus outside Arrivals. Istanbul Airport (IST IATA) is Europe-side. Its flight connections are global, but you'll have to travel into city centre to find a bus or ferry onward. 1 Yenişehir Airport (YEI IATA) (43 km east of city). Anadolu Jet fly to Bursa from the eastern cities of Trabzon, Diyarbakır, Erzurum and Muş, but in 2021 / 22 many flights are suspended. In any case, given the distance of the airport, and its poor connections with the city, it might be easier to fly to either of Istanbul's airports then take the bus or ferry onward. From YEI to town take Bus 80 to the city (6 TL, pay on boarding by cash or Bursakart). This runs to Kent Meydanı, for the Metro. (updated Jan 2022)

By train Bursa has no railway. A high-speed line is under construction and is due to open in 2023, but the project has been delayed several times. Buses meet the YHT fast trains at Eskişehir then take two hours to Bursa. There are four connections a day with Ankara (journey time 4 hours), and two with Konya (for Karaman and Antalya). No point using this route for Istanbul as the ferry or direct bus is quicker.

2 Bursa railway station (Bursa Yüksek Hızlı Tren Garı). (updated Oct 2022)

By road From Istanbul follow E80 / O5 east, which sweeps round in an arc over Osmangazi Bridge then southwest. You could save some distance but no time by taking the ferry from Pendik to Yalova. O5 continues south to Balıkesir and İzmir. From Ankara follow D200 / E90 via Eskişehir; this road continues along the coast to Bandırma and Çanakkale.

By bus Pamukkale buses run from Istanbul Anadolu / Harem to Bursa, taking 2 hr 10 min non-stop, single fare 180 TL as of February 2023. Kamil Koç (now part of Flixbus) competes on many of these routes, as do many other national and local companies. In general, as Bursa is a massive city that is too close to Istanbul and Ankara for direct airplane routes, the bus infrastructure is top notch, and bus terminals in major cities should have some bus heading towards Bursa every 20 minutes. They also run every hour or two from Ankara, 5 hr 15 min, 150 TL - the YHT bus link is quicker. They're hourly round the clock from İzmir (4 hr, 140 TL), hourly from Çanakkale (4 hr 15 min), and every 3-4 hours from Antalya (9 hr, 200 TL). From Bergama five buses a day take 5 hr 30 min, 150 TL. Anoth

Getting around

There is an extensive bus and dolmuş network. The dolmuşes in Bursa look like standard white cars with a sign on the roof, rather than minibuses. More about the dolmuş as a transport option can be found in the Wikivoyage articles for other Turkish cities, but it is akin to the post-Soviet marshrutka and is a very convenient and cheap way of navigating the city if you can master some very basic Turkish. Bursaray is the city metro. It's a standard-gauge railway running east-west: to the west it forks for the University, and northwest for Emek where buses from the ferry ports will drop you. You might also use it between city centre (Şehreküstü or Demirtaşpaşa) and the museums in Kültürpark. The fare for inner-city rides is 12 TL in 2024, which you pay by Bursakart or single-use ticket (blue card, "Short Lines"), available from the ticket machines. These provide instructions in English. The Bursakart can be bought at many stations (see list), it can then be filled online by credit card. Burtram, the tramway, has three lines and runs 07:00-23:00:

T1 is a single loop around Gazcilar, city centre, Stadium and back to Gazcilar. T2 is between city centre and main bus station. T3 is a heritage metre-gauge line between Çinarönü and Zafer Plaza. For the IDO ferries to Istanbul, take the Bursaray to Emek (45 min) then bus 1-M to the ferry terminal (25 min). The bus runs 4-5 times per hour, and costs ~3 TL (Nov 2017). You must pay for the bus with credit on your Bursakart - cash is not accepted. Roadside parking is hard to come by, and whenever you do, it is charged. 4 Teleferik is the base station of the cable-car up the mountain, see Uludağ#Get in. It's too cramped for ski equipment, so skiers and snowboarders must either drive up or rent kit on the mountain.

See

Most museums are branches of Bursa Müze and are free, but closed Monday. 1 Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii), Ulucami Cd 2. This was built by Sultan Beyazid and completed in 1399. He then suffered a calamitous defeat by Timur, who wrecked it, and later the Karamansids wrecked it some more. It was rebuilt then and as needed in later years, especially after the earthquake of 1855, keeping to the original design - so it more resembles its Seljuk predecessors of Anatolia than later Ottoman creations such as the Blue Mosque of Istanbul. Ulu Camii is most renowned for the striking calligraphic panels that adorn its walls and columns, and the fountain within it. (updated Jan 2022) 2 Orhan Mosque (Gazi Orhan Bey Camii) is 100 m east of the Grand Mosque across the square. It was built by Orhan, the second Ottoman sultan, in the late 14th century. It was on reclaimed land outside the old citadel walls so it began the expansion of the city; and Orhan subdued rival kingdoms in Karaman, Ankara, Edirne and finally Constantinople to lay the foundations of empire - his tomb is on Tophane, see below. The mosque was centrepiece of a religious complex, a külliyesi, but the madrassah and hostel have been demolished and the hamam is now a bazaar. * Koza Han. North side of Orhan and Grand Mosques was the city's caravanserai and silk market. Built in 1490, it's a large courtyard surrounded by two-storey arcades: the merchants had accommodation and offices upstairs and their shop-fronts downstairs. In the centre, a prayer room is perched in a kiosk, entered by a staircase to keep out the pack-animals and their mess. It's now lined with small shops and cafes, a pleasant place to take tea. (updated Feb 2023) Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı) 100 m north of Grand Mosque was the main city market, initially open-air but later roofed over. The original burned down in 1958 and the re-build was nondescript, so come here for retail rather than ancient architecture. 3 Heykel meaning "statue" is the landmark at the centre of the city. Atatürk sits atop his war-horse and points the wrong way up one-way Atatürk Cd, and perhaps ponders the challenge of modernising Turkey's transport. The clock tower just east is almost oriental.

City Museum (Bursa Kent Müzesi), Kültür Sk 8 (south side of Heykel), ☏ +90 444 1600. Tu-Su 09:30-17:00. This is the former courthouse, converted to a museum in 2004. It exhibits the city's long history, including modern aspects (eg the ski resort) that you might not see elsewhere. Signage is only in Turkish. (updated Jan 2022) 4 Irgandı Bridge (Irgandı Köprüsü) is Bursa's answer

Do

Hamams: The hamam/thermal baths are a staple of Turkish culture, and some of the best and most storied ones in the entire country can be found in Bursa. The fault line that runs beneath the city is a source of geothermal mineral springs, which emerge in the western district of Çekirge. Most flow at 80°C and are heavily charged with sulphur and iron. A secondary group are at 38°-57°C, contain magnesium and have clear water, and these are known as "silver springs". They've been enjoyed since ancient times but the spa facilities are modern, built over the Roman and early Ottoman structures. All the nearby hotels have spas, which may be available to non-residents, and there are stand-alone public baths. Implausible therapeutic powers are claimed for them, so anyone afflicted by "psychological contraction" has come to the right place. The springs are tapped for local heating but not for power generation. Yeni Baths (Yeni Kaplıca), Yeni Kaplica Cd 6 (off Kukurtlu Cd, 200 m north of Çelik Palas Hotel), ☏ +90 224 236 6968. Daily 07:00-23:00. This is the most attractive of the spas, the "new baths" founded in 1555 by Rüstem Pasha, the grand vizier of Süleyman the Magnificent. The male side is the better, but the female side is reasonably spacious and well-appointed. The Yeni source is 80°C and sulphurous, so you'll need the rubdown and soap massage service afterwards. It's not at all touristy and they don't speak English, but sign language suffices. Most men wear bathing suits, but it's optional. You can buy them at shops outside or within the hammam. Bath 15 TL, soap massage 15 TL. (updated Feb 2022) Eski Baths (Armutlu Hamam) are the "old baths", built late 14th century under Murad I. They're "silver springs" with a clear, hot but not boiling source. They're open daily 07:00-23:00 and are just north of Çekirge main square, within the Kervansaray Hotel - its accommodation in 2022 gets poor reviews. Baths downtown, whether secular public baths or for ablutions at mosques, are heated by conventional plumbing and don't come from the geothermal springs. For example Cakir Hammam near Tophane (110-180TL). Cablecar: Take the cable car (Teleferik) from the north of the city to the mountain (300 TL for round trip, duration around 15 minutes). It is quite touristic. Winter and mountain sports: head up Uludağ, described separately.

Sports Football: Bursaspor were promoted in 2026 and now play soccer in TFF 1. Lig, the second tier. Their Centennial Atatürk Stadium (capacity 43,700), can be reached by Metro: it's a masterpiece of kitsch architecture with a giant crocodil

Buy

Silk was one of Bursa's traditional industries. You'll do better looking in Grand Bazaar than in the tourist-trappy Koza Han for all silk fabrics. Turkish people are also very fond of buying towels in Bursa, with Özdilek the brand of choice. Özdilek runs a factory store on the highway that runs outside the city and leads to İzmir and the Mediterranean coast. In classic Turkish fashion, the city is enamored with closed malls of varying sizes. 1 Zafer Plaza was the first shopping center in Bursa, not far from the center of the city. It is old, but iconic, beloved by locals, and still bustling to this day. It famously features a massive glass pyramid on top in bizarre Louvre-esque fashion. For more modern shopping options 2 Kent Meydanı AVM is an option close to the city center, and 3 Korupark AVM is a very nice mall on the outskirts that is very popular with locals.

Eat

Bursa is widely considered the birthplace of döner kebap, a vertically-rotated column of stacked lamb meat cut into thin, juicy slices that is about as iconic as pizza or sushi worldwide. By far the best-known local specialty is the İskender kebap, an indulgent dish featuring cuts of finely roasted döner meat and rich tomato sauce on a bed of broth-soaked pita bread, topped with yogurt and sizzling butter. You cannot visit Bursa and leave without trying the dish, considered the best Turkish cuisine has to offer by many. However, Bursa doesn't lack in other food options. A more underground delicacy is pideli köfte (or Kayhan pidesi), a variant of İskender kebap with meatballs.

Cantık, a fluffy pide variant often topped with minced or chopped meat is made by bakers across the city and is unique to Bursa (unrelated to the Crimean Tatar jantiq except for name). For those with a sweet tooth, Bursa offers a lot. Candied chestnuts (kestane şekeri/marron glacé) are not for everyone, but they are the most iconic sweets from the city and a very popular gift for tourists to take back home. It's not served in restaurants but boxed from stores around the city, Kafkas is the best known brand. Tahinli pide is a large pastry slathered in sweet tahini in the center and is absolutely delicious. Kemalpaşa tatlısı is a fried cheese dessert that originated in the greater province, and is best consumed fresh, rather than store-bought.

1 İskender Tarihi Ahşap Dükkan, 7 Ünlü Cd (east side of Heykel), ☏ +90 224 221 4615. Daily 11:00-21:30. This is the original of what's become a chain: İskender Efendi invented his style of kebab in Bursa in the 19th century. (updated Feb 2023) 2 Kebapçı İskender (Mavi Dükkan), Atatürk Cad. NO:60 (across from Heykel), ☏ +90 224 444 16 18. Daily 11:30-19:30. Affectionately referred to as the "little blue store" or the "corner blue store" by locals, this is one of the two claimants to the original İskender legacy and is widely argued to be the best in Bursa by locals along with the other historic İskender restaurant above. It is, as in the name, a tiny blue store with a storied history, so expect to wait in line outside and a higher price, but the end product is worth it. Your humble user prefers to eat here when he goes back home, but respects other opinions. (updated Feb 2023) 3 Çiçek Izgara, Belediye Cd 15 (west side of Koza Han), ☏ +90 224 221 1288. Daily 11:30-22:00. A grill restaurant beloved by locals and best known for its meatballs, has been around forever. (updated Jan 2022) Pidecioğlu, Kayhan Cd 73 (by Kayhan Mosque), ☏ +90 224 22

Drink & nightlife

Bursa doesn't have many stand-alone bars, but one is Biraport at Kurşunlu Sk 13, by Tahtakale Gate. They have TV sport and are open nightly to 02:00. For tea or Turkish coffee aim for a place with atmosphere, such as Koza Han, or the terrace at Tophane.

Sleep

Budget 1 Açelya Hotel, İnönü Caddesi 73 (Metro: Demirtaşpaşa), ☏ +90 530 490 8685, [email protected]. Small basic hotel, but clean, central and value for what you're paying. B&B double 250 TL. (updated Jan 2022) 2 Bursa Merkez Otel (Çeşmeli Hotel), Gümüşçeken Cd 6, ☏ +90 224 224 1511. Cosy small place in town centre. The Çeşmeli - drinking fountain - is set into the wall. B&B double 250 TL. (updated Jan 2022)

Mid-range 3 Safran Otel, Ortapazar Cd 9 (by Orhan Gazi tombs), ☏ +90 224 224 7216, [email protected]. Charming small hotel in a renovated old house near city gates. Some street noise in ground floor rooms. B&B double 2200 TL. (updated Sep 2023) 4 Kent Hotel, Atatürk Cd 69, ☏ +90 224 223 5420. Simple mid-price hotel near Central Mosque. B&B double 400 TL. (updated Jan 2022) 5 Efehan Hotel, Gümüşçeken Cd 34. Middling central place. (updated Jan 2022) 6 Hotel Gönlüferah, Murat Cd 22, ☏ +90 224 232 1890. Pleasant hotel in two sections: "City" and "1890". On hillside with mountain view, limited parking. B&B double 600 TL. (updated Jan 2022)

Splurge 7 Çelik Palas Hotel, Çekirge Cd 79, ☏ +90 444 01648. Atatürk had this built in Art Deco style in 1935 as a guest house for his visitors, but most rooms are in the modern annexe. Both sections are showing their age. B&B double 3000 TL. (updated Jan 2022) 8 Hilton Bursa Convention Center and Spa, Istanbul Cd 347 (3 km north of centre on D575), ☏ +90 224 500 0505. Upmarket place with 187 rooms and suites, spa, Turkish baths, sauna, pool and fitness center, 2 restaurants, a bar, patisserie and lobby lounge, and free parking. But it's 5-star going on 3, with erratic service, cleanliness and cuisine. B&B double 1300 TL. (updated Jan 2022)

Go next

Uludag National Park (Uludağ Milli Parkı) just south of the city is a winter sports and hiking resort. Gölyazı 40 km west is a village on a lake island linked by road. Mudanya is where you take the ferry to Istanbul, but leave a couple of hours to explore its late Ottoman architecture. Oylat is a spa town in the hills with a famous cave. Armutlu is a seaside and spa resort. Iznik is a historic lakeside town with old city walls, and the setting for the early Christian councils of Nicea. Söğüt and Bilecik were home to the earliest Ottomans.