As a daytrip from Istanbul I made my way to Bursa. Bursa embedded in a lush green valley is a nice distraction from the tourist filled streets of Istanbul. It is also a more concise and homogeneous site as it focuses exclusively on the Osmanic heritage. Most notable to me where the Green Mosque and associated Mausoleum and the Khans (trading posts) found in the city center.

I would concur with Paul that Bursa is a worthwhile addition to the list and that the ICOMOS deferral due to paperwork issues seems unwarranted. All the while admitting that the site most certainly does not meet five criteria for inscription.

While You Are There

In addition to Ian in his review, my Turkish barber back home also told me to get Iskender Kebab in Bursa. I am not quite sure, though, if I picked the proper place as there were two Iskender restaurants just next to each other and I had to pick one. In addition there are even more "original" Iskender restaurants across town. It does seem they all belong to the same parent company, but who knows?

Getting There

As laid out by Ian Bursa is an easy and nice day trip from Istanbul. There are two ferry operators connecting Istanbul to Mudanya (Bursa): BUDO and IDO. I went with IDO as both Ian and another source I studied online recommended them. The IDO terminal was also within walking distance (25min) from my hotel.

As a general recommendation I would check each operator's point of embarkment and pick the closest one. BUDO seems to be the better option if you are staying more in the direction of Eminönü/Taksim. Schedules are available online. Buying a ticket can be done online, but I just went to the terminal and bought it there.

IDO operates both car ferries and person only ferries. The duration of the trip is pretty similar for both options and I found the car ferry better as it offered more amenities. If you can influence it, try to get an eastward facing window seat to catch a few glimpses of Istanbul

From Mudanya there are both regular (yellow) line busses as well as private shared taxis. The busses do not take you to downtown Bursa but the most outward metro station, Emek. From there you have to switch yet again and take the metro to downtown.

For the line busses and metro you need to buy a Bursapass. For the IDO terminal these are sold in the cafe just next to the bus station. Buy at least two rides so you have both the line bus and the metro ride covered.

To return to the ferry terminal go back to Emek and exit on the other side from where you entered. There is a bus station with both line busses and shared cabs regularly stopping. The bus end stop shown on the bus will be the ferry terminal (BUDO or IDO). Pick accordingly. I waited less than 10min for a shared cab to take me to IDO. Personally, I found the shared cab more comfortable as you get a seat unlike the line bus where I had to stand for the whole trip.

Taking the time it took me to get to the port, waiting for busses and ferries, I think a one way trip is around 3-3.5h.

Last remark: If you are considering to go by bus, don't. Istanbul traffic is hellish and this will just be a waste of time and energy.