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Transportation
You can
reach Bursa from Istanbul-Yenikapi ferry terminal in 75 minutes. The
ferry arrives Guzelyali port near Bursa. After 10 mnts by bus you go to
city center of Bursa.
http://www.ido.com.tr/en/index.cfm (Inner-City Lines, My Route &
Sales Agents)
An airport serving domestic and a couple of international flights can be found in Bursa ( Yenişehir Airport, IATA: YEI, ICAO: LTBR). However, in order to get to Bursa from most countries by plane, you will have to take a transit flight via one of Turkey's international airports. Istanbul's Atatürk and Sabiha Gökçen are the nearest major international airports. There are several international and domestic flights to Bursa.
Domestic
From
Istanbul's Yenikapi docks are two ferry options for excursions to Bursa.
The first is IDO's new service to the Güzelyali port at Güzelyali (tel.
0212/444-4436; www.ido.com.tr). The ferry takes 75 minutes and costs
20YTL ($17/£7.60 per person) with five departures daily (six on Fri and
Sun). From Güzelyali to Bursa, take the local bus to the metro which you
will take to the last stop, arriving in the city center. Total time (including
ferry, bus, and metro) from Istanbul to Bursa is about 2 1/2 hours.
The other
option from the Yenikapi docks in Istanbul is the 70-minute ferry ride
(12YTL/$10/£4.60) to Yalova, north of Bursa. Ferries run every 2 hours
in either direction beginning at 7:30am (last ferry: 9:30pm). From the
ferry landing, hop on one of the many buses lined up outside the gates;
the ride to Bursa's otogar (bus station) takes about 50 minutes and
costs 7YTL ($6.10/£2.70).
Bursa's otogar is located more than 10km (6
miles) out of town, so it will be necessary to either get on a municipal
bus (no. 38 to Heykel or no. 96 to Çekirge) or take a taxi into town.
The bus takes about half an hour and costs 1.50YTL ($1.30/60p). With
luggage, this is a major stretch. Instead, a taxi is direct, quick, and
cheap (expect to pay around 20YTL/$17/£7.60 for the 20-min. ride).
Both
the ferry to Yalova and to Güzelyali accept cars, so if you're not
overly excited about the hoops you have to jump through to get there,
you can shuttle yourself from the ferry docks straight into Bursa. IDO
charges 60YTL ($52/£23) and 75YTL ($65/£29), respectively, for cars plus
15YTL ($13/£5.70) and 10YTL ($8.70/£3.80) for each additional passenger
in the vehicle.
If you prefer to do the entire journey by land, Nilüfer
Turizm (tel. 0224/444-0099), based in Bursa, provides the most
comprehensive bus service into Bursa. The 4-hour trip from Istanbul
costs 15YTL ($13/£5.80). Metro (tel. 444-3455) runs buses almost hourly
from Istanbul for the same price, as does Kamil Koç (tel. 444-0562).
Bursa Visitor information -- The Tourist Information
Office (tel.
0224/251-1834; fax: 0224/220-1848) is hidden underneath Atatürk Caddesi
in the center of town. If you're standing with Orhan Camii on your right
and the Belediye (Municipal Building) on your left, the office is
straight ahead of you at 12 o'clock. The PTT (post office) is located a
few blocks west (to the right) down Atatürk Caddesi on the opposite side
of the street. All of the major bus companies have ticket offices around
Heykel; tickets can also be purchased through any local travel agent or
at the otogar. |
