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Aya Radwan
Aya Radwan
A trip to Bursa might seem like a simple one-day add-on to your Istanbul itinerary, but this city has much more to offer than you might expect. With a wealth of attractions, Bursa beckons visitors to delve deeper into its rich history, vibrant culture, and natural beauty.
Surprisingly, Bursa is the fourth-most populated city in Türkiye and serves as one of the country’s key industrial hubs, particularly in automotive production. Yet, beyond its industrial significance, Bursa boasts a storied past that played a crucial role in shaping the Ottoman Empire.
Historically known as Hüdavendigar, or “God’s gift,” Bursa became the first major capital of the Ottoman Empire in 1326. Although the capital eventually moved to Edirne, Bursa continued to thrive, maintaining its commercial and spiritual prominence. The city’s legacy as a centre of the silk trade is well-known, with its bustling silk market once a vital stop on the Silk Road, supplying luxurious silk products across the empire until the 17th century.
While Bursa is home to numerous historical landmarks that attract both locals and tourists, it is also celebrated for its lush greenery, earning it the nickname Yeşil Bursa, or Green Bursa. The city offers not only tours of its historic sites but also some of the most delectable foods and treats that will tantalise your taste buds.
Nestled at the foot of Uludağ, or the “Great Mountain”—known in ancient times as the Mysian Olympus—Bursa also boasts a popular ski resort, ideal for snowy winter getaways.
Situated in the southern Marmara Region, Bursa enjoys dry, warm summers from June to September and cool winters, often dusted with snow for a few weeks. Whether you visit for its historical significance, natural beauty, or culinary delights, Bursa promises an experience that goes far beyond a mere day trip.
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Getting to Bursa
Bursa, the historic former capital of the Ottoman Empire, is readily accessible from Istanbul via a comfortable coach journey of around 2 hours. Visitors can also opt for the high-speed train service, which offers a scenic and efficient means of travelling between the two cities.
Fly in
Although the nearest airport to Bursa is Yenişehir Airport, which is 41.6 kilometres away, getting to Bursa by air is not advisable. There are no direct flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Yenişehir Airport; flights typically route through Trabzon before arriving at YEI.
By Ferry
The most common way to reach Bursa from Istanbul is by taking a ferry and continuing the journey by car. Two types of ferries can transport you across the Sea of Marmara and set you on the road to Bursa.
- Passenger-Only Ferries:
Istanbul’s Kabataş docks host two companies that operate fast passenger-only ferries. Budo Ferries offers services from Kabataş to Mudanya, while İDO Ferries operates between Kabataş and Güzelyalı. - Car Ferries:
Fast car ferries depart daily from Istanbul’s Yenikapı Feribot Terminalı to two ports along the shores of the Sea of Marmara, facilitating your journey to Bursa.- The first route runs from Yenikapı to Güzelyalı, with two or three crossings daily. The ferry ride takes about 90 minutes to cross the sea.
- The second option is the Yalova Car Ferry, which is more popular among tourist agencies as it offers a brief tour through Yalova, showcasing car manufacturers and shopping outlets after crossing the sea. This ferry ride takes approximately 70 minutes, with over five crossings each day.
By Bus
After arriving at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport, you’ll find buses departing for Bursa every 30 minutes. Companies like bus operate buses around the clock, typically every 30 or 60 minutes, with tickets priced at 30 TL.
By Train and Bus
You can take the Marmaray Banliyö Treni, operated by Turkish Railways, from Yenikapı to Gebze in about an hour and 16 minutes, with tickets costing 22 TL. From Gebze, you can catch a bus to Bursa for around 33 TL. Companies such as MetroTurizm operate these buses, and the journey takes just over an hour and a half.
What to do in Bursa?
Now that you’ve arrived in Bursa, you can explore this beautiful city more. If you’ve made your trip during the winter months, the journey up to Uludağ is a must. Nevertheless, the mountain is enjoyable all year round. Several markets and museums around the city will dazzle your eyes.
Mount Uludağ
Literally meaning the great mountain, Uludağ is over 2,500 meters high, making it the highest mountain in the Marmara region. A spiral trip up the mountain gives you a glimpse of the forest engulfing it. The season you choose for your visit will mostly determine the activities you can enjoy.
During the winter season, especially when there is snow, the ski resort is your go-to place to have some fun. It’s not a problem if you don’t pack your skiing gear; professional shops offer equipment for hire at reasonable prices.
The ski slopes can also accommodate intermediate and professional skiers and snowboarders.
Transport between the ski slopes is made easy by the installation of 24 different ski lifts on-site. The ski resort can be easily reached by bus or taxi or take one of the best and longest Telefrik (cable car) rides. You can take both to the top of the mountain and back to the city.
If your season of choice is during much warmer weather, then you can go trekking or camping through the vast slopes of the mountain. They are filled with many species of flora and fauna.
There is no need to worry about equipment either, as it is also available in special shops in the city. Time spent on the slopes is great for children as well, as it allows them to take a timeout from city life and sightseeing to enjoy the beautiful and calming nature.
Ulu Cami (The Grand Mosque of Bursa)
This historic mosque in Bursa is the largest one in the city. It’s located in the heart of the city alongside its historic markets. The building is a testament to Ottoman architecture, which evolved out of Seljuk Turkish Architecture. Sultan Bayezid I commissioned the construction of the mosque between 1396 and 1399.
The mosque is rectangular and has 20 domes and two minarets arranged in four rows of five and supported by 12 columns. It is said that the twenty domes were built instead of the twenty separate mosques that the Sultan had promised.
The interior of the mosque is decorated in the Ottoman Baroque style from the 19th century and displays beautiful examples of the intricate writings of the calligraphers of that period.
The calligraphic inscriptions inside the mosque earned it the name of a calligraphy museum. Calligraphic compositions from the 18th to the early 20th centuries cover different parts of the walls.
A distinct feature of Ulu Cami is a fountain in the centre inside, known as a şadırvan, with a water basin beneath it. The fountain and the şadırvan helped worshippers perform ablutions. The şadırvan is covered by a glass dome and a skylight, which helps illuminate the mosque.
The mosque had suffered from damage several times during its lifetime. Tradition says that the mosque was burned twice, in 1402 and in 1412.
Nevertheless, the mosque’s first repair works date back to 1493. The place also suffered from a damaging earthquake in 1855, after which it was closed for some time until the repair works were finished in 1889.
Yeşil Camii (The Green Mosque)
The mosque’s green and blue interior is the reason for its colourful name. It is part of a complex that consists of a mosque, a türbe (a tomb), a madrasah (an educational institution), a kitchen, and a bath.
Due to its mastery, the Green Mosque is often perceived as representing the peak of the early Ottoman architectural style.
The exact completion date of building the mosque is unknown, but it was commissioned in 1412 and works finished between 1419 and 1424. Sultan Mehmed I Çelebi, who commissioned the mosque building, is buried in a mausoleum called the Green Tomb within the complex of which the mosque is part.
The mosque is cube-shaped with an extension on the south side. At the entrance, there is a foyer that leads to a short staircase to the central prayer hall. The central hall is surrounded by iwans on the east and west, both of which have domes and are two stories high.
In the hall connecting the foyer to the prayer room, the walls are covered with dark green hexagonal tiles, emphasised by a large roundel in the centre of each wall. The walls are covered with intricate floral arabesque in black-line tiles glazed in white, yellow, green and blue.
The Green Mosque underwent several restorations. The first began in 1863 after a devastating earthquake in 1855, but the exact completion date is unknown. From 1941 to 1943, the mosque underwent another round of restoration, during which the ceramic facing of the tiles was removed and reinstalled. The last restoration works began in 2010 and finished in 2012.
Yıldırım Bayezid Camii (Bayezid I Mosque)
This mosque is located in the district of Yıldırım in Bursa and was built between 1391 and 1395. Commissioned by Sultan Bayezid I, the mosque is made up of a central hall with a large dome flanked by iwans on the east and west with smaller domes and another large domed iwan with mihrab on the south.
In the mosque, all three iwans were built three steps higher than the central hall. The Yıldırım Camii is the first structure where a Bursa Arch was implemented. The arch is located between the central hall and south iwan, connecting and supporting the two large domes. Unlike similar mosques built during the same era, Yıldırım Camii is built entirely of dimension stones.
Like most of the historical buildings in Bursa, the mosque was restored after the 1855 Bursa earthquake.
Muradiye Külliyesi (The Muradiye Complex)
Like the previous mosques, which were each part of their own complex, the Muradiye Complex consists of a mosque, 12 tombs, a madrasa, a bath, a hospice, and a fountain. The 12 tombs in the complex are mostly relatives of Sultan Murad II, who commissioned the building of the mosque.
The mosque was completed in 1426 and was the first to be built in the complex. It is built in a simplified inverse T plan with a domed portico in the front, constructed with brick with four major domes. It has two minarets, an old one and a new one that was replaced in 1904 after the damage caused by the 1855 earthquake.
The madrasa is located west of the mosque. It consists of a central courtyard surrounded by student rooms and a classroom to the back covered by a dome. The exterior is made of brick and stone. In the 1950s, the madrasa became a tuberculosis clinic and is now a medical centre.
It’s not clear when Murad II’s tomb was built, whether after he commissioned the building of the mosque or after his death, in accordance with his will.
The tomb is made of brick and stone in a square plan with a dome left open at the top. An annexe contains four additional tombs. The remaining 11 tombs are located south of the mosque and madrasa.
Emir Sultan Camii (Emir Sultan Mosque)
This mosque was originally built in the 14th century and rebuilt twice after that, in 1804 and 1868, with slight differences in the building plan each time. The first building was commissioned by Emir Sultan, a scholar and a dervish.
The original mosque collapsed after the 1766 earthquake. Many of the materials from the old mosque were reused in the rebuilding, but the style was adjusted to reflect the elaborate design that was flourishing in the Ottoman Empire during the 19th century. After the 1855 earthquake, the Emir Sultan mosque and mausoleum were rebuilt again in 1868.
The mosque and mausoleum are on opposite sides of the courtyard, with a large basin at the entrance. The mosque is a tall single-unit prayer hall of masonry construction with two minarets at its corners on the north. The mausoleum is a domed room in the centre, and smaller rooms are on its sides, housing the tombs of the Emir Sultan and his family members.
There are several historic fountains scattered around the entire complex, the oldest one dating back to 1743. There’s an old cemetery covering the downside of the hill from the complex and a hamam to the south of the mosque.
Hüdavendigar Camii (Hüdavendigar Mosque)
This historic mosque was commissioned by Sultan Murad I to be part of a larger complex. Built between 1365 and 1385, the mosque is built in a reversed T plan and consists of a madrasa, a dervish lodge, a mausoleum of Sultan Murad I, a fountain, a soup kitchen, a hammam and a Quran school for boys. The mosque suffered severe damage due to the 1855 Bursa earthquake and underwent extensive restoration work afterwards.
Somuncu Baba Camii (Somuncu Baba Mosque)
Somuncu Baba was an ascetic teacher of Islam in Bursa; he had such great influence on his students that he was perceived as a Muslim saint. He came to Bursa after receiving an education in prominent cities at the time, such as Şam, Tabriz and Erdebil.
He taught at the Bursa Grand Mosque and was installed there by Sultan Bayezid I after it was completed. He came to be known as Somuncu Baba because he used to bake bread and sell it in order to hide his spiritual side. When he started to become known, he left Bursa and moved to Aksaray.
The mosque built in his name in Bursa was under the supervision of a foundation called Es-Seyyid Osman Hulusi Efendi Foundation; beside the mosque, there’s a library, a museum and an exhibition hall. The entire place is considered an attractive site for both locals and tourists to visit.
Orhan Gazi Camii (Orhan Gazi Mosque)
Built in 1339, it is one of the oldest mosques and is an example of an Ottoman mosque in Bursa. The complex of Orhan Gazi was built in the market area in 1340. Even though the complex, like all other complexes in the city, includes the mosque, a dining room, a caravanserai (khan) and two baths, only the mosque, the khan and the baths have survived until today.
The mosque was built of stone and brick and you can find Byzantine style marble columns on each side of the mosque as they were reused from churches. Orhan Gazi mosque is quite modest in comparison to the mosques built afterwards in the city. This is a clear example of the evolution of the Turkish architectural scene back then.
İshak Paşa Camii (İshak Paşa Mosque)
The complex of İshak Paşa is located in İnegöl Bazaar; it consists of a mosque, a madrasa, a tomb, an imaret, lodges, an inn and a barn. Only the mosque, along with the madrasa and tomb, survive today.
İshak Paşa was a statesman who lived during the reign of Sultan Murat II and Faith Sultan Mehmet. According to an endowment dated back to 1486, the İshak Paşa complex was built before 1468 – 1469. An inscription on the door of the north façade states that the mosque was repaired by Sultan II Abdülhamit in 1877.
The mosque has a reversed T-plan shape consisting of two square-shaped domed rooms in the north and south directions and two side rooms with small domes on the right and left of the entrance.
Karacabey İmaret Camii (Karacabey İmaret Mosque)
The building of the mosque began in 1446 by Karacabey Bin Abdullah but was completed in 1457 by his family after his death. The tomb of Karacabey is under the dome of the last congregation portico around the minaret. The mosque has 36 windows, nine domes and a minaret with two doors.
After the 1855 earthquake caused serious damage to the building, it was later destroyed by the Greeks. The building is currently unusable but was repaired by the General Directorate of Foundation in 1971 – 1972.
Üftade Tekkesi Camii (Üftade Tekkesi Mosque)
The complex or lodge was built in the second half of the 16th century by Üftade Mehmed Muhiddin Efendi. The complex consisted of a mosque, semahane, a selamlik and a harem. Today, only the mosque, semahane and the harem still stand.
The semahane, which was used as the last congregation place, was combined with the mosque under one roof. There’s a fountain located in front of the semahne that has an inscription dating back to 1565.
The harem section is adjacent to the eastern façade of the semahane, where there’s a bath, kitchen, cold room, furnace, sofa, and various rooms. The top of the room is called the “Domed Room” and is decorated with classical craftsmanship and qualified hand-drawn works.
The building was restored by the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality between 2009 and 2014 and has functions as a mosque and a social and cultural centre since then.
Koza Han
This is a historic caravanserai, a roadside inn where travellers – also known as caravaners – could rest and recover from the day’s journey, that’s located in the heart of the city’s historic market district. The Han is built in alternating layers of brick and stone, which forms part of the decorative visual effect of its exterior.
Like most caravanserai, it has a rectangular floor plan with a large central courtyard measuring 45.9 by 37.5 meters. Around the courtyard runs a two-story gallery that gives access to small vaulted rooms that ring the complex.
At the centre of the courtyard is a small octagonal stone mosque or prayer room, which is raised above the ground on 8 pillars and reached by a marble staircase.
You can enter the Han through a monumental brick and stone portal that projects from the rest of the building’s façade. The decoration on the portal are spiral mouldings along the edges as well as geometric patterns.
Pirinç Han (Rice Han)
This Han was commissioned by Sultan Bayezid II and is located in the Hanlar district in the city centre. It was the second Han to be built in Bursa after Koza Han; it was built between 1490 and 1508. The Rice Han was known as the Brass Han from the beginning of the 17th century.
The building is made of brick and stone, with a large square courtyard. There are 38 rooms downstairs and 48 rooms upstairs. The building is entered through a wide arched door. Traces of the hexagonal fountain that once stood in the courtyard can still be seen today.
The Brass Han was most popular among foreign traders passing through the city of Bursa, many of whom were Venetians, Russians and Frankish. The fur trade, in particular, was carried out in the inn, and silk benders started gathering there as well in the middle of the 16th century.
The 1855 Bursa earthquake was very damaging to the inn, both the western and northern cloisters and shops were completely destroyed. Surviving remnants of those places were reused in rebuilding the structures in the courtyard.
The northeast part was cut when the current Cumhuriyet Caddesi or Cumhuriyet Street was built and opened between 1903 and 1906. Workshops, shoe factories, silk benders and silk dyers were said to have been in the inn until the late 1970s.
After almost 20 years of restoration work, the Rice Han was finally opened in 2002 as a shopping centre. The restoration works added a new door on the west façade, but the mosque and fountain were not rebuilt. Today, there are cafés on the lower floor while the upper one has some shops and offices.
İpek Han (Silk Han)
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the biggest inns in Bursa; it was designed for the use of silk merchants and spinners. It’s located between the Bursa Ulu Mosque and Brass Inn, today the area is dominated by drapers, wedding dresses and evening dresses sewing shops.
The Silk Han was known by many names, such as “Sultan Han” and “New Silk Khan”, but the most famous of its names is “The Great Kazazhane” in reference to the kazazaks who buy and sell silk and spin it.
Commissioned by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet to be built in the 15th century, the building is made of brick and stone and consists of two floor portico around the courtyard with the rooms opening to these porticos.
The inn has a total of 76 rooms, 38 on the lower floor and 38 on the upper one. There was a fountain in the middle of the inn, four rooms and a 12-cornered masjid above them, but they haven’t survived till today.
The inn had suffered damage several times due to fires and earthquakes in 1557, 1632 and 1742. The building was then restored in 1775. The east of the entrance façade was destroyed during the opening of the Mecidiye Avenue. The building was last repaired in 1980.
Irgandı Köprüsü (Irgandı Bridge)
This historical bridge is located between two municipalities of the Bursa city: Osman Gazi in the northwest and Yıldırım in the southeast. The bridge was commissioned by a wealthy merchant by the name of Müslihidddin in 1442 during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Murat II.
The bridge suffered damage several times, during the 1855 Bursa earthquake and then during the Turkish War of Independence when the retreating Greek army bombed it, and the bridge was closed to traffic afterwards.
The municipality handled the restoration of the bridge in 1949, making a few changes. The last restoration work took place in 2004 after which the bridge was opened to traffic again.
The bridge is a single arc bridge and an example of a rare type of bridge that contains a bazaar. The original design is said to have shown about 30 shops on the bridge.
Bursa Castle
After the establishment of the city of Bursa by the Bythinians in 202 BC, they made sure to fortify the city. The Athenians built the first walls of the Bursa Castle; later on, they were modified and repaired by the Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans. In 1640, the castle had 67 towers and five main gates, each running for two kilometres surrounding the area known to the locals as Hisar.
The Sultanate Gate was used by nobles and governors to enter the castle. An inscription above the gate indicates that it was renovated in 1418. Another renovation took place in 2005.
Tahtakale Gate: This is not an actual entrance to the castle but offers more of an entrance to another gate. This gate had disappeared over time due to road construction works but was rediscovered again thanks to archeological excavations. The gate was rebuilt according to its original plan in 2012.
Yerkapı Gate: This is the gate you arrive at when you enter through the Tahtakale Gate; the corridor between the two gates was used to strengthen the castle’s defences. The Yerkapı Gate was rebuilt in 2007.
Conquest Gate: Dubbed with this name since it was the gate through which the Ottoman forces entered during their conquest of Bursa in 1326. It was the southernmost gate of the castle and also the weakest on the walls; it opens to a plain. The gate was renovated in 2008.
To the west of the Conquest Gate, there’s Kalebahçe Street, which contains a section of the castle walls. The most interesting part is that people settled there, building homes literally inside the walls; doors to people’s homes open into the walls.
Dungeon Gate: Situated at the end of Kalebahçe Street, this gate was named as such in reference to the dungeons underground. These dungeons were used as prisons until the late 19th century. This gate was renovated in 2019, and its reconstruction is the most impressive of the castle walls.
Museums in Bursa
Bursa boasts a rich collection of museums that offer insight into the city’s storied past. The Bursa Archaeological Museum displays a fascinating array of artefacts from the region’s Hellenistic, Roman and Ottoman eras, while the Bursa Ethnography Museum showcases the traditional handicrafts and customs of local Anatolian cultures.
Bursa City Museum
Located in the city center next to the Atatürk statue, this museum offers you an opportunity to travel back in time and discover the history of the city.
The ground floor offers the history of Bursa in chronological order. There’s the “City of Civilisations: Bursa” where you can track the first traces of civilisations in the city, all through to becoming the first capital of the Ottoman Empire until the end of that period in time. Next, you will follow how Bursa established its name during the Republic period.
The first floor of the museum is a testament to almost 8 thousand years of the city’s pioneering role during the formation and development of traditional Anatolian and Ottoman culture.
The basement of the museum will give you a tour of the historical artisan street, where you can see examples of the city’s commercial life and learn about silk production.
Bursa Atatürk Evi Müzesi (Bursa Atatürk Museum)
This historic museum was home to the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, when he visited Bursa. The three-storey house was probably built towards the end of the 19th century.
Atatürk stayed at this house twice, the first when he visited Bursa before the Proclamation of the Republic in 1923 and the second during his illness in 1938.
After Atatürk’s death, management of the house was handed over to Çelik Palas, the biggest hotel in Bursa, which was next to the house. The Ministry of National Education bought the place in 1965, and it was reopened as Atatürk’s House in 1973.
The ground floor houses Atatürk’s office, and photos of Atatürk hang in the hall outside. The bedroom and bathroom are on the first floor, while the uppermost floor houses the guesthouse.
Bursa Energy Museum
Established in 2012, this is a technology museum dedicated to electricity. It’s located in an out-of-service power plant of an abandoned textile factory in Bursa, in the Osman Gazi District. The textile factory was state-owned and operated using Merino wool and was established in 1938.
In 1944 and 1946, the factory became the biggest of its kind in the Balkan area and the Middle East. It was closed in 2004, though, and the land was handed to the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality.
The museum was set up in the factory’s power plant, which is a spacious 3,200 square meters area. The museum explains the role of electricity in the development of civilisations and the history of electricity in the world, in Türkiye and in Bursa. Photographs and animation explain illumination gadgets and their evolvement and the production of electricity.
Bursa Forestry Museum
Housed in a historic Ottoman-era mansion, this museum was established in 1989 and has a huge collection of about 1,000 items. The Saatçi Mansion is built in an Ottoman Baroque architecture style of the 19th century.
Originally used for residence, between 1939 and 1949, it housed the Bursa Forestry School and became the office of the Forestry Regional Directorate in 1983.
The museum is the first and only forestry museum in Türkiye. It is divided into many sections: Forest Life, Vegetation Fossils, Forest Vegetation and Logging Tools, Forestry Tools and Equipment, Historical Documents and Records, Maps and Space Photographs and Intra-forest Telecommunications Equipment. The museum also features “Atatürk Corner” and a library.
Some of the interesting exhibitions in the museum are the taxidermy sub-section in the Forest Life section, which contains various animals from many national parks in Türkiye, and a rich insect collection as well. The fossil collection is also very rich, and there’s a fossil of a six-million-year-old Sequoia tree.
The museum is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm except on Sundays and Mondays.
Bursa Archaeological Museum
The Bursa Archaeological Museum, founded in 1902, offers a rich glimpse into the region’s ancient history. Located in Kültürpark, it features artefacts from the Neolithic period to the Byzantine era, including pottery, statues, and mosaics. Highlights include items from the ancient city of Prusa and stunning Hellenistic and Roman sculptures.
The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions, adding depth to its already impressive collection. With displays in Turkish and English, it provides a concise yet comprehensive look at Bursa’s cultural heritage, making it a must-see for history lovers.
Bursa Karagöz Museum
Located in Osman Gazi, this museum offers you a folkloric adventure through its exhibits, as it’s dedicated to the famous shadow puppets of Karagöz and Hacivat, which are based on historical characters that once lived and died in the city of Bursa in the 14th century.
Established in 2007, the museum takes place in a former power distribution building. The building that was out of use for some time was converted by the Bursa Municipality and the Bursa Art and Culture Foundation into an art house and opened in June 1997.
The art-house consisted of a theatre hall, where a traditional shadow puppet show of Karagöz and Hacivat was played, a gallery of Karagöz and Hacivat puppets, a speciality library and a design workshop.
The art house was converted into a museum ten years after its establishment. The museum consists of two galleries. The first is about the history of shadow play.
The second gallery showcases 61 pieces of original Karagöz puppets gathered from traditional shadow play shows. Snippets from newspapers back during the Ottoman era featuring Karagöz and Hacivat puppets.
The museum is open all week from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm and closed on Mondays. Shadow play performances are free during the school semesters when students show interest in visiting the museum.
Bursa Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art
This museum is housed in the former Medrese of the Yeşil Complex. While the complex itself dates back to 1419, the museum’s origins can be traced to 1904, when the first museum in Bursa was established at the Bursa Boys’ High School.
Originally, the museum showcased Islamic and Ottoman relics, along with archaeological findings discovered within the city’s administrative boundaries. In 1929, the collection was moved to its current location, and in 1971, a new building was constructed to display the archaeological exhibits. The original site within the Yeşil Complex was retained as a museum dedicated to Turkish and Islamic Art.
Mudanya Armistice House
This museum is situated in the historic house where the treaty recognising the Republic of Türkiye was signed. Established in 1937 in Mudanya, the house itself was built in the 19th century. It comprises 13 rooms and two large halls spread over two floors.
The ground floor features rooms associated with the signatories, including representatives of the Allies from the First World War and Türkiye. The upper floor contains the living quarters of the Turkish delegation from that period.
Museum of Ottoman House
Located in the Osman Gazi district, the building dates back to the 17th century. It’s said that before the building of this house, there was an Ottoman mansion where Sultan Murat II resided. The building was opened as a house museum in 1958.
The wooden house consists of two floors and a basement. The ground floor has a wide hall with two exact rooms on each side. The upper room has a harem room, a dining room and a guest room.
Tofaş Museum of Cars and Anatolian Carriages
Established in 2002 by the Turkish automobile manufacturer Tofaş, this private transport museum is dedicated to showcasing historic carriages from Türkiye and vehicles produced by Tofaş. Located in the Yıldırım district, the museum occupies a former silk production plant, which was repurposed by Tofaş for this purpose.
The museum’s exhibits include a range of historic carriages, such as a two-axle horse-drawn Bursa carriage, and feature a special section displaying Tofaş’s motorsport awards. Additionally, the museum hosts temporary exhibitions of technological art and jazz concerts during the Bursa International Festival. It is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, with Mondays closed.
Places to Unwind in Bursa
Now that we’ve had a good time exploring the historical side of the city of Bursa, I suppose the time for a refreshment is up. Bursa is rich in hot springs and thermal baths, as well as parks. Let’s discover the ways you can relax and unwind this city offers you.
Oylat Thermal Spring and Mineral Springs
Located in the İnegöl district of Bursa, it is considered one of the most important thermal springs in the Marmara region. It has an extraordinarily beautiful natural environment composed of pine, beech, oak and chestnut trees, as the spring is located in the southeast extension of Uludağ, Bursa’s prominent Grand Mountain.
The Oylat Thermal Springs bear the characteristics of Bursa Thermal Springs. Thermal water is good for many diseases such as rheumatic diseases, neuralgia and neuritis, painful nerve diseases and polio.
The spa offers radioactive water services that are good for treating hypertension. The water has a stimulating and balancing effect on cell activities in the body. It is said that people who are mentally and physically tired regain their former energy and vitality after three weeks of treatment.
Thermal water is also beneficial for skin conditions such as gout and eczema. Medical research even shows the significance of thermal water in treating eye diseases and can even dissolve small stones and sand in the kidney.
The Oylat Springs have been used for 2000 years since the Romans. The spa was also in use during the Ottoman period and has completely survived till this very day. Hotels are available around the spa area as well. Tourists seeking treatment at the Oylat Springs are recommended to visit the Oylat Waterfall and Oylat Cave.
The Mineral Springs include the Çitli Mineral Water, Kınık Mineral Water, Uludağ Spring Water and Baikal Spring Water.
Keramet Thermal Spring
It is located on the İznik highway in the Orhan Gazi district. The thermal spring is said to have gotten its name from Keramet Dede, who was rumoured to have lived in the region.
Thermal services are provided in the outdoor pool, and the hot water coming out of the water contains sulphur, which has an average temperature of 30 degrees Celsius in both summer and winter.
Çekirge Sultan Thermal Spring
Built-in the 14th century and donated as a foundation, it is said that the thermal spring known as Çekirge Bath was built and donated by a person who reached the rank of saints in 1316 and this donation was registered in the Bursa registries.
Uludağ National Park
This park is the surrounding nature around Mount Uludağ; the slopes of the mountain are rich with different species of flora and fauna, mountain birds, rare and local butterflies, or you can run into one of the few wolf packs roaming the mountains. Uludağ is easily reached by car or by riding the cable car, the longest one in the world. The park is great for camping and trekking activities.
Bursa Zoo
Opened along with the Bursa Botanical Garden in 1998, the zoo was built in accordance with the animals’ natural habitat. A total number of 1,300 animals of 130 species live in the zoo. The Bursa Zoo is considered to be one of the most important zoos in Europe.
Species residing in the zoo include bears, wolves, lions, leopards, birds of prey, llamas, wild donkeys and camels. There’s also a giant pond in the middle of the zoo where you can see the animals up close.
Bursa Botanik Park
Opened at the same time with the Bursa Zoo in 1998, the main purpose of opening the park was to provide the city of Bursa with more oxygen along with new healthy sports and recreational areas.
The park holds a facility for scientific studies and herbal research, and it protects the Bursa Plain with 8,000 trees of 150 species, 100,000 bushes of 76 species, 50,000 ground covers of 20 species, and 6,000 roses of 27 species.
The park is home to several gardens: a Japanese garden, an English garden, a French garden, a rose garden, a fragrant-plants garden, a rock garden, an azalea-rhododendron garden, colour gardens and a shaped-plants garden.
The park offers you the opportunity to relax and enjoy the scenery, breathe in nature and unwind. There are natural walking paths, natural jogging paths, an asphalt-covered bicycle path, and ponds in the park. Another attractive element is the existence of old houses from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries dotted around the park.
Bursa’s Signature Dishes
Bursa won’t only entertain your eyes with the history living between its streets, fill your soul with the wafts of fresh air sprinkled by the parks it holds or help relax your being by the therapeutic water springs it offers you. But it will also satisfy your appetite with the most delicious local dishes.
- İskender Kebab:
Bursa is known to be the home of one of the most famous dishes in Türkiye. The İskender Kebab is named after a butcher called İskender Bey, who was the first to prepare this delicious dish.
The kebab is made of thinly sliced lamb meat that is grilled and combined with a spicy tomato sauce and pita bread, with melted sheep butter and yoghurt drizzled on top.
- İnegöl köfte:
This dish is made of ground beef or lamb, seasoned with onions and breadcrumbs. The köfte is grilled and often served as a main course.
This dish was invented by Mustafa Efendi, a Turkish immigrant from Bulgaria who came to İnegöl in the late 19th century. Even though this famous dish is served all over the country, it’s said that the best ones are the ones made in İnegöl.
- Döner kebab:
This dish is not only known in Türkiye but all over the world. It consists of shredded meat from a skewer. The meat is typically seasoned with fresh herbs and spices. Originally, the meat used in döner was exclusively lamb, but in Istanbul today, they mix beef with lamb meat, and sometimes they serve only meat döner.
- Kemalpaşa:
Named after its place of origin in Bursa, this dessert is a delicious melt-in-the-mouth dessert. It is made with a special, unsalted cow’s milk cheese produced in the town, mixed with flour, semolina, eggs and baking powder.
The dough is shaped into small balls, baked in the oven, and then boiled in sherbet. During the winter season, kemalpaşa is served with cream, while during the summer season, it’s served with a scoop of ice cream. There’s also a dry-packaged version that you can take along with you.
How would you like a dish of sizzling İskender Kebab and some kemalpaşa during your next trip? All you’ve got to do is come to Bursa!
