Istanbul is known all around the world for its historical sites, delicious food, and beautiful views but not many people know that you can easily access ski resorts near Istanbul and enjoy spending some time on the gorgeous mountain tops of turkey. The most famous center for skiing and winter sports in Turkey is the Uludag center near the town of Bursa, if you plan on visiting this beautiful national park and want to learn more about it, keep reading this article.
Location and History
Uludag national park and ski resort is located at the highest point of the Marmara region in western Anatolia and is 36 kilometers south of Bursa. Uludag ski center which was built in 1961 is the first and biggest ski center in Turkey which covers an area of about 2500 meters. The resort has 38 different ski tracks with various slope and length difficulty levels.
How to get to Uludag and get back
If you want to visit the Uludag resort, first you need to travel to the town of Bursa, you can do this by taking a taxi or the bus or even taking a ferry ride to the town which takes about two hours from Istanbul near Sultanahmet neighborhood. From there, you can either drive your own car to the Uludag national park, but you need to equip your car for the snowy roads on the mountain or you can take the cable car to the top of the mountain which takes about 30 minutes and stops on the way, although you are not allowed to carry ski equipment on the cable cars.
Things to do in Uludag National park
The main popular activity in the Uludag national parks is skiing, you can rent ski equipment from various shops around the area and even take ski training from trainers, besides skiing, there are other activities you can enjoy like other winter sports including snowboarding and sledding, short term training is also available for these sports, you can also rent a snowmobile and enjoy riding around the area.
Other than winter sports, you can enjoy shopping and try some delicious Turkish food and snack at café and restaurants in the area or in the nearby cities. You can also enjoy mountaineering activities like hiking and camping in the nearby areas, paragliding has also been developing in recent years. You can also do nothing and just enjoy spending time in hotels on the mountain trying to relax with the beautiful views and the comfortable environment of the hotels.
Costs
Overall, taking a ski trip in Turkey is not the cheapest option and is considered a luxurious activity, you have to consider that the cost of food and hotels is more than they are in the city although it is worth the once in a lifetime experience.