9 Days Istanbul & Bursa Tour Package

What the 9 Days Istanbul & Bursa Tour Package Covers

This nine-day plan links Istanbul and Bursa into a single booking, opening with several days of Istanbul sightseeing before a road transfer carries you south to Bursa's mountain and market district, then back north for departure. It is arranged for travellers who want both cities without managing two separate bookings, with Haqqi's desk holding the guide, driver and hotel confirmations for the whole stretch. Each day follows a set structure agreed before you travel: a morning or afternoon of guided sightseeing, meals where stated, and free hours built in for rest or shopping. The transfer between the two cities is handled by our own drivers, so the change of city does not interrupt the rest of the plan.

The Old City in a Single Day

One full day early in the package is set aside for Istanbul's historic peninsula, moving between Hagia Sophia, once a Byzantine cathedral, and the six-minaret Blue Mosque across the square once used as the city's chariot-racing ground. From there the group continues into Topkapi Palace, the fortified home of Ottoman sultans arranged across a series of courtyards rather than a single hall, each opening onto gardens, kitchens or a view over the water. The guide sets a pace that allows time inside each site rather than a walk-past visit, and the day is planned so that the peninsula's main landmarks are covered together rather than spread across separate outings.

The Bosphorus and the New City

A second Istanbul day turns toward the water, with a crossing of the Bosphorus that puts the European and Asian shores within view of each other from the same boat. On the European side, Dolmabahce Palace stands where the later sultans moved their court, built with a European style of chandeliers and staircases that marks a clear break from the older Topkapi complex seen earlier in the package. The contrast between the two palaces, one Ottoman in form and one built to resemble the courts of Western Europe, is a theme the guide returns to across the stay, and the crossing itself gives a rest from walking after the Old City's stone squares.

Bazaars and an Afternoon of Shopping

Istanbul's covered markets get their own stretch of the package, with the Grand Bazaar's thousands of stalls under one roof and the nearby Spice Bazaar, where sacks of spices, dried fruit and Turkish delight line the passage toward the Golden Horn. Suleymaniye Mosque, set on a hill above both markets, is worked into the same outing for its courtyard views over the water and its place as one of the city's largest Ottoman mosques. The afternoon is left looser than the guided mornings, giving families and couples time to bargain, browse or simply sit at a cafe before returning to the hotel.

The Road South to Bursa

After the Istanbul days, the package moves the group south by road to Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman state and now a city built around a mountain rather than a strait. The drive itself crosses the edge of the Marmara region, and your Haqqi driver manages the whole transfer so there is no need to change vehicles or handle luggage more than once. Bursa's pace reads differently from Istanbul from the moment you arrive, with narrower older streets, a mountain backdrop and a market district built around silk rather than the mixed goods of the capital's bazaars, a change many guests notice within the first afternoon.

Uludag and the Green Mosque

Bursa's own sightseeing centres on Uludag, the mountain behind the city reached by cable car, with views back over the rooftops and the plain below from the upper station. The Green Mosque's tomb chamber, resting place of Sultan Mehmed I, carries turquoise Iznik tilework applied in a manner unlike anything seen on the earlier Istanbul stops, a contrast the guide draws out for the group. The Grand Mosque, with its many domes and a fountain inside the prayer hall itself, is worked into the same day for guests who want Bursa's religious architecture covered together.

Silk, Thermal Water and the Return North

Bursa built its historic wealth on silk, and Koza Han, a covered courtyard market near the Grand Mosque, still trades in silk goods much as it did when caravans first passed through the city. A thermal bath session, drawing on the hot springs the region is known for, is worked into the Bursa stretch of the package for guests who want to rest before the return drive. The trip back to Istanbul closes the loop by road, arriving in time for a free evening, and the change back to the capital's pace after several quieter days in Bursa is one many families mention afterwards.

Who This Nine-Day Plan Suits and How to Book

Nine days suits families and small groups who want to see two cities properly rather than one city quickly, with enough free time built in that children and older travellers are not moved from site to site without rest. Couples and larger family groups can request a private vehicle for the whole stretch, keeping the same driver from the airport pickup through to the Bursa transfer and back. Every hotel, transfer and guided day is set out in writing before you pay, through Haqqi's desk on WhatsApp in Arabic and English, and nothing in the plan changes once your dates and vehicle are confirmed.