Bursa is located in the northwest of the Anatolian peninsula and southeast of the Marmara Sea. The shores of the Marmara Sea are 135 km away. The most important peak in the province is Uludag, a beloved ski resort and national park. The most significant lakes of the region are Iznik and Uluabat.What to do in Bursa?
As the first capital city of the Ottoman Empire, Bursa is known as the city where Ottoman architects left behind the Seljuk Turkish architecture of the past and developed their own Ottoman mosque architecture (based partly on Persian and Byzantine examples) which then saw its greatest expression in the sublime Ottoman mosques of Edirne (second capital of the empire) and Istanbul (third and last imperial capital). Anyone with an interest in architecture should see the unique Muradiye - Hüdavendigar Mosque (1366) in Cekirge, the Seljuk-style Ulu Cami (Great Mosque, 1399), the early Ottoman transitional styled Yesil Cami (Green Mosque, 1424), Muradiye Cami (Mosque of Sultan Murat II, 1426), and the Ottoman rococo-style Emir Sultan Mosque (1805). Beautiful mosques are not the only sights in Bursa. The city has lots of quaint old Ottoman houses, particularly in the Hisar district, just west of the city center.
The Bursa suburb of Cekirge is famed throughout Turkey for its hot mineral-water baths. As one of Turkey's premier spa resorts, Cekirge has most of the city's finer, more comfortable, more upscale hotels, though there are still serviceable hotels in the city center.
Shopping is good in Bursa's Covered Bazaar (Kapali Carsi and adjoining caravanserais, including the Koza (Silkworm Cocoon), Han, the Ipek (Silk) Han, and several others at the center of the city next to the Ulu Cami. Dining is another Bursa specialty, as the city and region have long been famous for their fresh fruits (particularly the peaches), candied chestnuts (kestane sekeri), and especially Iskender kebab, slices of roast lamb dressed with browned butter and savoury tomato sauce.
You can escape to the summit of Uludag (Great Mountain), the Mount Olympus of the ancient province of Bithynia. It rises to the south of the city, which is built on its slopes. A "teleferik" (cable car) east of the city center takes you to near the summit, for hiking (or just some fresh, cool air) in summer, and for skiing in winter.
