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Turkey

Marmara Travel Guide

Capital: Istanbul

The Bosphorus Bridge, Istanbul. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Marmara is Turkey's northwest and its economic engine: home to Istanbul, the country's largest city and for sixteen centuries the capital of two empires. The region straddles two continents, with the Bosphorus strait splitting Istanbul between Europe and Asia.

The essentials: Sultanahmet's mosques and palaces, the Grand Bazaar, a Bosphorus ferry ride, and the Princes' Islands. Beyond Istanbul: Edirne's Selimiye Mosque, the Dardanelles and the ruins of Troy, and Bursa, the first Ottoman capital.

Destinations in Marmara

  1. The dome of Hagia Sophia, IstanbulHagia Sophia4.9The 1,500-year-old great church, mosque and museum in Sultanahmet.
  2. The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque), IstanbulBlue Mosque4.8Sultanahmet Mosque: six minarets and 20,000 blue İznik tiles.
  3. The Baghdad Kiosk at Topkapı Palace, IstanbulTopkapı Palace4.8The Ottoman sultans' palace for four centuries: the Harem, the treasury, the views.
  4. The Bosphorus strait, IstanbulBosphorus ferry4.8The commuter ferry between two continents: the cheapest great boat ride in the world.
  5. The Selimiye Mosque, EdirneSelimiye Mosque, Edirne4.8Sinan's masterpiece: the 16th-century imperial mosque UNESCO listed in 2011.
  6. A corridor of the Grand Bazaar, IstanbulGrand Bazaar4.7One of the world's oldest covered markets: 61 streets, 4,000 shops.
  7. Dolmabahçe Palace, IstanbulDolmabahçe Palace4.6The 19th-century sultans' palace on the Bosphorus.
  8. The Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara from abovePrinces' Islands4.5Car-free islands in the Sea of Marmara: Büyükada's wooden mansions.
  9. Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli peninsulaGallipoli battlefields4.5The WWI memorials and cemeteries on the Gallipoli peninsula.
  10. The Spice Bazaar, IstanbulSpice Bazaar4.5The 1664 Egyptian Bazaar: lokum, saffron, dried fruit.
  11. The Green Mosque, BursaBursa4.4The first Ottoman capital: the Grand Mosque, the silk market, İskender kebap.
  12. The archaeological site of TroyTroy4.3The archaeological site of Homer's Troy near Çanakkale.
  13. İznik4.1Nicaea: the lakeside town of the two ecumenical councils and the tile workshops.
MarmaraAegeanMediterraneanCentral AnatoliaBlack SeaEastern AnatoliaSoutheastern Anatolia

Hover a region to explore it. Click a city pin to open its guide.

Top Cities & towns in Marmara

Istanbul ›Bursa ›Edirne ›Çanakkale ›Assos ›Gallipoli ›İznik ›Bozcaada ›Yalova ›Tekirdağ ›

Regional food

  • İskender kebap (invented in Bursa in the 19th century)
  • Simit and çay on the Bosphorus ferry
  • Balık ekmek (fish sandwich) at Eminönü

Read the full Turkish food guide ›

Getting there

Istanbul Airport (IST), opened 2019, is the main international gateway; Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) serves the Asian side. High-speed YHT trains link Istanbul with Ankara and Konya. Edirne and Bursa are easy bus or train day trips; Troy and Gallipoli are 4-5 hours by bus.

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