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.
Your first stop is the Green Mosque (Ye
_il Camii). Follow your guide inside and marvel at its elegant marble archway and turquoise-tinged tiles that embellish the walls of the domed central hall. Learn about Sultan Mehmet I for whom the mosque was built, and then continue by foot to neighboring Koza Han, an intriguing building in the heart of the old Bursa Silk Market (Kapal
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For centuries, Koza Han symbolized the center of Bursa’s thriving silk trade and, although it now exists as a tea house, the building has retained its historical allure. Hear how Bursa marked the end of the ancient Silk Road, and how the city was once home to countless skilled artisans who produced caftans (long garments of clothing) and soft furnishings for the Turkish sultans.
Stop for lunch at a local cafe to enjoy a traditional Turkish kebab or other similar specialty, and then travel to the city’s cable car. Ride up the slope of Mt Olympus and enjoy some free time to soak up the panoramas from the summit. On rare occasions when the cable car is closed, follow your guide to another vantage point, located by an ancient plane tree, instead.
Return to your minivan, and travel back to Istanbul by coach and ferry. Your tour then finishes with a drop-off at your European-side Istanbul hotel in the early evening.