Fast ferries speed between docks in Istanbul andBursa‘s ferry docks at Güzelyalı and Mudanya on the south shore of the Sea of Marmara (map). More…
To travel between the center of Bursa and the ferry docks at Güzelyalı or Mudanya you take the Bursaray (Bursa‘s Metro) M1 Line to the terminal station at Emek. (In Bursa, the Şehreküstü Bursaray station is a convenient place to board this train.) Then, for Mudanya, use Bus 1/M. For Güzelyalı, use Bus 1/GY. This is the method I prefer because the Metro avoids much of Bursa’s dense—and slow—vehicular traffic.
The other bus lines run the entire distance between central Bursa and the ferry docks. At rush hours, they may take a long time to reach the destination you want.
Bus 1/M Mudanya – Emek İstasyonu
This line runs between various stops in Mudanya, including the Mudanya İskelesi (Ferry Dock), and the Bursaray terminal station at Emek.
Bus 1/F Mudanya – Terminal
This route starts at the Mudanya dock, stops at the Güzelyalı dock, and ends at Terminal, Bursa’s main intercity bus terminal (Otogar). If your plan is to go right through Bursa, catch a bus and head onward to another destination, Bus 1/F is the bus for you.
Bus 2/F Güzelyalı Feribot İskelesi – Derebahçe
This one starts at the Güzelyalı dock and goes right to the city center along Atatürk Caddesi past the Ulu Cami and Heykel/Saat Kulesi. Get out at or after the Timurtaş Paşa stop, very near the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque). If there’s heavy traffic, the bus trip can take longer than the Bursaray (which doesn’t have to deal with traffic.)
Bus 3/F Mudanya İskelesi – Teleferik
This route goes via Çekirge through the center of Bursa all the way to the Teleferik (cable car up Uludağ), then returns to the Mudanya dock.
Bus 1/GY Güzelyalı Feribot İskelesi – Emek İstasyonu
This route, my preferred, takes you from the Güzelyalı ferry dock to the terminus of the Bursaray (Bursa‘s Metro) Line M1 at Emek.
Bursaray: Emek to Şehreküstü
From the Bursaray Emek station, take the Metro to the Şehreküstü station in central Bursa on the northern side of the bazaar district (map).
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| Bursaray Sehreküstüstation marker. |
As you emerge from the Şehreküstü station you’ll see the tall white Medical Parkbuilding on Haşim İşcan Caddesi. Medical Park is a convenient landmark to help you find your way back to the Bursaray.
Next, look for the equestrian statue of Orhan Gazi in the nearby traffic circle. Orhan Gazi has his back to Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar Caddesi, a pedestrian shopping street. Walk uphill (south) on A H Tanpınar Caddesi, away from the statue.
After five minutes of walking straight uphill past shops, you’ll come to a street calledCumhuriyet Caddesi, which has an Old-Fashioned Tram (Nostaljik Tramvay) running along it. Look farther up the hill ahead to see the minarets and domes of Bursa’s Ulu Cami (OO-loo jah-mee, Great Mosque) a bit farther along (map).
Cross Cumhuriyet Caddesi, continue walking south uphill on the short street called Ulucami Caddesi, then jog left-oblique and right into a covered bazaar street. Here you’re walking through the west side of Bursa’s bazaar district (interesting in itself).
After another five minutes’ walk you’ll reach the Ulu Cami at the center of Bursa. On the south side of the Ulu Cami, heading east, is Atatürk Caddesi, Bursa’s main city-center avenue. To the west of the Ulu Cami uphill is the Hisar (Fortress) district, the oldest part of the city, with many fine old Bursa houses, and the Tombs of Sultans Orhan and Osman, founders of the Ottoman Empire.
From Bursa to Ferry Docks
To return to the ferry dock, walk downhill on the street on the west (Hisar) side of the Ulu Cami all the way to Haşim İşcan Caddesi (hah-SHEEM EESH-chan; remember to look for the Medical Park building), then look for the Bursaray logo and the stairway descending to the Şehreküstü metro station. Board an M1 train going to Emek. (If you board the car at the end of the train, you’ll be close to the bus stops when you arrive at Emek.)
Leave the Bursaray train at the last stop (Emek) and look for the yellow city buses: 1/GY for Güzelyalı, and 1/Mfor Mudanya.
—by Tom Brosnahan
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