Out for the day
Day Trips from Istanbul: 4 Places Worth the Ride
The best day trips from Istanbul are Bursa Grand Mosque, Cyzicus, and Sangarius Bridge. They are 115 to 235 km away: out after breakfast, back in time for dinner.
1Religious Sites · Bursa
Bursa Grand Mosque
115 km away · about 1.5 hours each way
The Grand Mosque of Bursa is a historic mosque in Bursa, Turkey. It was commissioned by the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I to commemorate his great victory at the Battle of Nicopolis and built between 1396 and 1399. The mosque is a major monument of early Ottoman architecture and one of the most important mosques in the city, located in the heart of the old city alongside its historic markets.
2Historic & Cultural · Balıkesir
Cyzicus
143 km away · about 2 hours each way
Kizikos is an ancient city of Mysia, located today near the Erdek district of Balıkesir province, on the coast of the Sea of Marmara. It was located on the southern coastal side of today's Kapıdağ Peninsula, which was originally said to be an island in the Sea of Marmara and formerly connected to the mainland by artificial means, and was named Arctonnesus in the classical period.
3Historic & Cultural · Sakarya
Sangarius Bridge
151 km away · about 2 hours each way
The Sangarius Bridge or Bridge of Justinian is a late Roman bridge over the river Sakarya in Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. It was built by the East Roman Emperor Justinian I (527–565 AD) to improve communications between the capital Constantinople and the eastern provinces of his empire. With a remarkable length of 430 m, the bridge was mentioned by several contemporary writers, and has been associated with a supposed project, first proposed by Pliny the Younger to Emperor Trajan, to construct a navigable canal that would bypass the Bosporus.
4Historic & Cultural · Eskişehir
Dorylaeum
235 km away · about 3.5 hours each way
Dorylaion or Doryleion was an ancient city in Anatolia, now an archaeological site located in the Şarhöyük village near the city of Eskişehir, Turkey. It was located at the Şar Höyük mound on a hillock. C.
Good to know
What is the best day trip from Istanbul?
Bursa Grand Mosque is the best-known: 115 km away · about 1.5 hours each way.
What is the closest day trip from Istanbul?
Bursa Grand Mosque: 115 km away · about 1.5 hours each way.
Do we need a tour for day trips from Istanbul?
Not necessarily. Most of these places can be reached on our own by bus, train or car; a guided tour simply saves the planning.
Distances and times are road estimates from coordinates; actual travel time depends on traffic and the way we travel.