Days out · 2–3 hours by ferry and road
The first great Ottoman capital: the Grand Mosque, silk in the Koza Han, the Green Tomb, Cumalıkızık and İznik, and the gondola up Uludağ to the ski slopes.
Days out feature
Mosques, silk and İskender below Türkiye’s classic ski mountain.
Take the fast ferry, spend a day in the old city and another on the mountain.
Read the full back story below, then plan your trip.
The back story
The first great Ottoman capital, green with gardens below a mountain of snow, silk and İskender kebab.
Twenty domes and a fountain inside
The great early Ottoman mosque of Bursa, with twenty domes and an ablution fountain under its central dome.
The silk han of 1491
The historic silk market of Bursa, built in 1491, still full of silk shops around a courtyard with a tiny mosque.
Turquoise tiles
The early-15th-century mosque and tomb of Sultan Mehmed I, famous for their tiles.
An early Ottoman village
A village of timber-framed houses and cobbled lanes on the slopes of Uludağ, part of the UNESCO site.
Türkiye’s classic ski mountain
The mountain above Bursa, with ski slopes and hotels in winter and cool forests in summer.
About 9 km to the mountain
The gondola from Teferrüç in Bursa to the hotel area of Uludağ, with stops at Kadıyayla and Sarıalan.
Nicaea, tiles and a lake
The ancient Nicaea on its lake, where the First Council met in 325 and İznik tiles were made.
Born in Bursa
Bursa’s famous dish: döner over bread with tomato sauce, yoghurt and melted butter.
By fast ferry, coach or car
By fast ferry across the Sea of Marmara plus a bus or taxi, by coach, or by car over the Osmangazi Bridge: about 2–3 hours.
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