Bursa served as the Ottoman Empire's first real capital from 1335 until the court moved to Edirne, and the tombs of its earliest sultans still stand in the old city. Its wealth for centuries came from silk: sitting at the western end of the Silk Road, it became a hub of the Ottoman silk trade. Mount Uludag, the ancient Mysian Olympus, rises directly behind the city and is a 22-minute ride up an 8.8-kilometer gondola to ski runs above 1,800 meters. Now Turkey's fourth-largest city at around 2.5 million people, Bursa builds cars for Fiat and Renault and is traditionally nicknamed 'Green Bursa' for its parks and forests.
Nights sit around 16°C and afternoons around 29°C, though some days reach 33°C.
Bursa has real seasons: summer afternoons sit around 31°C, winter ones around 13°C.
Some summer days reach 36°C, and some winter nights drop below freezing.
Most of the rain falls in winter, least in summer. The wettest month is December, with 96 mm.
Wind is rarely an issue; most months sit between calm and a light breeze. Air quality is worth watching: February averages an AQI of 69, while July clears to 57.
Days stretch to about 14.8 hours of light in June and shrink to 9.2 in December — something to weigh if you work to a fixed timezone.
For what you're after, the best months in Bursa are June – September. Expect fast internet (189 Mbps) and a moderate cost of living (about €1100 a month).
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