Mount Uludağ Guide: Riding the 9km Bursa Teleferik and National Park

Rising directly behind the southern rooftops of Bursa to a summit of 2,543 metres, Mount Uludağ ("The Great Mountain") was known in classical antiquity as the Mysian Olympus, the mountain from which the gods watched the Trojan War, and later home to dozens of 8th- and 9th-century Byzantine hermit monasteries (earning it the early Ottoman name Keşiş Dağı, "Monks' Mountain"). Today, Uludağ National Park is both Turkey's oldest and most famous winter ski resort (December to March) and a cool, pine-scented alpine hiking and picnic escape in summer (May to October), connected directly to the city streets by a 9-kilometre aerial gondola.

Riding the Bursa Teleferik (9 Kilometres, 4 Stations, ~25 to 30 Minutes)

First opened in 1963 as Turkey's first cable car and completely rebuilt in 2014 by Leitner Ropeways as one of the longest continuous monocable gondola lifts in the world, the Bursa Teleferik departs every 20 seconds in 8-person panoramic cabins:

• 1. Teferrüç Lower Station (395m elevation, Inside the City): located 15 minutes uphill from the Green Tomb (reached easily on Bus 94 or Bus 35/E from Timurtaşpaşa/Heykel, or by a 10-minute taxi from Ulu Cami). Buy your round-trip ticket at the window with a contactless card.
• 2. Kadıyayla (1,231m) & 3. Sarıalan (1,635m, Best for Summer Picnics & Walks): in 15 minutes you soar over deep rocky gorges and chestnut, beech and fir forests to Sarıalan, a wide alpine meadow plateau with panoramic viewing terraces overlooking the entire Bursa plain, forest walking trails to Softaboğan Waterfall, wooden bungalows and open-air barbecue restaurants.
• 4. Kurbağa Kaya / Oteller Bölgesi (1,810m, The Ski & Hotel Zone): stay on the gondola (stepping across the platform at Sarıalan) for the final 10-minute glide across the high valley into the Second Hotel Zone (Oteller Bölgesi), right beside the ski pistes and chairlifts.

Summer Glacial Lakes vs Winter Skiing

In Winter (late December to late March), Uludağ's two hotel zones offer 28 kilometres of groomed beginner- and intermediate-friendly ski runs through the trees, ski-equipment rentals and lively après-ski fireplace lounges. In Summer (July to September), when Bursa city hits 33°C, Sarıalan and the Hotel Zone sit at a refreshing 18°C to 20°C; experienced hikers can follow the alpine ridge trail from the Hotel Zone past the high glacial tarns of Kilimli Göl, Buzlu Göl and Aynalı Göl toward the 2,543-metre summit.