Bursa Day Trip from Istanbul: Explore Ottoman Empire's First Capital

46 Ratings

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Discover the historic landmarks of Bursa, the Ottoman Empire’s first capital, on a small-group day trip from Istanbul. Visit the Green Mausoleum and Mosque, indulge in local cuisine, and immerse yourself in Turkey’s rich cultural heritage.

Duration: 12 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Istanbul - The Bursa Day Tour kicks off in the morning from Istanbul’s city center. A comfortable, air-conditioned bus will collect you from your hotel. A knowledgeable tour guide will be with you throughout the journey to offer insightful commentary and assistance.
Istanbul - To reach Bursa, the bus will head to a harbor for a delightful car…

Istanbul - The Bursa Day Tour kicks off in the morning from Istanbul’s city center. A comfortable, air-conditioned bus will collect you from your hotel. A knowledgeable tour guide will be with you throughout the journey to offer insightful commentary and assistance.
Istanbul - To reach Bursa, the bus will head to a harbor for a delightful car ferry ride across the Marmara Sea. During this ferry trip, you can admire the views of the Bosporus and the impressive bridges linking Asia and Europe. The total travel time between Istanbul and Bursa is approximately 2 hours.
Bursa - After your free time, the bus will proceed to the next stop on the tour. There will be a visit to a shop selling authentic Turkish delight. This globally renowned dessert is one of the sweetest memories you can take from Turkey, so be sure to purchase your favorites.
Uludag National Park - Once your free time concludes, you will board a cable car for an exhilarating ride to Bursa’s city center. What sets us apart from other companies offering Bursa tours is our inclusion of a genuine cable car trip lasting about 30 minutes, rather than a simple 7-minute chairlift ride. On our tour, you will be in a real cable car cabin.
Uludag National Park - Upon arrival in Bursa, you will visit a 600-year-old plane tree for some photo opportunities. Then, you will be driven to Uludag Mountain, where you can enjoy a delicious meal at a local restaurant in a serene environment. After lunch, you will have free time to explore and enjoy the mountain area.
Bursa - In the city center, a bus will be ready to take you to the Green Mosque, one of the city’s most significant monuments. It features several important rooms, including a library and tombs. The mosque’s interior is stunningly adorned with green tiles and is sure to impress.
Istanbul - The bus will then head back to Istanbul, retracing the same route. According to the schedule, you are expected to return to your hotel at night.
Istanbul - You will be dropped off at your hotels.

What's Included

Local guide
Ferry ride (depending on traffic)
Lunch
Cable car (optional)
Air-conditioned vehicle
Hotel pickup and drop-off

What's Not Included

Food and drink, unless specified
Gratuities

Additional Information

Relish an opportunity to learn about the Ottoman Empire’s first capital, Bursa, during a small-group Full day tour from Istanbul. Over centuries of rule, the Ottoman Empire influenced so much of Turkey’s culture and during this tour you will experience some of Bursa’s most historic landmarks. See the Green Mausoleum (Yesil Turbe) and the Green Mosque…

Location

Sultanahmet Old City Travel Agency

Peykhane Caddesi

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

3.8

(46 Ratings)

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49olaw

Feb 6, 2025

Beautiful trip - Beautiful multi-activity trip in one day Excellent managers Bus driver wise and savvy Lunch was delicious Worth Going Shopping prices are high at Istanbul Goliat Exchange

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Sohaf2025

Feb 6, 2025

It is very nice and people very helpful - We are pleasant, helpful, committed to the program and the places are so beautiful and we've had a nice bite and dining at the restaurant is so beautiful and God wishes Tania to be with them

Review provided by Tripadvisor

V8182sxsama

Feb 3, 2025

A snowy day in turkey like the alpes - The Bus was confortable, A very nice guide and helpful, a lot of activities that you ca. Choose from beside included activities I recommand the open cable car a lot, to not miss great pics and a nice view with snow even when you're riding

Review provided by Tripadvisor

585busrae

Feb 2, 2025

The perfection of Bursa tour - A tour program was realized as described. Every place we wanted to see was visited. The view we saw from the cable car was very fascinating. The safari tour was excellent, I want everyone to try it. The Turkish delights we bought at the Turkish delight factory were very delicious. A place everyone should go and see

Review provided by Tripadvisor

910nayyari

Dec 29, 2024

Customer service experience evaluation - Excellent service, excellent communication and follow up with us. I especially liked their customer service and follow up to take care of our needs.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Ghem5

Dec 21, 2024

Bursa Trip with Family - Had a nice tour of Bursa. Enjoyed the Ottomn places , the silk shop and loved the cable car experience and snow in Uladag. Definitely recommend it to friends

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Chris_w

Feb 1, 2025

Not the tour I signed up for - The day itself was fine but I was expecting, based on the tour details, this to include more history. Instead we spent nearly 3hrs of the day doing things we needed to pay extra for. AWD on a mountain.. cool but not really my thing and started at 2000 extra. Going to the top of Mt Olympos WAS cool in fairness despite the lining up and definitely the highlight of the trip. Snow mobile around the snow, literally cool, but starting at 3000 extra. If you like those types of things then it’s probably good value even with the extras but I wanted to learn about the Ottoman history. I can’t help but feel I’d have been better off staying in Istanbul and going to some museums.

Review provided by Viator

Chompie2

Dec 27, 2024

Tourist trip itinerary - If you only want to see and pay for this Bursa trip as advertised- see Bursa, do the cable car and enjoy snow on top of the mountain. This trip is not for you. That is what I thought I booked for. One can see this tour is all around the tour operator and not the tourist. Cut and paste piggy backing on the local operators - just charging more. Firstly, it a long day, 08h30 - 23h00, (which I get) as Bursa is far and traffic a nightmare in Istanbul. Firstly, the tour operator totally disorganised. Their pick up route wastes a lot of time zig zagging across Istanbul traffic before getting on with the trip. Then more stops and time wasted at tourist traps waiting so long for a coffee on the ferry you cannot enjoy the scenery; overpriced shops they stop at that no-one ever buys from - from a jam maker, silk bazaar, sweet shop - all goods you get cheaper in Istanbul. Still got to pay for toilet access and 200TL for a cold instant coffee makes this trip really a tourist trap tour. The famous multi coloured Bursa sign, 10 minute stop. Cable car 1st stop - 5 minutes. If you don't do quad biking, you look at the forest for an hour. In real terms, of the 15 hours trip, you get 3 hours of actual tour you paid for. And there are many tour operators doing the same route, so expect crowds. Queues. Frustration. Maybe look at alternative options. Don't know what (or if there are better) alternatives, but of the 15hours, 2 hours is your tour. 3 hours at tourist rip off shops. Rest is sitting in the bus.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Jerriks

Dec 3, 2024

Complete Disaster and Deception – Avoid This Tour!!! - I had high expectations for this tour based on the description provided on TripAdvisor, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a huge disappointment. The itinerary was completely different from what was advertised. Instead of an engaging and informative experience, the entire day revolved around shopping, which was never mentioned in the description. This felt deceptive and completely unprofessional. The problems didn’t end there. The bus driver was incredibly rude, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere right from the start. To make matters worse, the tour guide was equally unprofessional, behaving disrespectfully and rudely towards guests. For instance, he argued with guests about playing music and even broadcasted his personal music at an excessively loud volume without seeking permission or considering the comfort of the group. This kind of behavior is absolutely unacceptable and far from what one would expect from a paid service. The experience felt like a complete waste of both time and money. I had been looking forward to an enjoyable day based on the advertised program, but what I received was far from it. It not only ruined my mood but left me feeling frustrated and cheated. I would strongly advise anyone considering this tour to think twice before booking. It is poorly organized, with unprofessional staff and a misleading itinerary. The service provided did not come close to meeting expectations, and I would not recommend this experience to anyone. Overall, I feel that this tour was not worth the cost, and the lack of professionalism, coupled with false advertising, made it one of the most disappointing travel experiences I’ve ever had.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Daniel_b

Nov 14, 2024

A Scam Tour - This tour is a scam. I booked a tour that was listed as 3 hours in Bursa to explore the old town as well as 2 hours to explore the old town of Cumalikizik. It also included lunch in Uludag National Park. What we received was a visit to an ATV Park, Turkish Delight Factory (Shop), Jam Factory, a 600 old tree?, a ski lift stop (optional - but you couldn't do anything else whilst you waited 40 minutes, a minimal lunch at 3.30pm and then a visit to the green Mosque after dark for 45mins only - The Tomb was closed. Home by 10.30pm. I will try and get my money back. What is very disappointing is that I choose this tour to visit the UNESCO sites in the area and sadly only visited 1 and it is unknown, if ever, I will be back this way to look again.

Review provided by Viator

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From $42

up to 15 guests

1 Adult