Things to Do in the Marmara Region

The provinces of the Marmara region covered in this guide are Balıkesir, Bilecik, Bursa, Çanakkale, Düzce, Edirne, Istanbul, Kırklareli, Kocaeli, Sakarya, Tekirdağ and Yalova. The region is made up of the coasts around the Sea of Marmara, the plains of Thrace and the interior along the Bursa–Bilecik–Sakarya line. Istanbul, Bursa and Kocaeli are among Türkiye’s largest provinces in terms of population and industry.

The Region of Capitals

Marmara shows a history that runs from the founding of the Ottoman state to the imperial era on a single route. The Tomb of Ertuğrul Gazi and the Tomb of Sheikh Edebali in Söğüt district, Bilecik, stand in the lands where the state was born. In Bursa, the Grand Mosque, Green Mosque, Green Tomb, Muradiye Complex and Koza Han have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014 under the name “The Birth of the Ottoman Empire”. Edirne was the capital between 1363 and 1453; the Selimiye Mosque, which Mimar Sinan called his “masterpiece”, joined the UNESCO list in 2011. Istanbul, as Byzantion, Constantinople and the Ottoman capital, served as a capital for about 1,600 years; with Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), the Basilica Cistern and the Süleymaniye Mosque, it is the region’s busiest destination.

Battlefields, ancient cities and nature

In Çanakkale you can visit Troy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998, and the Troy Museum, which opened in 2018, as well as the Gallipoli Peninsula Historic Site, which bears the traces of 1915, and the Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial. In Düzce, the ancient city of Konuralp (Prusias ad Hypium), known as “the Ephesus of the Western Black Sea”, and the Konuralp Museum are worth seeing; in Kocaeli, the Hannibal Monument and Eskihisar Castle. The nature routes are varied too: Lake Sapanca and Acarlar Floodplain Forest in Sakarya; İğneada Floodplain Forests National Park and Dupnisa Cave in Kırklareli; the Ayvalık Islands Nature Park, Cunda Island and Şeytan Sofrası in Balıkesir; and the thermal springs and Sudüşen Waterfall in Yalova.

Cuisine and local products

• Istanbul: balık ekmek (fish sandwich), simit, lüfer (bluefish), midye dolma (stuffed mussels); Şile cloth.
• Bursa: İskender kebap, İnegöl köfte, pideli köfte, kestane şekeri (candied chestnuts); Gemlik olives.
• Edirne: tava ciğer (fried liver), ciğer sarma, almond paste, deva-i misk helvası; Edirne white cheese.
• Tekirdağ: Tekirdağ köftesi, peynir helvası (cheese halva); Malkara aged kaşar cheese.
• Kırklareli: Kırklareli köftesi, brakana tatlısı (dessert), hardaliye (grape and mustard-seed drink); Kırklareli white cheese.
• Çanakkale: peynir helvası (cheese halva), Ezine cheese, Gelibolu sardines; Bayramiç apples.
• Balıkesir: höşmerim, kaymaklı (clotted-cream dessert), Susurluk ayran and toasted sandwich; Ayvalık and Edremit olive oil.
• Kocaeli: İzmit pişmaniyesi (spun sugar sweet), İzmit simidi, Gebze bayram çöreği.
• Sakarya: ıslama köfte, dartılı keşkek, kabak tatlısı (pumpkin dessert); Geyve quince.
• Düzce: Düzce köftesi, Akçakoca ekşilisi (sour fish stew), mancarlı pide (beet-leaf pide); Akçakoca yellow hazelnuts.
• Bilecik: fırın kebabı (oven-baked lamb), nohutlu mantı (dumplings with chickpeas), Osmaneli quince delight.
• Yalova: chestnut honey, aronia and kiwi.

Getting There

Istanbul is the region’s transport hub, with air, rail, sea and metro connections. The high-speed train (YHT) reaches Bilecik. Yalova is reached from Istanbul by sea; in Bursa, Çanakkale and Balıkesir, sea and road connections are used together. Kırklareli, Edirne and Tekirdağ lie in a row along the Thracian road. Most provinces in the region are only a few hours apart by road, so it is possible to combine two or three provinces in a single trip.

Below you will find the guide to each province, along with its districts, food and transport information.