Things to do in Bursa
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Bursa
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is best overall for the city, 18 to 28 degrees, villages greenest and Golyazi birds active.
Summer is hot in the city at 30 to 35 degrees, best for Uludag cool and the coast, August is worst for sightseeing.
Autumn is best value and joint best overall, chestnut season, harvest colours and crowds gone.
Winter is best only for skiing or thermal bathing, city is cold and wet, February is worst for pure sightseeing.
What's on
- Balkan Countries Theatre Festival March
Spring theatre festival, known as Balkan Breeze, run by State Theatres.
- International Bursa Festival late June to July
Turkey's longest running festival of its kind, founded 1962, about two weeks of open air stages.
- Golden Karagöz Folk Dance Competition within the International Bursa Festival period
Folk ensembles from dozens of countries, traditionally run alongside the festival.
- International Bursa Karagöz Puppet & Shadow Theatre Festival 20-25 November in its documented run
Niche perfect timing for culture travellers interested in Karagoz shadow theatre.
- WinterFest January
Student music festival on Uludag, fun for students and gridlock for skiers.
Best things to do in Bursa
Ulu Cami
Bursa's essential sight, a 20 domed early Ottoman mosque with a fountain inside the prayer hall.
Koza Han
A 1491 silk caravanserai where tea in the plane tree courtyard is the classic Bursa ritual.
Yeşil Türbe
Mehmed I's turquoise tiled tomb from 1421, the high point of early Ottoman tile art.
Yeşil Cami
Mehmed I's Green Mosque, calmer than the centre, with an Iznik tile mihrab and carved marble doorway.
Bursa Teleferik
A 9 km gondola ride from the city up to alpine forest on Uludag in about 25 to 35 minutes.
Tophane
Citadel hill with the tombs of Osman and Orhan, a clock tower and the best free panorama in Bursa.
Panorama 1326 Bursa Conquest Museum
A huge 360 degree painting of the 1326 conquest that explains why Bursa mattered, fast.
Muradiye Complex
Murad II's quiet complex of mosque and 12 dynastic tombs in a garden setting west of the centre.
Where to stay in Bursa
Hanlar / Heykel
first trip, all-round base
Walk to Ulu Cami, Koza Han, Tophane and Yesil, with metro and tram at the door and every tier nearby.
Çekirge
thermal, wellness and quiet
Leafy suburb built on the hot springs, with historic baths and Muradiye 10 minutes away, evenings are quiet.
Nilüfer
modern comfort, business and a car
Modern west side with wide avenues, easy parking and the best modern restaurant strip, 20 to 30 minutes from the old town.
Uludağ Oteller Bölgesi
ski only, December to March
Sleep at the lifts in ski season, in summer most hotels close and the zone feels empty.
Think twice about
- Bursa Otogar and Istanbul Caddesi sprawl
Highway hotels for transit stops, isolated and taxi dependent for every meal and sight.
- Santral Garaj / Kent Meydanı immediate blocks
Busy transport and mall junction, noisy and traffic choked, the least attractive central streets at night.
- Far-east Yıldırım beyond Yeşil and the Ankara road strip
Residential and industrial with no visitor infrastructure, and the commute eats the day.
Best restaurants in Bursa
Kebapçı İskender
The birthplace of Iskender kebab, doner over pide with browned butter poured at the table.
Uludağ Kebapçısı Cemal & Cemil Usta
The locals' Iskender pick, a no frills 1964 room with thicker cut doner and generous butter.
İskender Efendi Konağı
The Iskenderoglu family mansion restaurant, the same Iskender in a garden setting for groups.
Kebapçı İdris
The original pideli kofte room in Kayhan market, the cheapest great plate in Bursa.
Yeşil Pideli Köfte
Family run Kayhan pillar for pideli kofte since the 1970s, a strong alternative to Idris.
Yeni Hacıbey
Kayhan pideli kofte room praised for its food and for not touting in the lane.
Zennup 1844
Bursa's modern Anatolian showcase, reworking regional recipes, the best non kebab dinner in the city.
Acı Dayı Cantığı
Long running reference for cantik, Bursa's small boat shaped meat pide, eaten with ayran and pickles.
Outdoor things to do in Bursa
Uludağ Ski Centre
Turkey's original ski resort, mostly intermediate pistes about 35 minutes from the bazaar.
Uludağ National Park
Summer hiking in fir forest and alpine meadows with glacial lakes, far cooler than the city.
Sarıalan
Forest picnic and grill stop at the Teleferik mid station for mountain air without a full hike.
Saitabat Waterfall
A cold green cascade with trout restaurants and picnic platforms, best paired with Cumalikizik.
Gölyazı
Tiny fishing village on Lake Uluabat for boat trips, reed beds and one of the best sunsets near Bursa.
Mudanya
Bursa's seaside town for a promenade walk, wooden house streets and fish restaurants.
Tirilye
Olive grove village of Greek era houses and Byzantine churches, best on a weekday.
İznik
Full day trip for Roman Byzantine walls, Hagia Sophia of Iznik, tile ateliers and a lake sunset.
Best hotels in Bursa
Hotel Çelik Palas Convention Center & Thermal Spa
Bursa's historic grand thermal hotel from 1935, where the vast spa is the reason to pay up.
Swissôtel Uludağ Bursa
A converted sanatorium in forest on Uludag itself, a destination spa rather than a sightseeing base.
Sheraton Bursa Hotel
International standard rooms and strong service in Nilufer, best with a car or for business plus Bursa.
Almira Hotel Thermal Spa & Convention Center
Best located large hotel in Bursa, with a thermal spa, outdoor pool and a walk to the bazaar quarter.
Kitapevi Hotel
Converted Ottoman mansion inside the citadel walls, with a courtyard garden and terrace views to Ulu Cami.
Marigold Thermal & Spa Hotel
Modern thermal hotel in Cekirge's old residential streets with an extensive spa.
Mövenpick Hotel & Thermal Spa Bursa
New build thermal fed hotel near the modern restaurant and mall zone in Nilufer.
Crowne Plaza Bursa Convention Center & Thermal Spa
New build thermal fed business and leisure hotel near Nilufer's modern restaurant strip.
Is Bursa expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | TRY 1,100 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | TRY 2,000 a person |
| Splurge | TRY 5,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Uludağ Ski Centre: weeks ahead
- Hotel Çelik Palas Convention Center & Thermal Spa: weeks ahead
- Swissôtel Uludağ Bursa: weeks ahead
- İskender Efendi Konağı: a few days ahead
- Zennup 1844: a few days ahead
- Uludag hotels and ski passes in January and February, and Cekirge luxury hotels on winter weekends.
- Zennup 1844 for weekend dinner and BUDO ferry seats on Friday, Sunday and holiday weekends.
- No booking needed for mosques, Koza Han, Panorama 1326 or historic hammams, check gendered hours on the day.
Is Bursa safe?
- Watch bags in the bazaar crush, confirm taxi meters are on and take care on polished Tophane lanes after rain.
- Cover and remove shoes in mosques and avoid prayer times for tourism.
- No Bursa visitor district carries a severe homelessness warning, central issues are traffic and touting.
Bursa travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Imitator Iskender shops, eat Iskender only at the three rooms.
- Kayhan lane touting, the best rooms do not need to tout, walk the lane once and choose.
- Istanbul day tour shopping stops priced for commissions, keep your wallet closed until Koza Han.
- Cumalikizik on a summer Sunday afternoon, go on a weekday before 10 or after 16 instead.
- Silk that is not silk in Koza Han, ask shops to show the burn and feel difference before buying.
Getting around Bursa: public transport and more
- Bursaray metro and T1 and T2 trams cover the centre, Nilufer and the Otogar, paid with BursaKart.
- Walking covers Hanlar, Yesil and Tophane in a day, with steep lanes and Cumalikizik cobbles, wear grippy shoes.
- Use the BUDO ferry from Istanbul Kabatas to Mudanya then a bus or taxi to Heykel, calmer than driving.
- Rent a car only for Golyazi, Iznik, Mudanya to Tirilye and Suuctu days, not for a centre stay.
Who Bursa suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Bursa your trip
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