Bursa
The collection at Bursa's Karagöz Museum includes magnificent Turkish, Uzbek, Russian and Romanian puppets and puppet-making tools. There are also regular…
Must-see attractions in Western Anatolia
Pamukkale
The necropolis (cemetery) at Hierapolis rambles across the hills and is one of the most fascinating parts of the ancient city ruins. The path through the…
Bursa
Originally built in 1335 as the Orhanbey Hamamı (the bathhouse of the Orhan Cami Külliyesi), Eski Aynalı Çarşı
Bursa
This unusual mosque from 1366 features a barrel-vaulted Ottoman T-square design, and includes ground-floor zaviye (dervish hostel) rooms. The only visible…
Bursa
Camel caravans travelling the Silk Road to Bursa once lodged at Emir Han, entered at the rear of Ulu Cami. Drovers and merchants slept and did business…
Western Anatolia
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…
Western Anatolia
Close to Bursa and İstanbul, Uludağ (Great Mountain; 2543m) is Turkey's favourite ski resort. Hiking around the wooded slopes is also a popular activity…
Bursa
Knock to gain entry to this restored 19th-century Ottoman house, located uphill behind Sultan Murat II Hamamı. The collection inside includes ornate…
Pamukkale
Hack across the Hierapolis hillside, in a westerly direction from the Martyrium of St Philip the Apostle, and eventually you'll come to a completely…
Western Anatolia
This old town museum, in the same courtyard as the Mevlevihane Cami, holds displays explaining dervish life. An optional audio tour (₺5) helps bring the…
Western Anatolia
This whitewashed 19th-century house, where the Armistice of Moudania was signed by Italy, France, Britain and Turkey on 11 October 1922 (Greece…
Pamukkale
About 3km from Pamukkale, on the road to Karahayıt, the northern gate into Hierapolis allows you to enter the site via the necropolis and Frontinus St.
Western Anatolia
İznik's most impressive stretch of historic city walls, reaching 10m to 13m in height, stand between this southern gate and the eastern Lefke Gate.
Bursa
The 14th-century Bedesten, built by Sultan Beyazıt I and reconstructed after an 1855 earthquake, is contained within Bursa's sprawling Kapalı Çarşı.
Pamukkale
The vast 2nd-century agora was once surrounded by marble porticoes with Ionic columns on three sides, and enclosed by a basilica on the fourth. It's one…
Pamukkale
Only a few Doric columns remain from Hierapolis' 1st-century gymnasium, which was one of the social hubs of the ancient city. An earthquake in the 7th…
Bursa
This han (caravanserai) is one of the calmest, leafiest corners of the busy bazaar area. It was constructed during Sultan Mehmet I's reign by the Grand…
Western Anatolia
İznik's imposing northern gate, part of the fortified city walls, features huge stone carvings of heads facing outwards.
Tofaş Museum of Anatolian Carriages
Bursa
Old cars and horse-drawn carts are housed in this former silk factory with gardens. It's a 550m walk uphill, signposted right after the Setbaşı road…
Ulumay Museum of Ottoman Folk Costumes & Jewellery
Bursa
Originally the Sair Ahmet Paşa medrese (seminary; 1475), this museum exhibits around 70 costumes and more than 350 different pieces of jewellery.
Bursa
Spanning the gorge, north of the Setbaşı road bridge, this restored Ottoman bridge houses shops, cafes and touristy artisan workshops.
Pamukkale
This entrance gate to Hierapolis is about 2.5km up the hill from Pamukkale village.
Pamukkale
The middle gate to Hierapolis is at the bottom of the travertines, on the edge of Pamukkale village.
Pamukkale
This 2nd-century baths complex later became a basilica during the Byzantine era.
Pamukkale
A sort of underground Pamukkale, this cave gushes with calcium- and sulphur-rich water. The flow, into a large sinkhole, creates a bright white pyramid…
Eskişehir
West of the centre on the Küthaya road, this area of cleared sazova (cane field) has been turned into a family friendly paradise of fresh air and rolling…
Western Anatolia
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…
Western Anatolia
Located in the Vacidiye Medresesi (1314), next door to the Ulu Cami, this old-school provincial museum exhibits finds from Ancient Aizanoi including a…
Museum of the Republican History
Eskişehir
This museum celebrates Atatürk and the Turkish Republic through hundreds of photos, paintings and collages covering seminal events such as the battles of…
Yılmaz Büyükerşen Wax Sculptures Museum
Eskişehir
Hugely popular with Turkish tourists, this waxworks museum is Eskişehir's local version of Madame Tussauds, recreating the likenesses of important Turkish…
Western Anatolia
Looming over Kütahya, this 8th-century Byzantine fortress was restored by the Seljuks, the Germiyan emirs and the Ottomans between the 13th and 15th…
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…
Eskişehir
Inside the Kurşunlu Külliyesi Complex, this small gallery displays items made from meerschaum stone, which is mined locally. Meerschaum pipes are famous…
Bursa
With its fine lawns and flower beds, tea gardens, playgrounds and a lake where you can hire pedal boats, leafy Kültür Parkı is a good place for travelling…
Eskişehir
The heart of the collection here is Eskişehir's Museum of Contemporary Glass Art, a unique display donated by about 70 Turkish and foreign artists. The…
Bursa
This lively museum, very popular with local families, chronicles Bursa's history from the earliest sultans, their military campaigns and their ornate…
Bursa
This twin-domed mosque (1395), also referred to as just Beyazıt Cami, was built by Mehmed I Çelebi's father, Sultan Beyazıt I. It houses the tombs of…
Western Anatolia
The remains of the minor Saray Gate, part of the fortified city walls, are reached down a winding country lane between the town and the olive groves…
Pamukkale
Ak Han (c 1251) is a well-preserved Seljuk caravanserai with a beautifully carved gateway. You'll find it en route to the cave Kaklık Mağarası from…
Bursa
The bulky 15th-century Muradiye Medresesi is part of the Muradiye Complex. During the mid-20th century the building was used as a medical centre for…
