Photo: Kocaeligönüllüsü (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source Kocaeli, centred on İzmit, which is built over Nicomedia, the capital of the Roman emperor Diocletian, is one of Türkiye's largest industrial provinces. Its highlights include the Clock Tower and Mimar Sinan's Pertev Paşa Mosque, the Çoban Mustafa Paşa Complex in Gebze, the Hannibal Monument, Osman Hamdi Bey's house museum at Eskihisar, the Kartepe Ski Centre and Maşukiye, and Kefken Island and Kerpe on the Black Sea coast. İzmit pişmaniyesi, Hereke carpets and Kandıra buffalo yoghurt are registered products.
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12 places worth seeing in Kocaeli, from historic monuments to natural wonders, grouped by type. Open any of them on the map with a single click.
Photo: Kocaeligönüllüsü (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source The clock tower, the symbol of the city, was built in 1901 for the 25th anniversary of Abdülhamid II's accession to the throne; it is the most photographed building in Kocaeli.
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Source A monumental tomb and park in Gebze in memory of the Carthaginian commander Hannibal, who is believed to have died at ancient Libyssa in about 183 BC.
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Source A mosque in İzmit built by Mimar Sinan in 1579 for Pertev Mehmed Paşa; it is the most important Ottoman-era building in the city.
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Photo: aachim3 (CC BY 3.0) · Source A complex in Gebze of a mosque, tomb, madrasa, soup kitchen (imaret) and caravanserai, built in the 16th century by Çoban Mustafa Paşa, son-in-law of Selim the Grim, and attributed to Mimar Sinan; it stands out for its coloured marble cladding.
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Photo: Kocaeligönüllüsü (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source The house in the Eskihisar neighbourhood of Gebze where the painter and archaeologist Osman Hamdi Bey spent his summers in his last years; it has been a museum since 1987. The nearby Byzantine-era Eskihisar Castle controlled the entrance to the gulf.
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Source The museum next to the historic railway station in İzmit displays the archaeological finds of the region, above all statues and reliefs from the excavations at Nicomedia.
View on mapA green highland town in Kartepe, 20 km from İzmit, known for its streams, waterfalls and trout restaurants.
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Source At Kandıra, opposite Cebeci beach, one of the two islands in the Black Sea that belong to Türkiye; it has the ruins of Genoese walls.
View on mapA coastal village on the Black Sea shore of Kandıra, known for its rocky coves and beaches; it has wooden fishermen's houses and fish restaurants.
View on mapA park on the shore of the Gulf of İzmit, created on about 580 decares of land of the former SEKA paper factory; it has a paper museum, a pier, walking paths and performance areas.
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Source One of the ski centres closest to Istanbul, in the Samanlı Mountains between the Gulf of İzmit and Lake Sapanca; from the summit you can see both the gulf and the lake.
View on mapA weaving factory founded for the palace in 1843 in the town of Hereke in the Körfez district; it is the birthplace of the world-famous silk Hereke carpets.
View on mapKocaeli lies on a peninsula between the Marmara and the Black Sea, around the Gulf of İzmit; the provincial centre is İzmit. The city’s origins go back to Nicomedia, founded in the 3rd century BC by King Nicomedes I of Bithynia. Nicomedia became one of the most important cities of the Eastern Roman world as the capital of the Roman emperor Diocletian between 286 and 305. The Carthaginian commander Hannibal died in about 183 BC at Libyssa, near present-day Gebze; his monumental tomb is in Gebze.
The region was among the first conquests of the Ottoman Principality and took the name “Koca İli” in the 14th century through the conquests of Akçakoca. From the Ottoman period survive Mimar Sinan’s Pertev Paşa (Yeni Cuma) Mosque, the Çoban Mustafa Paşa Complex in Gebze and the İzmit Clock Tower built in 1901. The palace weaving factory founded at Hereke in 1843 is the birthplace of the world-famous Hereke carpet.
The SEKA paper factory, founded in the Republican period, and the automotive, petrochemical and chemical industries that developed afterwards made Kocaeli one of Türkiye’s largest industrial centres. On 17 August 1999 an earthquake of magnitude 7.4, with its epicentre at Gölcük, caused heavy loss of life in the province and the surrounding area. The Osmangazi Bridge, opened in 2016, joined the two shores of the gulf.
Kocaeli has features transitional between the Black Sea and Mediterranean climates: summers are hot and humid, winters mild and rainy. Averages for 1929–2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (İzmit):
| Month | Avg. high | Avg. low | Rainfall | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.8 °C | 3.3 °C | 92 mm | 17 |
| February | 10.7 °C | 3.5 °C | 76 mm | 15 |
| March | 13.3 °C | 4.9 °C | 71 mm | 14 |
| April | 18.6 °C | 8.5 °C | 51 mm | 11 |
| May | 23.3 °C | 12.8 °C | 48 mm | 10 |
| June | 27.6 °C | 16.7 °C | 55 mm | 8 |
| July | 29.7 °C | 19.1 °C | 44 mm | 6 |
| August | 29.9 °C | 19.3 °C | 42 mm | 5 |
| September | 26.3 °C | 16.2 °C | 58 mm | 7 |
| October | 21.1 °C | 12.5 °C | 85 mm | 11 |
| November | 16.6 °C | 8.8 °C | 78 mm | 12 |
| December | 12.0 °C | 5.5 °C | 108 mm | 16 |
May to June and September to October are ideal for the city and countryside, July to August for the Black Sea coast, and December to March for skiing. At Kartepe the ski season runs from late December to March, depending on snow conditions. In summer the beaches of Kandıra fill up with visitors from Istanbul.
By train: The Istanbul–Ankara high-speed railway stops at Gebze and İzmit; it takes about 1 hour from Istanbul to İzmit. The Marmaray suburban line extends as far as Gebze.
By air: Sabiha Gökçen Airport, about 50 km from İzmit, is the most practical option. The province’s own Cengiz Topel Airport (Kartepe) has limited services.
By road: Kocaeli is linked to Istanbul (about 100 km) and Ankara by the TEM and D-100 highways; the Osmangazi Bridge leads on to the İzmir–Bursa motorway.
Day 1 – İzmit: The Clock Tower, Pertev Paşa Mosque and Archaeology Museum; in the afternoon, a walk along the gulf shore in Seka Park. Don’t forget İzmit pişmaniyesi and simit.
Day 2 – Gebze: The Çoban Mustafa Paşa Complex, the Hannibal Monument, and the Osman Hamdi Bey Museum and castle at Eskihisar; fish in the evening at Eskihisar harbour.
Day 3 – Kartepe and Maşukiye, or Kandıra: Skiing at Kartepe in winter, trout at Maşukiye in summer; Kerpe and Kefken for the sea.
Kocaeli’s best-known delicacy is İzmit pişmaniyesi (İzmit thread halva), a halva drawn out into fine threads. Other products with a registered geographical indication are İzmit simidi, Gebze bayram çöreği (Gebze festival bun), Karamürsel simit dolması (stuffed simit), Kandıra manda yoğurdu (Kandıra buffalo yoghurt), Kandıra karpuzu (Kandıra watermelon), Kandıra dartısı, Karamürsel samanlı zeytini (Karamürsel Samanlı olives), Darıca enginarı (Darıca artichokes) and Değirmendere fındığı (Değirmendere hazelnuts). Grilled trout at Maşukiye is also one of the province’s classics.
Hereke silk carpet (Hereke ipek halısı), Hereke wool hand-knotted carpet (Hereke yün el halısı) and wool-silk hand-knotted carpet (yün-ipek el halısı) are counted among the most valuable carpets in the world; with their double-knot technique and fine silk, they were woven for palaces. Kandıra bezi (Kandıra cloth), Karamürsel sepeti (Karamürsel basket) and the Nüzhetiye (döşeme) bebeği (Nüzhetiye upholstery doll) also have a registered geographical indication.
Kocaeli province has 12 districts. Explore the places to visit, local dishes and transport in each one.
A halva drawn out into fine threads, with a registered geographical indication.
A simit with a registered geographical indication.
A bun with a registered geographical indication.
A pastry with a registered geographical indication.
Yoghurt with a registered geographical indication.
The main stops are the İzmit Clock Tower, the Pertev Paşa Mosque, the Kocaeli Archaeology Museum, Seka Park, the Çoban Mustafa Paşa Complex, the Hannibal Monument, the Osman Hamdi Bey Museum, Kartepe, Maşukiye, Kefken Island and Kerpe.
İzmit pişmaniyesi, Hereke carpets, Kandıra buffalo yoghurt and Maşukiye trout.
They are hand-woven in very fine silk with the double-knot technique; they are the product of a tradition of weaving for palaces and have a registered geographical indication.
İzmit takes about 1 hour by high-speed train, and Gebze can be reached by Marmaray. By road, İzmit is about 100 km away.
May to June and September to October are best for the city, July to August for the Black Sea coast, and December to March for Kartepe.
The information in this guide has been compiled from and checked against the sources below (last checked: 8 October 2026). If you spot an error, please let us know.