Bursa And Uludağ Tour From İstanbul: Explore Ottoman History and Majestic Mt. Olympos

Learn about the history and landmarks of Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, on this full-day tour. Admire the tile décor of the Green Mausoleum (Yesil Turbe) and the Green Mosque (Yesil Camii). After lunch prepare for a cable car ride to the peak of Mt. Olympos. Get an unbeaten view of the city, perfect for your holiday photos.

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Bursa - Start your day with a pickup from your European-side Istanbul hotel, and travel to the port where your ferry awaits. Cruise south across the Sea of Marmara to Yalova, and then continue your journey by air-conditioned minivan. After just over two hours of traveling, arrive into Bursa, the first capital city of the Ottoman Empire. Make your way through the city, and hear how the ancient capital evolved into the flourishing modern metropolis that it is today. While contemporary sights are common, the city has retained its original opulence with an abundance of historical monuments strewn around its streets.

  • Yalova - Among the options depending on traffic density - Car Ferry” In order to reach Bursa, the bus will drive you towards a harbour in order to enjoy a car ferry ride while passing the Marmara Sea. During this ferry trip, you can enjoy views over Bosporus and over the imposing bridges that connect Asia and Europe.

  • Gemlik - Gemlik” When the ferry trip is over, this tour continues with a bus towards Gemlik. At a beautiful location close to a lake, a break will be offered. There, you will have 1 hour of free time to explore the area according to your interests. Except from walking around and admiring the beauty of nature, you may also join alternative activities such as Atv safari, at an extra cost.

  • Uludag National Park - Uludag Mountain” When you arrive in Bursa, you will visit a 600-year old plane tree to snap some photos. Then, you will be driven towards Uludag Mountain. At a local restaurant there, you will enjoy a delicious meal in a quiet setting. After the lunch break, you will have free time to explore the area and enjoy your time in the mountain.

  • Uludag National Park - Cable Car Ride” Once the free time is over, you will enter in a cable car and enjoy an exciting and fun ride towards Bursa’s city centre.

  • Bursa - Visit natural home made Jam preserved.

  • Cumalikizik Koyu – Koy Hamami - Cumalıkızık, with its 700 year history is nearly as old as the Ottoman state. The narrow alleys where no motor vehicles could enter and the old houses, which are among the best examples of Ottoman civil architecture.

Finally, step back into your minivan and return to Istanbul by combination of coach and ferry. Just before dinner your tour ends with short transfer from the port to your hotel.

  • Green Mosque - With your guide, visit the early 15th-century Green Mosque (Yesil Cami) and the Green Tomb (Yesil Turbe), where Sultan Mehmet I was buried in 1421. Both these sites are celebrated for their pristine architecture and beautiful interior embellishment, and you’ll certainly see why!

  • Bursa - Return” The Green Mosque will be your last stop. The bus will then start driving towards Istanbul by following the same route. According to the schedule, return to your hotel in expected during the night.

What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Lunch
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Cable Car - Optional
  • Ferry - Among the options depending on traffic density
What's Not Included
  • Food and drink, unless specified
  • Gratuities
Location
Bursa
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
3.8
(112 Ratings)
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258anggiej
Mar 23, 2024
The travel and guide are so friendly - The view was amazing, and we took a lot of photos. They take us to a good and beautiful place. The tour included lunch and the vehicle are clean and comfortable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zarina_a
Jul 5, 2024
Enjoyable trip - We enjoyed our trip to Bursa via coach, ferry, and Uludag mountain on the cable ride. The coach was comfortable the guide Mohammed was helpful he made sure the group stayed together and returned on the coach on time. I did feel the tour included a couple of unnecessary stops to various shops and cart riding which we could not take part in. I would have enjoyed the trip more if we could have seen more of Bursa city and its important landmarks.
Review provided by Viator
Zainab_m
May 28, 2024
Very average experience but not bad! - The best part was that They dropped us on our way back close to our hotel. The programme was quite haphazard. For whatever reason they informed us after the booking that they could not pick us up from the Asian part of Istanbul. Lot of time wasted on trips to shopping areas rather than historic places. Guide - Mohammad was very nice.
Review provided by Viator
Harish_j
Mar 29, 2024
Worst vehicle and drives - Hi I was really upset with the vehicle provided. No air conditioning was turned on. I requested few times to turn it on, but he turned off after few minutes. Did not drop me back at the hotel, have walk all way to the uphill. Refused due to road closer was the driver reason but the road wasn’t closed.
Review provided by Viator
Saeedaa955
Jul 29, 2024
Bursa Scam trip - This trip had been missold by local tour agents handing out leaflets for one tour and booking you for another, We were supposed to go to Busphorous trip paid over 200 pound for but was booked up for bursa 7 hour drive there and seven back on a bus stopping every hour for break or shopping at so called historical places..its all a scam .dont think you guys would want to go all way just for cable ride. That hapoend to be the only highlight, waste of trip. And believe me you,,,, very very long ride.definately dont reccommend for families with young childeren. I suggest people who are visiting and want the local tours than prebook all trips online.and do take note of other peoples views.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sonia1231
May 18, 2024
Avoid Booking - Avoid booking this tour if possible. Very disorganised and we were left waiting for long periods of time, several times. Tour guide did not give any clear instructions and there were several unnecessary stops. Worst bit is the fact we paid to be collected and dropped from our hotel driver dropped us off fifteen minutes away on the way back meaning we were left to find our hotel at midnight by ourselves which was very scary especially if you do not know your way around. Not a good experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aakanksha
Apr 11, 2024
Horrible tour operator - Horrible tour operator. Unplanned tours. Incompetent tour guides. No sense of timing. Do not stick to the itinerary. Take you to shops they partnered with for commissions and totally ignore the sightseeing mentioned in the itinerary.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alex
Mar 3, 2024
This is a scam. Avoid at all costs. - Genuinely the worst “tour” I have ever been on. - Three different pickup times, locations, no airbnb pickup, lied about nearby hotel pickup, made us walk 10 minutes away to meet up with the “tour” bus - No explanations given by the “guide” about anything - Had to wait an hour and a half for “English speaking bus” in the middle of a random intersection in the city - Basically no English spoken by the “guide” - “Tour guides” rude and dismissive; wouldn’t answer any questions - The bus is hot, stuffy, and uncomfortable; forced us to move seats to sit in back row (including one member of our group who was the only black man on the “tour”); the bus driver drives like a madman and everybody got motion sick; had to ask many times to turn on the air conditioning, which didn’t really work - “45 minutes” at scam atv place/shopping center was actually 1.25 hours at a dirty playground with terrible and incredibly overpriced food (not included in price of “tour”). This was not a scenic atv tour, just ride through random side of highway area - “Turkish delight factory” was just another overpriced scammy store on the side of the highway under an apartment building they force you to stop at for “30 minutes” (actually took an hour) - no English explanations of anything. Another kickback here. - “Lunch” is at 4pm - Not really a bursa tour, just a forced trip from scam to scam so you are captive and pressured to buy things so “guide” can get kickbacks. - Didn’t actually take a ferry -Turkish delight “factory” was just a random store off the highway. -Everyone on the bus was angry and complaining to the “guide” - he threatened to kick someone out of the “ tour”because he was complaining that six hours into the “Bursa tour” that we still weren’t even in Bursa - Another scam stop at a scammy, overpriced tourist trap store before the green mosque. Only 30 minutes allotted for the green mosque and mausoleum. After 2.5 hours at scam stores. - No information given on “tour” by “guide”- they just dropped us off in the mosque area. The small amount of information he gave was not even accurate
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alex_w
Mar 2, 2024
Predatory scam - avoid at all costs - This was not a real tour. It is a predatory scam led by a “guide” who barely speaks English, provides little information about anything historical, and takes you to a bunch of scam stores so he can receive kickbacks. You spend more time at scam stores than at bursa and Uludag combined. The bus is hot and uncomfortable, and the air conditioner barely works, and you have to beg them to turn it on. Utter scam - should be delisted
Review provided by Viator
207ismailg
Mar 1, 2024
Unlist this please - Bad experience, left half way. “Guides” don’t know english, they dont communicate, they dont teach anything (they called Sultan Mehmed “Sultan Muhammad”—wrong and perversely arabicized) In the morning it was chaos, nobody would tell us what was going on. We found out way later that the reason we didn’t couldnt go on the ferry was bc of fog (which is very reasonable!—but they literally did not communicate). This is basically just a group charter bus. The worst part was going to “turkish delight factory” that was a nasty shop on the side of the road. The “cultural” shops that they take you to have very few people that speak turkish OR english
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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October 2024
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