Stops along the way
Stops between İstanbul and Denizli
670 km, roughly 7 hours of driving. The stops below are ordered as you pass them — the same road in both directions.
In short
The drive between İstanbul and Denizli is 670 km and takes roughly 7 hours. There are 725 described places within 20 km of this route; it crosses 7 provinces, and the densest stretch is in Bursa (248 places).
There are 725 places within 20 km of this corridor; the 52 below are spread evenly along the drive.
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1
Arnavutköy Yeniköy Halk Plajı
Arnavutköy, İstanbul
Arnavutköy Yeniköy Public Beach is a public beach candidate included in the official 2025 Blue Flag list.
2
Miniatürk
Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Miniatürk is Turkey's first miniature park, showcasing 120 fixed models of significant cultural artifacts. The park aims to promote cultural heritage with representations from Istanbul and Anatolia.
3
Jale Kuşhan Balmumu Heykel Müzesi
Kağıthane, İstanbul
The Jale Kuşhan Wax Sculpture Museum is established to promote wax sculpture art in Turkey. The museum showcases wax figures of significant figures from Turkish and world history.
4
Galatasaray Müzesi
Sarıyer, İstanbul
Galatasaray Museum, established in 1915 by Ali Sami Yen, is Turkey's first sports museum. It showcases the history and achievements of Galatasaray Sports Club.
5
İstanbul Deniz Müzesi
Beşiktaş, İstanbul
Istanbul Naval Museum is an important museum with one of the largest and richest collections in the field of maritime in Turkey.
6
Sadberk Hanim Müzesi
Sarıyer, İstanbul
Sadberk Hanım Museum is located in a 19th-century building and hosts a rich collection of artifacts.
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7
Rumeli Feneri
Sarıyer, İstanbul
Rumeli Feneri is a historic lighthouse located at the point where the Bosphorus meets the Black Sea.
8
Beylerbeyi Sarayı
Üsküdar, İstanbul
Beylerbeyi Palace was built as a summer residence for Ottoman sultans and served to host foreign heads of state.
9
Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü Müzesi
Kadıköy, İstanbul
The Fenerbahçe Sports Club Museum showcases the 100 years of achievements and awards of Fenerbahçe, an essential part of Turkish sports.
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10
Polonezköy
Beykoz, İstanbul
Polonezköy is a village located 30 km away from Istanbul, immersed in nature. It is a peaceful getaway with walking paths and cycling trails.
11
Bayramoğlu Adası
Darıca, Kocaeli
Bayramoğlu Island is a peninsula known for its historical background and natural beauty. It is an ideal place for walking during the summer months.
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12
Ballikayalar
Gebze, Kocaeli
Ballıkayalar is a nature park located in Gebze, offering an ideal area for mountaineering.
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13
Çerkeşli Kayalitepe
Dilovası, Kocaeli
This route, which goes from Çerkeşli village to the summit of Kayalıtepe, is the longest of Kocaeli'nin natural hiking routes. In addition to the length of the distance, the steep ascent and descent should be taken into consideration. Çerkeşli Village forms the starting point of this route.
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14
Safiye Başdeğirmen
Karamürsel, Kocaeli
This route, which involves no difficulty, can be walked without any problems in all four seasons. A part of the route consists of a trail, and a very small part consists of a dirt vehicle road. The route, which starts right inside Safiye Köyü, continues on paths parallel to Suludere.
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15
Fulacik Valideköprü
Karamürsel, Kocaeli
From Fulacık to Valide Köprü or vice versa, whichever way you walk, it is a route without difficulty in all four seasons. This route, which goes from Fulacık Köyü toward Valide Köprü Mahallesi, is of a kind that everyone can easily complete.
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16
Emir Sultan Külliyesi
Yıldırım, Bursa
Emir Sultan, who lived in Bursa in the first quarter of the 15th century and died in 1429, was born in Bukhara. Because he was descended from Hz. Muhammed, he was called "Emir," and because he won hearts, he was called "Sultan," and he became renowned by the name "Emir Sultan." His real name is Muhammed. He was shown great respect in Bursa. He married Hundi Hatun, the daughter of the Ottoman sultans Yıldırım Beyazıd.
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17
Yeşil İmareti
Yıldırım, Bursa
It was built in the 15th century, during the reign of Çelebi Sultan Mehmet, under the supervision of Hacı İvaz. Today, a large part of it is still standing. The imaret and dining hall walls have also survived to the present day. Its roof has completely collapsed. The two-domed kitchen section is quite sound. The main walls were built with stone and brick, and the storage section is also in a collapsed state. On Fridays, Çelebi Sultan Mehmet used to distribute food to the poor from this imaret.
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18
Balabancık ve Gazi Aktimur Hisarı
Yıldırım, Bursa
Gazi Osman Bey planned to turn toward Bursa after Bilecik, İnegöl, Sakarya and Yenişehir. Since the Bursa castle, surrounded by steep rocks, could not be taken easily, Osman Gazi built two observation points that we call havale towers, one on the hill to the east of the city and the other near the hot springs to the west of the city, and blockaded the city by controlling the entrances and exits.
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19
Hünkar Köşkü
Yıldırım, Bursa
Hünkar Köşkü Museum was built in Temenyeri on the slopes of Uludağ during the reign of Abdülmecit to serve as a hunting lodge. The mansion was built in 1859. Abdülaziz and V.
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20
Aladdin Paşa Cami
Osmangazi, Bursa
According to sources describing the early Ottoman period, it was commissioned in 1326 by Alaaddin Bey, one of Osman Gazi’s sons and Orhan Bey’s brother. It is known as the first mosque built in Bursa. In the repair carried out in 1861-62 of the mosque, which was heavily damaged in the 1855 earthquake, some parts were altered, its portico was rebuilt, and a triangular pediment, unsuitable for a Turkish minaret, was made on its facade.
21
Panagia Pontobasilissa Kilisesi
Mudanya, Bursa
The Panagia Pontobasilissa Church, built in the late 13th century, holds great significance for the Christian community. Known as the Arched Church among locals, it features layered frescoes on its walls.
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22
Arkeopark
Nilüfer, Bursa
Europe’s largest prehistoric park. Reconstructions from the period up to 8500 years ago are featured. Arkeopark, where finds discovered in excavations carried out in the region are also exhibited, is an exemplary historical and touristic venue of the park that will carry Bursa’s 8 thousand 500-year history into the future.
23
Uluabat Gölü
Karacabey, Bursa
Eskikaraağaç village, also known as the Stork Village, is a charming village in Karacabey District, famous for its storks. The stork village, located approximately 50 km from the center of Bursa, was declared a European Stork Village by the European Natural Heritage Foundation. When you come to Eskikaraağaç village, inside the park at the entrance of the village, there is a bird observation tower, and inside the observation house there is a meeting hall and a small museum.
24
Issiz Han
Karacabey, Bursa
It dates from the period of the Ottoman Sultan Yıldırım Bayezid. The inscription above the door of the restored work states that it was built in 1396 "for good deeds and for the sake of Allah." Located on the İstanbul-Susurluk Irmağı-Uluabat Gölü route, Issız Han, which served citizens free of charge as one of the resting and accommodation bases of river transportation in history, is a fine example of an Ottoman Period caravanserai.
25
Kocaçay Deltası
Karacabey, Bursa
The Susurluk River, formed by the confluence of a large part of the rivers of Southern Marmara, meets the Marmara Sea near Yeniköy in Bursa’s Karacabey district. The Kocaçay Delta, formed by the Susurluk River, consists of a lake, marsh, dune and longoz forest. Located on the southern coast of the Marmara Sea, the delta consists of lake, marsh, dune and floodplain forest ecosystems.
26
Kösehoroz Şelalesi
Mustafakemalpaşa, Bursa
It is on Değirmendere near Mustafakemalpaşa Kösehoroz Village. Its height is approximately 18 meters, and where the water falls it has formed a natural rock pool. Değirmendere then flows into Alev (Kocaçay) Stream, one of the branches of Mustafakemalpaşa Stream. The source of the stream’s name is also the water mill near Devecikonak.
27
Tümbüldek
Mustafakemalpaşa, Bursa
It is in Akarca village, 19 km from Mustafakemalpaşa. There are a hotel and baths operated by the municipality. As a bath, it has properties for painful syndromes, regulating peripheral circulation, acting as an astringent on the skin due to the iron it contains, and removing wrinkles on the skin; as a drinking cure, it also has properties that relieve liver, stomach, intestinal, pancreas and gallbladder disorders.
28
Daskyleion Antik Kenti
Bandırma, Balıkesir
The Ancient City of Daskyleion is located near Kuş Cenneti, one of Balıkesir’s natural beauties. In the excavation works carried out in the city, which takes its name from the famous Lydian King Daskylos, who settled here in the 7th century BC, archaeological remains from different periods have been uncovered.
29
Suuçtu Şelalesi
Susurluk, Balıkesir
Suuçtu Waterfall was formed by the collapse of a fault line. The water pouring from a height of 38 meters presents a beautiful منظر with the pond it fills in the winter months, despite its water decreasing in summer. Preferred as a sightseeing area and picnic spot, Suuçtu, among the beech trees surrounding it, is a complete storehouse of fresh air with its cool atmosphere.
30
Şeyh Lütfullah Camisi
Karesi, Balıkesir
Şeyh Lütfullah Mosque was built in 1429. It is thought to have been commissioned by Şeyh Lütfullah, one of Hacı Bayram Veli’s friends. The mosque, which could not survive to the present day in its original location, was renovated in 1907. It is a rectangular cut-stone structure. The narthex is reached by a three-step staircase. Its facade has a two-storey appearance because of the women’s gallery, which corresponds to the upper part of the narthex.
31
Yıldirim Camii Ve Külliyesi
Karesi, Balıkesir
The mosque, located in Yıldırım Mahallesi, is Balıkesir’s oldest Ottoman structure. There is no construction inscription. However, it is understood from various sources and its endowment deed that it was commissioned by Yıldırım Beyazıt in 1388. Within a rather large courtyard, it forms a külliye together with a madrasa and imaret. It underwent repairs in 1818 and after the 1897 earthquake. The interior of the mosque has a rectangular plan and is divided into three naves by two rows of five columns each.
32
Yeşilli Cami / Hisariçi Camisi
Karesi, Balıkesir
The founder of Hisariçi Camisi is unknown. It is understood only from the inscription on the mosque that it was repaired in 1786 by Külahçızade Hacı Mustafa Efendi. The mosque is a small rectangular-plan structure with a wooden roof. Since it was painted green, it is also known among the public by the name Yeşilli Cami. The mosque, which is slightly elevated from the ground, has a two-winged last congregation area. From a staircase here, one goes up to the women’s gallery on the upper floor.
33
Zağnos Paşa Camisi Ve Külliyesi
Karesi, Balıkesir
Zağnos Paşa Mosque is located in the city center of Balıkesir. It was commissioned in 1461 by Zağnos (Zağanos) Paşa, one of the viziers of Fatih Sultan Mehmet. Of the külliye consisting of a mosque, tomb and bath, only the bath has survived to the present day in its original state. The mosque and tomb, which were destroyed in 1897, were rebuilt in 1908 by Balıkesir Mutasarrıfı Ömer Ali Bey. The square-planned mosque was built of smoothly dressed and cut stone.
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34
Zağnos Paşa Camii
Karesi, Balıkesir
It is located in the city center, in Mustafa Fakıh Mahallesi, within the bazaar. It is a külliye consisting of a mosque, tomb and rabbi. It was commissioned in 1461 by Zağnos Mehmed Paşa, one of the viziers of Fatih Sultan Mehmet. Of the külliye, only the bath has survived to the present day in its original state. The mosque and tomb, which were demolished in 1897, were rebuilt in 1908 by Balıkesir mutasarrıfı Ömer Ali Bey.
35
Akhisar Müzesi
Akhisar, Manisa
Akhisar Museum is a museum showcasing archaeological and ethnographic artifacts.
36
Thyateira Antik Kenti
Akhisar, Manisa
Thyateira Ancient City, the ancient name of Akhisar, was one of the significant settlements of Lydia and the Kingdom of Pergamon.
37
Bin Tepeler Kral Mezarları
Salihli, Manisa
The Bintepeler Royal Tombs were built by the Lydians in the 7th and 6th centuries BC. The largest tumulus, belonging to King Alyattes II, is notable for its impressive size.
38
Sardes Antik Kenti
Salihli, Manisa
Sardes Ancient City is located in the Salihli district of Manisa and holds historical significance as the capital of the Lydian State.
39
Bin Tepeler
Salihli, Manisa
Bin Tepeler, known as the Lydian King's Cemetery, is a historical site containing tombs dating back to the 6th and 5th centuries BC.
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40
İlk İnsan (Fosil) Ayak İzleri
Salihli, Manisa
The fossil human footprints, determined to be 4 thousand 200 to 4 thousand 500 years old and found during dam construction in Manisa, have been on display for about 1 month at the interactive museum at the entrance of Kula-Salihli UNESCO Global Jeoparkı, Turkey's first and only UNESCO-certified geopark. The footprints are thought to be between sizes 44 and 45 and to belong to a man.
41
Kula Volkanlari
Kula, Manisa
Where are the Kula Volcanoes? The Kula Volcanoes and their surroundings, located in the Kula district of Manisa, have a geological structure with volcanic characteristics. In the Kula region, volcanic activity continued until the beginning of the Quaternary period and young volcanoes were formed. In this area, where there are extinct small volcanoes, eruptions occurred in various periods and lava flows spread to the surroundings. Because of this characteristic, Kula and its surroundings were called the Burnt Land (Katakekaumene) in history.
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42
Philadelphia Antik Kenti
Alaşehir, Manisa
In Alaşehir district of Manisa, the theater building belonging to the ancient city of Philadelphia, estimated to have been built in the 2nd century AD, is being brought to light through the joint work of the Ministry of Culture and Alaşehir Municipality. Following the ongoing rescue works in the theater, a new cultural asset will be brought to Manisa through restoration works.
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43
Buldan Çarşı Cami
Buldan, Denizli
The mosque was built in the 17th century. The structure, built of stone material, is covered with a flat wooden ceiling and a hipped roof. Together with the registered inn located right next to it, the building constitutes an important document regarding the texture of Buldan's old bazaar.
44
Tripolis Antik Kenti
Buldan, Denizli
Tripolis Ancient City; it was established on a slope on the bank of the Menderes River. It is one of the ancient cities with access to the Aegean through the valleys opening to the west and north, and to Central Anatolia and the Mediterranean through the Çürüksu Plain and its valleys to the southeast. It is 30 kilometers from its contemporary Laodikeia, established in the Çürüksu Valley to the south of the city, and 20 kilometers from Hierapolis.
45
Güney Şelalesi
Güney, Denizli
Güney Waterfall is located within the borders of Cinlere Neighborhood in the Güney district of Denizli province. It is on the bank of the Menderes River, which passes approximately 4 kilometers south of the Güney district. The waterfall is one of the places worth seeing in terms of its natural beauty. This hidden paradise, 70 kilometers from Denizli, is a First Degree Natural Protected Area. It is fed by water sources emerging from the slopes of Cindere Mountain, located 3 kilometers from the center of Güney district.
46
Güney Çarşı Camii
Güney, Denizli
The structure, which is one of the deeply built, single-section mosques covered with a flat ceiling, has a hipped roof and is covered with tiles. On the wooden ceiling of the structure, there are octagonal-form decorations containing lozenge motifs. The mihrab, which has a niche with a semi-circular section, has a frame with moulded piers. To the west of the mihrab, there is a wooden minbar. On the north side of the harim, there is a women's gallery resting on wooden posts.
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47
Hacı Ahmet Baki Yağcı Camii
Güney, Denizli
The minaret of the structure, built in 1867, has a quadrangular prismatic base and a cylindrical body. The minaret body, built of brick masonry, with zigzags. The outer door of the mosque is wrought iron, and it has iron railings. In the mosque’s last congregation area, there is a pointed-arched entrance carried by concrete columns and lozenge-shaped decorations between the arches. Its fountain, which has a round arch and an inscription, is dated 1188.
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48
Hierapolis Hamam Bazilika
Pamukkale, Denizli
The bath, located next to the Frontinus gate and built in the 3rd century A.D., had the south-facing calidarium wall demolished after the 5th century and an apse added, thus transforming the bath into a three-aisled basilica. The barrel vault belonging to the previous structure was also replaced by 3 domes.
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49
Hierapolis Antik Kenti
Pamukkale, Denizli
Denizli ilinin 18 km. kuzeyinde yer alan Hierapolis antik kentinin Arkeoloji literatüründe “Holy City” yani Kutsal Kent olarak adlandırılması, kentte bilinen bir çok tapınak ve diğer dinsel yapının varlığından kaynaklanmaktadır. Kentin kuruluşu hakkında bilgilerin kısıtlı olmasına karşın; Bergama Krallarından II. Eumenes tarafından MÖ. II.
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50
Ahi Sinan Türbesi
Merkezefendi, Denizli
Ahi Sinan organized the tradesmen of Denizli and brought them together under one roof. He made very great contributions to the Ahi culture in Denizli and took his place in history. In the 13th century, he was serving in the lodge bearing his own name to the west of the present-day Kaleiçi Çarşısı. It is known from written sources that after his death, his tomb was also built within this lodge and that it remained in service until 1876.
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51
Hatipoğlu Cami
Pamukkale, Denizli
The structure, which was built right at the beginning of the 20th century, is a building that needs to be preserved due to its location, dimensions, use of local materials, and facade arrangement.
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52
Laodikya Antik Kenti
Merkezefendi, Denizli
Laodikeia Ancient City was established at a very favorable geographical point and to the south of the Lykos River. The name of the city appears in ancient sources mostly as “Laodikeia on the banks of the Lykos.” According to other ancient sources, the city was founded by Antiochos II between 261-263 BC, and the city was given the name of Antiochos's wife, Laodike.
Move the stops into your own plan, split them across days, and add places to sleep and eat.
Frequently asked
- How far is it between İstanbul and Denizli, and how long does it take?
- Driving between İstanbul and Denizli is roughly 670 kilometres and takes about 7 hours without stops.
- Where is it worth stopping between İstanbul and Denizli?
- There are 725 described places within 20 km of the road between İstanbul and Denizli. toroti lists 52 of them spread evenly along the drive, in the order you pass them; Arnavutköy Yeniköy Halk Plajı comes early on, and Laodikya Antik Kenti sits near the end.
- Which provinces does the İstanbul to Denizli route cross?
- The route between İstanbul and Denizli crosses İstanbul → Kocaeli → Yalova → Bursa → Balıkesir → Manisa → Denizli. The stretch richest in places to visit is in Bursa.
- Should I take the toll highway or traditional route between İstanbul and Denizli?
- Toll motorways save driving time between İstanbul and Denizli, whereas traditional state roads pass directly through historic town centers, local culinary stops, and scenic nature viewpoints.
- How should breaks be scheduled between İstanbul and Denizli?
- For a drive of around 7 hours, taking a break every 2 to 2.5 hours is recommended. The catalogued attractions in Bursa and neighboring provinces offer memorable stopovers compared to generic highway rest areas.