Uludağ Day Trip from Istanbul: Snow, Cable Car and When to Go

Yes, you can reach the snow on Uludağ and be back in Istanbul the same night: the day takes 12 to 13 hours, with the 9 km Bursa cable car doing the last climb from the city to about 1,810 m in roughly 22 minutes. Snow is most reliable from late December to March. Our Bursa and Uludağ tour includes the ferry, the cable car ticket and lunch, from $90 per person.

This page is for travellers who want a winter day on the mountain: snow, sledging, a first try at skiing, or simply the view from the top. If your interest is the Ottoman city below, our Bursa day trip guide covers the mosques and bazaar in detail.

Uludağ in a few lines

Uludağ is the mountain that rises straight behind Bursa. Its highest summit reaches 2,543 m, which makes it the tallest peak in the Marmara region, and in antiquity it was known as Mysian Olympus. Much of the upper mountain is a national park, with fir and beech forest on the slopes and open meadows near the top.

For Istanbul, Uludağ is the nearest proper snow. In winter the hotel zone turns into a ski resort, and on weekends during the Turkish school break it fills with families from both cities. Hürriyet Daily News reported that some 230,000 people visited the mountain during the 2026 semester break. That popularity is the main thing to plan around: on a weekday you get the mountain at its best, on a holiday Saturday you spend part of it in queues.

When there is snow

Snow cover on Uludağ depends on the year, so there is no fixed date when the season opens. In the 2025 to 2026 winter the hotel zone opened on 19 December and the ski slopes on 29 December. In most years you can count on snow from late December to March, with the best and deepest cover usually in January and February.

If your trip is in early December or late March, ask us a few days before you travel. We check the latest snow reports and will tell you honestly whether the day is worth it, or whether the old city is the better plan.

The cable car, step by step

The Bursa Teleferik first opened on 29 October 1963 and was rebuilt as a modern gondola that now runs about 9 km. You board at Teferrüç station, on the edge of the city at around 400 m, and the line climbs in stages:

1. Teferrüç, the lower station in the Yıldırım district of Bursa.
2. Kadıyayla, about 1,231 m, an intermediate stop in the forest.
3. Sarıalan, about 1,635 m, a plateau with picnic areas and restaurants. In winter this is where many day visitors play in the snow.
4. Hotels Zone (Oteller), about 1,810 m, the end of the line, next to the ski slopes and the big hotels.

The one-way ride from bottom to top takes about 22 minutes, and a return trip about 45 minutes. Local press reported a full-price return ticket of 500 TL under the 2026 tariff, which is about €9 at October 2026 exchange rates. Fares are revised every year, so check on the day.

On busy days the line moves faster than the queue. Hürriyet Daily News reported that buying tickets alone can take 25 to 30 minutes at peak times, while the mountain road can take up to two and a half hours when traffic backs up. That is why the cable car is usually the better choice in winter, even for travellers with a car.

The line stops in strong wind, heavy snow and for maintenance. On those days the road is the only way up, and in snow it can require winter tyres or chains. Our drivers check conditions before leaving Istanbul, and if the cable car is closed we will tell you before the trip, not at the station.

What to do at the top

At Sarıalan

Sarıalan is the easier stop for a first visit. The snow here is mostly open ground between the trees, good for snowball fights, building a snowman and photos with the whole family. The gentle slopes near the station are popular for sledging. There are restaurants for a hot lunch and tea, and you can ride on to the hotel zone and back on the same ticket.

At the Hotels Zone

The hotel zone is where the ski area is. Chairlifts and drag lifts run up from the hotels, and ski and snowboard equipment can be rented from shops and hotels along the main road. Ski schools give lessons for complete beginners, which is the sensible way to start if you have never skied. Lift passes, rental and lessons are paid locally and are not part of our group tours, which list ski activities and ATV rides as extras.

Without snow

From April to October the mountain is a different place. The meadows are green, it is several degrees cooler than Bursa, and the views over the plain reach to the Sea of Marmara on a clear day. Walking trails start near the upper stations, and Sarıalan has restaurants for lunch.

What a snow day looks like

A guided winter day usually follows this pattern. The order is sometimes reversed, with the mountain first, if the weather looks better in the morning.

On a group tour the time on the mountain is fixed, usually around two hours. If you want to ski for most of the day, a private car lets you stay up longer and skip the city, though at the price of a later return.

What to wear and bring

The cable car takes you from a city street to a snowfield in under half an hour, and it is easy to arrive dressed for Istanbul. Pack for the top, not the bottom:

• Waterproof boots with a good grip. Trainers soak through within minutes in wet snow.
• Layers: a thermal top, a fleece and a waterproof jacket. Take one layer off on the drive, put it back on at Sarıalan.
• Gloves, a hat and sunglasses. Sun on snow is bright even on a cold day.
• Spare socks and a plastic bag for wet clothes on the way home.
• Cash in lira for tea, snacks and small purchases at the stalls.

If you are travelling with children, pack a full change of clothes for each of them; wet snow gets everywhere.

Day trip or a night on the mountain

A day trip gives you a taste of the snow. If skiing is the main reason you are going, one or two nights in the hotel zone make more sense: you are on the slopes when the lifts open, and you avoid the evening drive. For that kind of trip, a one-way car to the hotel door is simpler than any tour, and our page on the Istanbul to Bursa transfer explains how we arrange ski transfers with bags and boots. A 3-day plan that combines Istanbul, Bursa and the mountain is in our Istanbul and Bursa itinerary.

If you prefer a different kind of mountain day closer to Istanbul, our overview of day trips from Istanbul compares Bursa and Uludağ with Sapanca, Gallipoli and the Princes' Islands, and the Uludağ mountain guide has more on the national park.

Tours that cover this

• Bursa & Uludag Tour from Istanbul: Ferry, Cable Car & Lunch: group tour with hotel pickup, ferry, cable car ticket, guide and lunch, from $90 per person.
• Bursa Day Tour from Istanbul with Uludag Cable Car & Ferry: small group, about 13 hours with the car ferry, cable car and lunch, from $52 per person.
• Private Bursa Day Tour from Istanbul: Guide & Private Van: your own guide and van, with Uludağ weather permitting, from $100 per person. The cable car ticket is paid separately.

You can see every option on our Bursa tours page and read the Bursa travel guide for hotels and food.

Frequently Asked Questions