The city stays cool and damp in January, around 2–10°C with occasional snow. Up on Uludağ, the hotels zone sits at about 1,870 m in proper winter.
What makes it special
Snow without a long flight
Uludağ is Türkiye’s best-known ski mountain, rising straight above the city. A gondola climbs from the edge of Bursa to the hotels zone in about 22 minutes.
Halal by default
Meat in ordinary restaurants is halal, mosques are everywhere and the call to prayer sets the rhythm of the day.
Birth of the Ottoman Empire
Bursa and the village of Cumalıkızık are a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the early Ottoman mosques, tombs and markets built here in the 1300s and 1400s.
The home of İskender
Thin slices of döner over bread, tomato sauce, yoghurt and sizzling butter were first served in Bursa in the late 19th century.
A silk city
Bursa was the great silk market of the Ottoman world; Koza Han, the “inn of the silk cocoon”, still trades in silk.
Hot springs
Thermal baths in Çekirge have been used since Roman times, a warm end to a snowy day.
Easy from Istanbul
A sea bus crosses the Sea of Marmara from Kabataş to Mudanya in about 1 hour 50 minutes.
Family scale
Compact old town, a gentle ski area, snow play by the cable car and plenty of tea gardens for breaks.