Istanbul to Bursa Transfer: Road, Ferry and Uludağ Day Trip Options

Bursa is roughly 150 km from central Istanbul by road, and a private car usually covers it in 2 to 2.5 hours via the Osmangazi Bridge over the Gulf of İzmit. The fast ferries to the Bursa coast take about an hour and a half on the water, plus a 30 to 40 minute drive into the city. If you only want a day there, our Bursa and Uludağ day trip with ferry, cable car and lunch starts from $90 per person and takes care of all the connections.

Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman state and is still one of Turkey's larger cities, sitting at the foot of Uludağ, the highest mountain in the Marmara region. Most visitors come for three things: the early Ottoman mosques and tombs, the old silk and market quarter, and the cable car up the mountain. This page explains how to get there, which route suits which kind of trip, and how to plan the day once you arrive.

Road or sea: the two ways across the Marmara

Istanbul and Bursa face each other across the eastern end of the Sea of Marmara, so you either drive round the gulf or cross the water.

By road. The usual route leaves Istanbul on the Asian side, crosses the Gulf of İzmit on the Osmangazi Bridge, which opened in 2016, and continues south on the Istanbul–İzmir motorway towards Bursa. Both the bridge and the motorway are tolled. Before the bridge existed, the same journey meant a long drive round the gulf or a car ferry, so it is now the fastest and most predictable option. The variable part is getting out of Istanbul: from a hotel in Sultanahmet or Taksim you first have to cross the Bosphorus, and at weekday rush hour that alone can add 30 to 45 minutes.

By sea. Two operators run fast boats to the Bursa coast:

• İDO sails from Yenikapı on the European side to Güzelyalı, near Mudanya. Timetables put the crossing at about 95 minutes. Some of these sailings carry cars as well as foot passengers.
• BUDO, the Bursa municipality's sea bus company, runs between Kabataş and Mudanya. Plan on roughly 1.5 to 2 hours on the water.

Both land you on the coast, not in the city. From Mudanya or Güzelyalı it is still a drive of around half an hour into central Bursa, by car, bus or taxi. The boats are pleasant on a calm day, but services are cancelled in strong wind, which happens several times each autumn and winter. If you have a fixed appointment, a flight or a hotel check-in on the other side, the road is the safer bet.

By coach. Intercity buses run from Istanbul's main bus stations on both sides of the city to Bursa's terminal, which is on the northern edge of Bursa. It is the cheapest way, but with the transfers at each end it rarely saves time over a ferry.

How the options compare

Times above are planning estimates, not timetables. Check the current sailing times on the İDO and BUDO websites on the day, as winter and summer schedules differ.

One-way transfer, day trip or overnight

Before you book anything, decide which of these three trips you are actually making. Each one points to a different solution.

A one-way transfer. You are moving on: to a Bursa hotel, to a ski hotel on Uludağ, to a family visit, or onwards to İznik, Eskişehir or the Aegean coast. Here a private car from your Istanbul hotel is the simplest option, because your bags stay in the boot from door to door and you do not have to match ferry times. If you land at Sabiha Gökçen, on the Asian side, you are already on the right side of the Bosphorus, which makes the drive to Bursa shorter than from the European side.

A day trip. You want to see Bursa and come back to Istanbul the same night. This is a long day either way, so it works best with a fixed plan: ferry or car in the morning, the old city before lunch, the cable car in the afternoon, and the road back in the evening. A guided day trip removes the guesswork about connections.

An overnight or two-day trip. Bursa rewards a night. You can see the city at an easy pace, take the cable car on a clear morning, and add Cumalıkızık village or a thermal bath in Çekirge. Our Ertuğrul Gazi tour to Söğüt and Bursa is a private two-day version that also covers the places linked to the founders of the Ottoman dynasty.

What to see in Bursa in one day

Bursa's central sights are close together, and a guide or driver can link them in a few hours.

1. The Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii). Built at the end of the 14th century, with twenty domes over one large prayer hall and a fountain inside. It is a working mosque, so visits pause at prayer times and are longest around Friday midday prayers.
2. The Green Mosque and Green Tomb. The tiles in both buildings are the reason many people make the trip. Read more in our guide to the Green Mosque and Green Tomb.
3. Koza Han and the bazaar quarter. The old silk caravanserai still has silk and scarf shops around its courtyard, with tea served under the trees. The covered market streets run off it.
4. The tombs of Osman and Orhan. On the Tophane hill, above the old centre, with a view over the city.
5. Lunch. Bursa is the home of İskender kebab, thin slices of döner over bread with tomato sauce and melted butter. Candied chestnuts are the classic thing to take home.

In 2014 UNESCO listed Bursa and the village of Cumalıkızık as a World Heritage Site, for their role in the birth of the Ottoman state. Cumalıkızık lies on the eastern edge of the city, below the mountain, with timber and stone houses and cobbled lanes. It fits in a day trip only if you skip the mountain.

The Uludağ cable car

The Bursa Teleferik runs about 9 km from Teferrüç station, on the edge of the city, via Sarıalan to the hotel zone on Uludağ. Local press reported in July 2026 that the full ride takes about 25 to 30 minutes, that the line normally runs from 10:00 to 18:00, and that a full-price return ticket costs 500 TL under the 2026 tariff. Fares change, so check before you go.

Three practical points:

• Wind stops it. The operator suspends the line in strong wind, heavy snow and during maintenance. If the cable car is closed, a car can still drive up the mountain road, but in winter that road can need snow chains or winter tyres.
• Weekend queues are long in winter. On snowy weekends the queue at Teferrüç can take longer than the ride. A weekday is far better.
• It is colder at the top. Even in summer, take a layer. In winter, dress for snow.

For a fuller description of the mountain, its national park and the ski area, see our Uludağ guide.

Uludağ in winter: transfers for skiers

Uludağ is the main ski area within reach of Istanbul, and many Istanbul residents go for a weekend. The ski season depends on snow, and in most years it runs from around late December into March. The hotel zone sits high on the mountain, roughly 35 km by road from central Bursa.

For skiers, a private transfer straight from Istanbul to the hotel door is often the most practical choice:

• Ski bags and boots do not have to go on a ferry, a bus and a cable car.
• The driver can time the mountain road for daylight and check the road conditions before setting off.
• Families avoid three changes with children and luggage.

If you are booking in peak weeks, tell us the hotel's name and your check-in time. Hotels in the zone are spread out, and the last part of the road is narrow when the snow banks are high.

Planning the return to Istanbul

The journey back is where Bursa day trips go wrong. Sea buses fill up on Sunday evenings, the last sailing of the day leaves no margin if you miss it, and the motorway towards Istanbul is busy at the end of holiday weekends.

• On a day trip, aim to leave Bursa by early evening. If you are travelling by sea, book the return sailing in advance.
• If you have a flight the next morning, sleep in Istanbul, not in Bursa.
• If you are heading to Sabiha Gökçen for a flight, Bursa is one of the few places where SAW is clearly the easier airport, because you stay on the Asian side the whole way.

Once you are back in Istanbul, it is easy to keep the car for another day: a private car with driver can take you to the sights on both sides of the Bosphorus, and our list of day trips from Istanbul compares Bursa with Sapanca, Gallipoli and the Princes' Islands.

How to book a private Istanbul–Bursa transfer

Send us these details on WhatsApp and we will reply with a fixed price for the vehicle:

• Pickup address in Istanbul (or the airport and flight number).
• Drop-off address in Bursa, Mudanya or the Uludağ hotel zone.
• Date and preferred time, and whether it is one-way or return.
• Number of passengers and bags, including ski bags or child seats.
• Any stops on the way, for example lunch at the coast or a visit to İznik.

Prices are quoted per vehicle, not per person, and agreed before the day. When you compare quotes from different companies, check whether the bridge and motorway tolls are included, because on this route they add up. Our transfers use licensed private vehicles with professional drivers, and a licensed guide can join if you want commentary at the sights. For the rest of your stay, browse our Istanbul tours, tours in Bursa, or start with the Bursa destination page.

Tours that cover this

• Bursa and Uludağ tour from Istanbul: ferry, cable car and lunch: from $90 per person, about 8 hours.
• Bursa day tour from Istanbul with Uludağ cable car and ferry: from $52 per person, a shared full-day trip.
• Private Ertuğrul Gazi tour from Istanbul: 2 days in Söğüt and Bursa: from $535 per person.
• Istanbul private driver tour, Mercedes Vito for 8 hours: from $299 per group, for a day in the city before or after Bursa.

Frequently Asked Questions