Istanbul to Bursa: A Chauffeur-Driven Day Trip
The ferry or the bridge, what a full day in Bursa actually looks like, and why the drive home is the part worth planning.
Two ways across the water
You can drive around the Gulf of İzmit by bridge, or take a car ferry from Yenikapı or Pendik. The bridge route is more predictable in the morning; the ferry route is prettier and slower. A driver who does this weekly knows which is moving on the day you travel.
A realistic schedule
- 08:00 — leave Istanbul
- 10:15 — Ulu Cami and the bazaar in the old centre
- 12:30 — lunch, İskender or a quiet courtyard
- 14:00 — Cumalıkızık, the village of stone houses at the foot of Uludağ
- 16:00 — a thermal hotel stop, or tea with a view
- 17:30 — start back before the evening traffic builds
- 20:00 — Istanbul
Why a day trip works better with a car
Bursa is not a walking city in the way Istanbul is. The old centre, Cumalıkızık and the mountain road are spread out, and the connections between them are thin. A car waiting at each stop removes the two-hour gaps that turn a day trip into an endurance test.
What to book
Ten hours of chauffeured hire covers this route with waiting time at every stop and the ferry crossing if you choose it. Tell us at booking whether you want the ferry, and the plan follows.
The drive home
Leaving Bursa after 18:00 means arriving in Istanbul at the peak of the evening. We usually suggest starting back at 17:00 — you lose nothing and gain an hour of your evening.
Prefer to have it arranged for you?
Send us your flight, dates and luggage; we confirm the car and the price before you land.
