- İskender kebap at its source: try the historic Kebapçı İskender.
- Cantık (Bursa's round pide) and kestane şekeri (candied chestnuts).
- The thermal quarter of Çekirge for the old hamam restaurants.
Bursa City Guide
The interior of the Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii), Bursa. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman Empire: the great mosques and tombs of the early sultans, the silk market, and the thermal baths that made it a spa town for two millennia. Uludağ, the great mountain behind it, is Turkey's oldest ski resort.
The Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii) is the anchor; the Green Mosque and Green Tomb are the masterpieces. And this is the home of İskender kebap: eat it where it was invented.
What to do in Bursa
City
- 1
Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii) The 1399 great mosque: 20 domes and the great calligraphy. - 2
Green Mosque and Green Tomb The 15th-century tiled masterpieces of the early Ottomans. - 3
Koza Han The 1491 silk market: the courtyard of silk shops. - 4
Cumalıkızık The 700-year-old Ottoman village in the foothills. - 5
Uludağ The 2,543-m mountain: skiing in winter, the cable car year-round.
Bursa Hotel Guide
How to choose the best places to stay in Bursa. Verified properties below; for the full list, search live availability on Booking.com.
Mid-range
Almira Hotel Thermal Spa & Convention Center
Bursa's well-known thermal hotel, central and established.
View on Booking.comWhere to eat
Getting there and around
Bursa is 2.5 hours by bus from Istanbul (or ferry to Mudanya plus bus). The cable car climbs Uludağ from the city. Day trips from Istanbul are possible but rushed.
Eating in Bursa
Fledge Food has a full guide to how Bursa eats: its defining dishes and how to order them, street food decoded, the markets, and the neighborhoods to eat in.