Bursa City Guide

Osmangazi, Yıldırım and Nilüfer are three of the most important districts of Bursa. These three districts are the biggest districts of Bursa with about 2 million population. The large majority of city population live in central districts. Thanks to the industrial development, the central districts are preferred by employees in Bursa like Yıldırım, Osmangazi and Nilüfer. İnegöl is the important center of furniture production and export them to many countries all over the world. Gemlik, İznik and Karacabey are important agricultural destinations, the population has farmer feature mostly. On the other hand, Mudanya is the opening door to Marmara Sea of Bursa. You can use ferry lines to visit İstanbul. However, Yenişehir district hosts the Bursa Yenişehir Airport and it has 50 km. distance to city center. You will find both domestic and international flights in Yenişehir Airport.

The districts of Bursa are Osmangazi, Nilüfer, Büyükorhan, Yıldırım, Gemlik, Gürsu ,Harmancık, İnegöl, İznik, Karacabey, Keles, Kestel, Mudanya, Mustafakemalpaşa, Orhaneli, Orhangazi and Yenişehir. You will find detailed information for all districts of Bursa in this guide.

Short History of Bursa

The city of Bursa, whose ancient name was ‘Prusa’. It settled in the city in the 7th century BC. Bithynians, who became an independent kingdom in 327 BC. It was founded in the 2nd century. It was defeated by attacking the King of Pontus Bithynia in 88 BC and the region was completely under Roman rule. During this period, the city was called “Prusa Olympium”. After the death of Roman Emperor Theodose, his empire was shared between his two sons and Bursa remained in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.

The city was largely reconstructed during the Roman period. The first Muslim settlements in the city were during the Abbasid period. In 955, the Hamadanese in Aleppo took over Bursa and dominated it for 23 years. On the other hand, Turks conquered Bursa after the Seljuk Sultan Süleyman Şah Kutalmış took Iznik and made it a state center. In the Ottoman period, Bursa continued to be an important center. Bursa was the first capital city of Ottoman Empire.

First Establishment after being Capital City

Bursa has hosted many civilizations with its location and strategic structure. The city, which developed with the Roman and Byzantine settlements, preserved its importance in the Ottoman period as well. In the Ottoman period, urbanization was out of the city walls with the complexes built by the sultans who came to the fore. The courtyards formed by the construction of these different functional structures provided the formation of new neighborhoods within the Ottoman urban fabric. And these neighborhoods got the name of the person who built the complex.

Accommodation in Bursa will be so important if you’re visiting Bursa for the first time for different purposes. In Bursa, close to the city center, a you can find a lot of hotels which are suitable for different budgets. Although Uludağ is the most touristic destination of Bursa, you can find many accommodation alternatives in different districts of the city. Bursa is known as a tourism center that attracts attention both in summer and winter. Uludağ, one of the highest points of the city, hosts many local and foreign guests who come to the city for ski tourism. Historical monuments in the city center are among the other interesting riches of Bursa, a lush city. The city, which is also in demand for health and spa tourism, attracts attention every season. You will find different accommodation alternatives in Bursa like 5-star chain hotels.

If you are looking for real estate for sale in Bursa or real estate for rent in Bursa, check out our listings. Bursa, it is talked about as the fourth most populous city in Turkey with a population about 3 million. Bursa, which is one of the important cities of Marmara Region, is one of the advantageous places due to its geographical location. Standing out with its strong economy, Bursa is also among the leading cities of our country with its rich history and natural beauties. industrial city of Bursa, as one of the production centers of Turkey’s economy will come to the fore. As a natural result of this situation, housing prices have been increasing recently.

New projects have been increasing in Bursa, which has attracted attention with the increase in housing prices in recent years. Increasing its attractiveness with its urban transformation, transportation and branded housing projects, Bursa’s intense migration revives the region’s real estate market. Housing prices in Bursa, which offer many advantages to those who want to invest in real estate, are closely monitored. Especially, Nilüfer and Yıldırım districts are preferred by real estate investors at the last times.

You will find all of the details about hospitals in Bursa. In Bursa, there are 1 city hospital, 14 state hospitals, 1 university training and research hospitals, and 25 private hospitals. Almost all districts have hospitals in different regions of the city. You can get high-quality health services in many health instutitions in Bursa. Especially, new Bursa City Hospital is the one of the modern hospitals of the city with their huge capacities.

Bursa is located in Marmara Region of Turkey and it’s the second biggest city of the region after İstanbul. Thanks to its efficient location in the region, there are many transportation alternatives for the city. You can reach Bursa by air, railway, seaway and road transportation. Yenişehir Airport, located on the east of the city, is located 50 kilometers from the city center. You can visit city center by buses from the airport. If you want to come to Bursa by bus, there are bus lines from many cities to Bursa. You can also go to Bursa by high speed train by bus transfer from Eskişehir Train Station. It is also possible to reach Bursa by ferry ships from İstanbul.

Road Transportation

Bursa has a high intercity traffic due to its active urban life, as well as being a transit point. Bursa Bus Terminal is about 10 km from the city center. There is 24-hour transportation from the terminal to the city center. There are different times of the time in every city in Turkey from Bursa Terminal.

Air Transportation

Bursa Yenişehir Airport is located in Yenişehir district and it has 50 km. distance to the city center. You can find many local and international flights from the airport. You can also find transfer buses to the Bursa Yenişehir Airport.

Railway Transportation

Bursa is a limited city when we look at the concept of railway transportation. You can reach Bursa by train with a bus transfer from Eskişehir, with the high-speed train lines from Ankara or Istanbul.

Seaway Transportation

Bursa, which is located on the coast of Marmara, is easily accessible by fast ferry services. In Güzelyalı and Mudanya piers, there are services to the city center by public transport in accordance with the ferry services.

Inner-city Transportation

You can use both metro, tramway and bus lines for transportation in Bursa. Bursaray is the official name of Bursa metro that connects districts from west to east.  There are two metro lines named as Emek – Arabayatağı and University – Kestel. The tramway lines are located in Osmangazi district and they connect the city center regions.  You can check out the inner-city transportation map below.

Check out the answers of  “Best places to visit in Bursa” or “Top 10 things to do and see in Bursa” questions in this guide.  You can prefer your best destination to see after seeing all of the best places of Bursa in this guide. Bursa is so popular with its amazing historical and natural destinations all over the city. Especially, the historical structures from Ottoman Empire period are worthseeing for first-time visitors. Ulu Mosque and Tophane Clock Tower are two of the important historical symbols of the city.  The religious structure that Evliya Çelebi mentioned as  “Hagia Sophia of Bursa” was built between 1396-1399 upon the order of I. Bayezid on the return of the Niğbolu War. Also, clock tower is so important for Bursa. Even if you are not interested in architecture, I recommend you to go to the place where the clock tower is. Because you can watch the panoramic city view from the area where the building is located very easily and take plenty of photos.

Uludağ is the most touristic and highest point of Bursa. Uludağ is located in the southwestern part of Bursa and is 36 km from Bursa city center. It has the characteristic of being the highest mountain in the Marmara Region. Kartaltepe, which is 2,543 meters high, is the highest point of Uludağ. On the other hand, there are countless historical places to visit in the city. Cumalıkızık Village is one of the most important destinations of the city.  The village, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List with its history and extremely well-preserved architecture dating back to the 14th century, both wants to listen peacefully, loves to discover new places culturally, and prefers to take plenty of photos in different places, in short, every is of the type of traveler’s interests. Finally, you should also discover Tirilye, Cumhuriyet Street and City Museum in Bursa.

There are 2  universites in Bursa. Bursa Uludağ University is one of the most important universities of Turkey. Also, there is Bursa Technical University for engineering and technical education in the city.