Uludağ
Outdoor, sports & travel guide
Uludağ rises right above Bursa, and the cable car takes you from the city up the mountain in about half an hour. Ski the slopes in winter, hike to the summit and glacial lakes in summer: every season here belongs to a different sport.
Why Uludağ is a great ski destination
What makes Uludağ such a popular ski area is its location more than its slopes. From Bursa it's forty minutes by car, or you can take the cable car from inside the city up to the Oteller hotel zone. Someone leaving Istanbul in the morning can be on the slopes by the afternoon, which is why it has become the go-to weekend ski trip.
It has more lifts than any other ski area in Turkey: 25 drag lifts and chairlifts. The flip side is that the slopes stay between 1,776 and 2,135 metres, so don't come looking for long, steep runs. Uludağ's strength isn't one big descent but enough variety to fill a day.
The low altitude comes at a price. Snow can deteriorate quickly at the start and end of the season; January and February are the most reliable months. They also coincide with the mid-term school break, so this is when the mountain is busiest: on 18 January 2025 more than 10,000 vehicles passed the national park gate in a single day. If you can, pick a weekday.
Uludağ doesn't end when the snow melts. From July to September people hike from Oteller to the summit and the glacial lakes, and camp at Sarıalan. Below we cover skiing, hiking and mountaineering one by one.
The lowest and highest mapped stations of the ski lifts.
Uludağ's highest point lies southeast of the Oteller hotel zone; the lifts don't reach it.
From central Bursa (Heykel) to the Oteller hotel zone by road, about 40 minutes without traffic. You can also go up by cable car.
Mapped drag lifts and chairlifts; the cable car from the city is not included.
Altitude and lift count: OpenStreetMap lift geometry (cross-checked with SRTM/ASTER) · Distance and time: OSRM
Things to do in Uludağ
What’s where in Uludağ
Hiking routes in Uludağ
Don't expect a trail waymarked from end to end like the Lycian Way. Clubs and hiking groups have been walking these paths for years, and we put together the distances and times below from their GPS tracks.
If you're heading for the summit or the lakes, don't underestimate it: it's a long way and the weather can turn in no time. Once the fog rolls in, it's hard to tell where you're going. One more thing: you need a permit to hike on the mountain and have to let the gendarmerie know. And if you're bringing a tent, Sarıalan–Çobankaya is the only place to pitch it.
Winter mountaineering and the summit
There is no rock climbing on Uludağ; mountaineering here happens in winter, in the cirque on the north side of the summit. Before you set off there are three things to sort out, and all three are official.
Mountaineering and hiking require a permit; you apply to the Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports.
Notify the National Park Directorate and the Uludağ Gendarmerie Station at least 48 hours in advance.
If your group has more than 12 people, a field guide must come with you.
These rules came in 2020; the process may have changed since the Uludağ Area Directorate was set up in 2023. Before you go, call the Governorship or the Area Directorate on 0224 800 15 00.
Target of the winter training climbs
This much of the year is under snow
Deepest snow cover measured
Clubs' winter activity period
Clubs climb snow-ice and mixed lines in the cirque on the north side of the summit. Some of the known lines:
- 01KarçukuruSnow-ice routes
- 02Kuzey Diyagonal
- 03Altaporlak–Kürüz
Uludağ has no bolted rock suitable for sport climbing. To climb in Bursa you need to go to Narlıdere in Kestel or Gelemiç in Keles.
In December 2019 two climbers lost their way in fog; after a 17-day search it was found that they had died of hypothermia. The permit rule came after this incident.
For those who want to start, clubs run basic winter courses: YTÜDAK in 2024 and 2025, ULUDAK with its own programme. The courses include avalanche testing and a climb to the Little Summit (2,486 m).
Ski conditions in Uludağ
The MGM station is not reporting snow depth right now. We don’t show it as zero; the value will appear here once measurements resume.
Who to go with
If you want to head up Uludağ with a club, you start in Bursa. These are the places that run regular programmes in the city; the clubs that climb to the Uludağ summit in winter are among them.
Summit climbs, winter outings and camps.
They all run in the city, not on the mountain.
The only mountain address on the list.
If you're a club with a regular programme in Bursa, write to us and we'll add you.
Mountaineering needs a permit, applied for 8–10 days ahead. Ask whether the club does it for you.
On winter climbs, who provides crampons, an axe and an avalanche kit, and can you rent them from the club? Ask in advance.
Ask how costs are shared; if the group is larger than 12, a field guide is required.
When to go
Uludağ has two separate seasons. The slopes usually open in December and run until March; because the resort sits lower than Turkey's other big ski areas, snow can deteriorate quickly at the start and end of the season, so January and February are the safest months. If you want to hike to the summit or the glacial lakes, July to September, once the snow has melted, is far more comfortable. Whatever the season, hiking and climbing on the mountain require a permit and notification to the gendarmerie; don't set out in fog.
7-day forecast
A mostly wet week, highs of -1–7°.
| Day | Today4 Nov | Thu5 Nov | Fri6 Nov | Sat7 Nov | Sun8 Nov | Mon9 Nov | Tue10 Nov |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temphigh / low | 7°3° | 3°-1° | 1°-3° | -1°-3° | 3°-3° | 7°1° | 6°3° |
| Sky | Light showers | — | — | — | Partly cloudy | Overcast | Light rain |
| Rain | 39 mm · 100% | 9 mm · 100% | No rain | 0.3 mm · 23% | No rain | No rain | 10 mm · 31% |
| Wind | 17 km/h | 17 km/h | 12 km/h | 15 km/h | 7 km/h | 8 km/h | 14 km/h |
| Direction | WSW | NNE | NE | NNE | NE | WSW | WSW |
| Gusts | 79 km/h | 64 km/h | 39 km/h | 58 km/h | 36 km/h | 46 km/h | 64 km/h |
| UV | 3 Low | 1 Low | 3 Moderate | 4 Moderate | 4 Moderate | 3 Moderate | 3 Low |
| Daylight | 07:35 – 17:57 | 07:37 – 17:56 | 07:38 – 17:55 | 07:39 – 17:54 | 07:40 – 17:53 | 07:41 – 17:52 | 07:42 – 17:51 |
What to pack
Pick your activity and tick off your pack. The top rows come from this week’s weather and sea forecast.
Your ticks are saved on this device; no account needed. This week’s additions follow the 7-day forecast; for a later trip they may differ.
Your ticks are saved on this device; no account needed. This week’s additions follow the 7-day forecast; for a later trip they may differ.
Your ticks are saved on this device; no account needed. This week’s additions follow the 7-day forecast; for a later trip they may differ.
Your ticks are saved on this device; no account needed. This week’s additions follow the 7-day forecast; for a later trip they may differ.
Beyond the activities
What to eat in Uludağ
Uludağ's real kitchen is down in Bursa. Up on the mountain, the choice is mostly hotel restaurants; it's worth stopping in the city on the way down to try Bursa's classics.
Döner on pide with tomato sauce and butter; Bursa's best-known dish.
An open-topped pastry with minced meat; a staple of Bursa's bakeries.
Chestnuts cooked in sugar (kestane şekeri); the thing most people take home from Bursa.
- 04İnegöl köfteSmall, simple grilled meatballs named after Bursa's İnegöl district.
- 05Pideli köfteMeatballs on pieces of pide with tomato sauce and butter, another Bursa classic.
Getting to Uludağ
There are three ways up the mountain: by cable car, by minibus or in your own car. Pick where you're coming from and the journey opens up step by step.
Istanbul → Bursa
This is the long part of the trip. However you travel, the second stage starts in Bursa.
- By carBy road over the Osmangazi BridgeROAD
- By busFrequent services from Istanbul's bus stations to Bursa bus terminalBUS STATION
- By seaBUDO Kabataş → Mudanya (last winter sailing 19:30); İDO also runs Yenikapı → Güzelyalı~1.5 H
- From the airportHavaist bus from Sabiha Gökçen; 12 a day from Istanbul Airport~90 MIN
Yenişehir Airport → central Bursa
The airport is 50 km from the city centre. Head into town first and start the second stage from there.
- City busBURULAŞ 80 / 80T, timed to flights
- TaxiStraight to the city centre
- Rental carBy road from the airport
Up to the Oteller hotel zoneFrom Bursa up to the Oteller hotel zoneUp to SarıalanFrom Bursa up to Sarıalan
- City centre → Teferrüç stationBy city bus, taxi or your own car
- Bursa → Teferrüç stationCity bus 94 / 94B from the bus terminal (platform 5); from the city by bus, taxi or your own car
- Teferrüç → Oteller hotel zoneVia Kadıyayla and Sarıalan, an 8.8 km line~30 MIN
- Teferrüç → SarıalanVia Kadıyayla; Sarıalan is the last stop before the top of the line
- Runs 10:00–18:00; plan to come down before 18:00
- Services can stop in strong wind and fog
- TEFERRÜÇ388 m
- KADIYAYLA1,228 m
- SARIALAN1,629 m
- OTELLER1,786 m
- City centre → ÇakırhamamBy city bus, taxi or your own car
- Çakırhamam → Oteller hotel zoneUludağ minibus stop, opposite the Okçubaba Tomb
- Oteller hotel zone → SarıalanBy the Sarıalan–Oteller minibus, or one station down by cable car (~12 min)
- 1 December–1 April: winter tyres and chains required on vehicles
- Bursa (Heykel) → Oteller hotel zoneVia the Uludağ road; the Karabelen toll gate at the national park entrance is paid with HGS. Time without traffic.33 KM · ~40 MIN
- Bursa (Heykel) → SarıalanVia the Uludağ road; the Karabelen toll gate at the national park entrance is paid with HGS. Time without traffic.31 KM · ~35 MIN
- 1 December–1 April: winter tyres required, chains must be carried in the car
- When the car parks are full, cars parked outside them are towed
Further reading
6 ROUTES · 3 RUNNING COMMUNITIES · 1 SKI RESORTSee on map