Istanbul and Bursa Itinerary 3 Days: Day-by-Day Plan and Costs for 2027

The simplest Istanbul and Bursa itinerary for 3 days is Day 1 in Istanbul's Old City, Day 2 across the Sea of Marmara to Bursa for the Grand Mosque, the silk khan and an İskender lunch, and Day 3 either in Bursa (Cumalıkızık village and the Uludağ cable car, then back to Istanbul) or on the Bosphorus. Done with our guided tours and back in Istanbul every night, the three days cost from $364 per person; the Bursa day alone is our Bursa day trip with cable car and lunch, from $90, and the Istanbul days come from our Istanbul tours list.

The real decision is where you sleep on the second night. Bursa is about 155 km from Istanbul, two to two and a half hours each way by road over the Osmangazi Bridge, so a same-day return leaves about five hours on the ground. Staying one night in Bursa turns a rushed day into a calm one and lets you see Cumalıkızık and the mountain, which no day trip does well. Below are both versions, with timings, travel options, our 2026 prices and the sites that close or change by season.

Day 1: Istanbul Old City, from the Hippodrome to the Grand Bazaar

Spend the first day in Sultanahmet. Morning (09:00 to 12:30): start at the Hippodrome, then Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, which sit across a garden from each other. On Fridays both mosques restrict visits between about 12:30 and 14:30 for prayers, so on a Friday put Topkapı Palace first.

Afternoon (13:30 to 17:30): lunch, then Topkapı Palace (closed on Tuesdays) or the Basilica Cistern if you are short on time, and finish in the Grand Bazaar, which is closed on Sundays. Our Istanbul Old City full-day tour with tickets and lunch covers this day from $199 per person in a small group, with entry tickets and lunch included. If you want your own guide, our private Classic Istanbul tour is from $200, with tickets paid on the day.

Evening: dinner in Sultanahmet or Karaköy and an early night. Day 2 starts between 07:00 and 08:00, so sleep in the Old City or near the ferry piers at Yenikapı and Kabataş rather than up in Taksim.

Day 2: Istanbul to Bursa by ferry or road, then the old city

There are two ways across. By road, a car leaves Istanbul on the Asian side, crosses the Gulf of İzmit on the Osmangazi Bridge and reaches Bursa in 2 to 2½ hours, more on Friday and Sunday evenings. By sea, İDO sea buses sail from Yenikapı to Güzelyalı near Mudanya, some calling at Armutlu on the way, and the Bursa municipality's BUDO sea buses run from Kabataş to Mudanya in about 90 minutes. From either pier it is another 30 to 40 minutes by road into the city. Timetables change every season and sailings are cancelled in strong wind, so check ido.com.tr or BUDO's site the day before. Our page on Istanbul to Bursa transfers compares the four options and car prices.

Late morning: begin at the Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami), built for Sultan Bayezid I between 1396 and 1399. Instead of one great dome it has twenty smaller ones in rows, with a fountain inside the prayer hall and calligraphy on every pillar. It is a working mosque: cover shoulders and knees, bring a headscarf, avoid Friday noon.

Behind the mosque is the old commercial quarter: the covered bazaar and the khans. Koza Han, built in 1491, takes its name from the silk cocoons that were traded in its courtyard for centuries, and silk scarves are still sold under its arcades.

Lunch: İskender kebab was created in Bursa. The Kebapçı İskender family dates its first shop to 1867 in the Kayhan bazaar area, where İskender Efendi began roasting lamb on a vertical spit; thin slices go over bread with tomato sauce, melted butter poured at the table and yoghurt on the side. It is a heavy meal; walk afterwards.

Afternoon: take a taxi to the Green Mosque (Yeşil Camii) and the Green Tomb of Mehmed I opposite it. The name comes from the turquoise and green tiles, most of them inside; from the street the mosque is pale stone. Then go up to Tophane for the tombs of Osman and Orhan, the first two Ottoman rulers, and the view over the rooftops.

If you are going back to Istanbul tonight, the easy way is our Bursa day trip with cable car and lunch: 8 hours, from $90, with hotel pickup, ferry tickets, the Green Mosque and Green Tomb, the cable car ride and lunch. Our private full-day Bursa tour (about 12 hours, from $100) adds the Grand Mosque, the bazaar and Tophane but leaves meals and the cable car ticket to you. Our Bursa day trip guide explains how the two differ.

Day 3: Cumalıkızık, the Uludağ cable car and the road back

This is the day that justifies a night in Bursa. Morning (08:30 to 11:00): drive to Cumalıkızık, a village of stone and timber houses on the eastern edge of the city, below the slopes of Uludağ. It is one of the parts of the UNESCO World Heritage listing "Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire", inscribed in 2014, because it was a village endowed to support the Orhan Gazi complex in the city. Come for the long village breakfast in the courtyards, then walk the lanes before the weekend crowds from Bursa arrive around 11:00.

Late morning to afternoon: back to the lower station of the Bursa Teleferik at Teferrüç. The current line opened in 2014 and runs about 9 km via Kadıyayla and Sarıalan to the hotel zone; the operator puts the full ride at about 22 minutes. The official price page lists a 500 TL return for adults and hours of 10:00 to 18:00. One honest warning: when we checked on 25 October 2026, the operator's website showed the line closed for planned maintenance with no reopening date, and it also stops in strong wind. If it is not running, a taxi up the mountain road to Sarıalan or the hotel zone is the fallback.

At the top, eat grilled meat at Sarıalan and walk in the pines. Leave Bursa by 16:00 to be in Istanbul for dinner; on a Sunday add an hour for traffic at the bridge and the city entrance.

If you went back on Day 2, spend Day 3 on the water instead. Our Bosphorus lunch cruise (3 hours, from $75, lunch and hotel pickup included) passes Dolmabahçe Palace and Ortaköy and leaves the late afternoon free for Galata. Both are on our private Istanbul tour list.

Where to sleep: one night in Bursa or back to Istanbul?

Back to Istanbul each night suits travellers who hate changing hotels, families with small children and anyone who would rather not pack twice in three days. You see the Bursa centre, the Green Mosque and the cable car, but in about five hours, and the village and Tophane usually drop out.

One night in Bursa suits history lovers, couples and anyone who wants the mountain without rushing. Stay near the Grand Mosque and the bazaars (the Osmangazi district) so you can walk to dinner, or on Uludağ in winter if skiing is the point; mountain hotels are expensive at weekends in the snow season. The thermal hotels of Çekirge, on the west side, are another choice.

Our recommendation: one night in Bursa, with your own car and driver for Day 2 and Day 3, and the big luggage left at your Istanbul hotel.

How much does a 3-day Istanbul and Bursa trip cost?

The table adds up our own tours for the back-to-Istanbul version. Hotels, dinners and drinks are extra.

Prices vary by season, hotel and what's included, so ask us for today's price for your dates. For the overnight version, we price a car and driver for Day 2 and Day 3 together, plus your Bursa hotel, once we know the number of people and bags; send us the dates on WhatsApp. Count about 500 TL each for the cable car if you ride it on your own.

Take this plan as a package

None of our ready-made packages includes Bursa, so the closest fit is our Private Istanbul City Tour Package (4 days, 3 nights), from $699 per person: three nights in a mid-range hotel with breakfast, airport transfers, the full-day Old City tour with tickets and lunch, and a Bosphorus cruise. Add the $90 Bursa day on the free day and you have this plan with the hotel and airport handled. It is listed with our Turkey tour packages and our other Istanbul tour packages.

For a longer stay, the 6-day Premium Istanbul package (from $1,050) and the 8-day Ultimate Istanbul package (from $1,499) both leave room for a Bursa night. Tell us you want Bursa and we will swap a day; every option on our Istanbul packages page can be adjusted. If Bursa is one stop on a bigger trip with Cappadocia or Ephesus, start from our Turkey tour packages and ask us to add it.

Is Bursa worth visiting from Istanbul?

Yes, if you have at least three days and some interest in where the Ottomans started. Bursa was their first major capital, taken by Orhan in 1326, and its mosques, tombs and khans are about a century older than most of what you see in Istanbul. The tiles of the Green Mosque and the rows of domes at Ulu Cami look different from the Istanbul mosques, which is the point of going.

It is not for everyone. Bursa is a large industrial city, the sights are scattered between busy roads, and a day trip spends four to five hours in transit. With only two days in Istanbul, stay in Istanbul.

When to go: Uludağ snow, summer weekends and Fridays

Spring (April to June) and autumn (September to November) are the easiest months: green or golden slopes on Uludağ and comfortable walking in the old city. Winter brings snow. In the 2025–26 season the Uludağ hotels opened on 19 December and the ski slopes on 29 December, and skiing ran into April, according to local press; dates change every year with the snow.

Summer weekends are the worst time for this plan. Families from Istanbul and Bursa fill the cable car queue, Cumalıkızık and the restaurants at Sarıalan, and the Sunday evening drive back can add an hour. Go on a weekday if you can. Friday works in Bursa, but skip the Grand Mosque between about 12:00 and 14:00.

Put the Bursa day in the middle of your stay, so a cancelled ferry does not cost you the trip. Our Bursa tours can be cancelled free up to 7 days before the date. Message us on WhatsApp or use the contact form with your dates and hotel, and we will put the three days together.

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