Ferry Cheaper than Bus Istanbul to Bursa

Ferry Cheaper than Bus from Istanbul to Bursa, Turkey

I was debating how I would get from Istanbul to Bursa, Turkey yesterday, and determined that two options were apparent after hitchhiking out of the big city in the rain was removed from potential choices.

I could either take the ferry or the bus.

Ferry or Bus to Bursa
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Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
in Bursa, Turkey- March 13, 2009
Travelogue —Travel Photos –Travel Guide
Click on map to view route.

Travel experience told me that taking a bus straight from Istanbul to Bursa should have been cheaper than taking a ferry to a bus to another bus.

But my travel experience was not correct in this instance.

“I am taking the bus to save a little money,” I wrote to my couchsurfing host, Osa, by email prior to leaving Istanbul. I did not get her response telling me that I was wrong before I left.

The ferry from Istanbul to Yalova costs 15 Lira, and the bus to Bursa runs 2 Lira, and the city bus to Osa’s neighborhood another 2 Lira. In total, taking the ferry costs around 19 Lira, and takes two and a half hours.

The bus from Istanbul to Bursa costs 20 Lira and takes more than four hours. Add 2 Lira on to this for the city bus and I paid 3 Lira more trying to save money.

Sometimes when trying to travel cheap, you win, and sometimes you drop an extra dollar or two. This is just the way it is.

Bus route from Istanbul to Bursa, Turkey

This bus would reputedly take three hours to travel the 114km to Bursa, but really took more than four hours.

Bus on a short ferry ride en route to Bursa, Turkey.

Ferry Cheaper than Bus Istanbul to Bursa, Turkey