İznik Viewpoint

Western Anatolia


Marked by a towering Turkish flag, İznik's hilltop viewpoint makes a good sunset walk (2km). From here you'll have views of the lake stretching away beyond town. Head out through Lefke Gate in the city walls and continue along this back road for about an hour, walking under the bridge, passing the cemetery and following the winding road uphill to the viewpoint.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Western Anatolia attractions

1. Lefke Gate

0.56 MILES

Part of İznik's Roman-Byzantine fortifications, the eastern Lefke Gate comprises three gateways dating from Byzantine times. The middle of these bears a…

2. Yeşil Cami

0.63 MILES

Built between 1378 and 1387 under Sultan Murat I, Yeşil Cami has Seljuk Turkish proportions, influenced by the Seljuk homeland of Iran. The minaret's…

3. İznik Museum

0.65 MILES

İznik's museum is housed in a soup kitchen that Sultan Murat I built for his mother, Nilüfer Hatun, in 1388. Born a Byzantine princess, Nilüfer was given…

4. City Walls & Gates

0.67 MILES

İznik's once-imposing Roman walls, renovated by the Byzantines, no longer dominate but parts of their 5km circumference remain impressive. Four main gates…

5. Şeyh Kutbettin Cami

0.67 MILES

The restored Şeyh Kutbettin Cami (1492) lies across the road to the south of the İznik Museum.

6. Hacı Özbek Cami

0.83 MILES

Dating from 1332, the centrally located Hacı Özbek Cami is one of İznik's oldest mosques.

7. Church of the Koimesis

0.86 MILES

Scant foundations remain of the church that was once famous as the burial place of the Byzantine emperor Theodore I (Lascaris). Built around 800 and…

8. İstanbul Gate

0.93 MILES

İznik's imposing northern gate, part of the fortified city walls, features huge stone carvings of heads facing outwards.