Things to Do in Gemlik: 8 Places to Visit

Places to Visit in Gemlik

• 2 Historic
• 1 Museum
• 4 Nature
• 1 Attraction

🏛️ Historic Sites 2

1 🏛️ Historic

Remains of Gemlik Castle

Castle remains from the Byzantine period, in the upper part of the district centre. Panoramic views of the Gulf of Gemlik can be enjoyed from the castle.

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i Photo: Avniyazici (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Source

2 🏛️ Historic

Atatürk House

The house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk stayed during his visits to Gemlik in the 1930s, arranged as a museum. Furniture of the period and photographs of Atatürk are on display.

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🌳 Natural Wonders 4

4 🌳 Nature

Samanlı Mountains

Mountains surrounding the north of the Gulf of Gemlik. Some branches leaving the mountains descend steeply to the coast, forming pointed headlands.

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5 🌳 Nature

Gemlik Olive Grove Park

A park on the shore of the Gulf of Gemlik, covered with olive trees hundreds of years old. With its walking trails and picnic areas, it is an ideal resting place for families.

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6 🌳 Nature

Kumla Beach

Kumla Beach, on the shore of the Sea of Marmara, is one of Bursa's most popular beaches, with fine sand and shallow water. It welcomes thousands of visitors in the summer months.

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i Photo: Haluk Comertel (CC BY 3.0) · Source

7 🌳 Nature

Kurşunlu Beach

Kurşunlu Beach, west of Gemlik, is known for its clear sea and shoreline surrounded by pine trees. The beach also offers the chance to camp and is preferred by nature lovers.

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While you are in Gemlik, you can also see the highlights of Bursa province. These places are in other districts; Gemlik is about 29 km from the provincial centre.

• Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) — A 20-domed mosque built between 1396 and 1400 by Bayezid I after his victory at Nicopolis; it is the most monumental example of the multi-pillared mosque plan and has the widest inner congregation hall of any mosque in Türkiye.
• Green Mosque (Yeşil Cami) — A mosque with zaviye rooms (a mosque-cum-lodge) commissioned by Sultan Mehmed I Çelebi, designed by Hacı İvaz Paşa and completed in December 1419; it holds the finest examples of 15th-century Ottoman tilework.
• Green Tomb (Yeşil Türbe) — A tomb that Sultan Mehmed I Çelebi had built during his lifetime in 1421, its exterior covered in turquoise tiles; the tiled mihrab inside is among the masterpieces of İznik tilemaking.
• Muradiye Complex — A complex of mosque, madrasa, hammam and imaret (soup kitchen) built by Murad II in 1425–1426; with the 12 tombs added later, it is the burial place of more members of the dynasty than anywhere except Istanbul.
• Koza Han — A caravanserai in the Khans District, between the Grand Mosque and the Orhan Mosque, commissioned by Bayezid II at the end of the 15th century from the architect Abdül Ula bin Pulat Şah; it takes its name from the silk cocoon trade and still carries on that function today.
• Cumalıkızık — A village 11 km from Bursa on the northern foothills of Uludağ, founded in the 1300s as a waqf (endowment) village and preserving early Ottoman rural architecture; it became a UNESCO World Heritage site together with Bursa in 2014. It is famous for its stone and timber houses, narrow streets and village breakfast.

Practical Information for Visiting Gemlik

Suggested time

1-2 days

Best time to visit

Summer and autumn

Places to visit

8 places

• 🫒

  Gemlik Zeytinyağlı Enginar (artichokes in olive oil)

  Prepared by cooking fresh artichokes in Gemlik olive oil, this dish is served with lemon and dill. It is where the cuisines of the Aegean and Marmara meet.

• 🐟

  Balık Buğulama (steamed fish)

  Prepared by steaming fresh fish from the Sea of Marmara with vegetables. It is the best-known flavour of Gemlik's seafood tradition.

• 🥩

  Pideli Köfte (meatballs on flatbread)

  Prepared by arranging grilled meatballs on pide bread and serving them with a buttered tomato sauce. It is one of the classic flavours of Bursa cuisine.

• 🍽️

  Gemlik Table Olives

  Table olives with a distinctive flavour grown in Gemlik; Gemlik is the district where the most olives are produced.

Culture, Local Products and Economy of Gemlik

• 🫒

  Olive Festival

  The Gemlik Olive Festival, held every year in November, celebrates the olive harvest. During the festival, olive-picking competitions, regional food stands and concerts are organised.

• ⚓

  Maritime Tradition

  Gemlik has been an important port town since the Ottoman period. Maritime culture, fishing traditions and shipyard activity are an inseparable part of the district's identity.

Local Products

• Gemlik Horse — Gemlik Horse was registered as a protected designation of origin on 10 December 2002 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 39). Product group: other products. Registered by: Military Veterinary School and Training Command.
• Gemlik Olive — Gemlik Olive was registered as a protected designation of origin on 3 October 2005 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 76). Product group: processed and unprocessed fruit and vegetables and mushrooms. Registered by: Gemlik Commodity Exchange.

Economy

The economy of Gemlik is based on olive growing, industry and port activities. Gemlik Port, one of Türkiye's largest import ports, makes the district an important point in international trade. The Bursa Free Zone lies within the boundaries of Gemlik. Olive growing and olive oil production are traditional economic activities that have gone on for centuries.

How to Get to Gemlik

Gemlik is 29 km from Bursa city centre. Fast access is provided by the Bursa-Gemlik motorway. İDO sea buses run ferry services from Istanbul Yenikapı to Gemlik. Bursa city buses and minibuses also provide transport.

Get directions on Google Maps Getting to Bursa

Gemlik: Frequently Asked Questions

Continue Your Trip

• 🍽️ What to Eat in Gemlik Famous dishes and local products →
• 🗺️ Things to Do in Bursa The province's 28 best places and all its districts →

Other Districts of Bursa

• Büyükorhan 7 places Aliova Stream, Düğüncüler Village and Büyükorhan Castle
• Gürsu 3 places Historic Gürsu Houses, Dışkaya and Ericek
• Harmancık 4 places Çardı Stream, Şadırvan Stream and Asar Mountain
• İnegöl 11 places Oylat Cave, İnegöl Oylat Cave and Oylat Hot Springs
• İznik 13 places İznik City Walls, Ayasofya Orhan Mosque (İznik Ayasofya) and İznik Lake
• Karacabey 7 places Lake Uluabat, Karacabey İmaret Mosque and Ulu Mosque
• Keles 9 places Keles Plateaus, Keles Thermal Baths and Keles Market Mosque
• Kestel 4 places Kestel Castle, Dudaklı Canyon and Kozağacı Picnic Area
• Mudanya 12 places Mudanya Mütareke Evi Museum, Mudanya Coast and Trilye (Zeytinbağı) Köyü
• Mustafakemalpaşa 10 places Suuçtu Waterfall, Suuçtu Nature Park and Lala Şahin Paşa Mosque
• Nilüfer 8 places Cumalıkızık Village, Bursa Botanical Park and Hüdavendigar Park
• Orhaneli 7 places Orhaneli Thermal Baths, Sadağı Canyon Nature Park and Orhaneli Castle
• Orhangazi 7 places İznik Lake Shore (Orhangazi Coast), Orhangazi Castle and Keramet Mountain
• Osmangazi 10 places Ulu Cami (Grand Mosque), Koza Han and Bursa Castle
• Yenişehir 8 places Sinan Paşa Mosque and Complex, Saray Hammam and Grand Mosque
• Yıldırım 13 places Yıldırım Bayezid Mosque, Emir Sultan Mosque and Green Mosque