Bursa and Uludag Tour from Istanbul

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13 hrs divided into 3 hrs of tourism and 10 hrs of being pushed to buy overpriced ordinary merchandise! HORRIBLE👎 I’ll make sure to alert everybody about this turkish scam!

via Tripadvisor

Scam

In addition to the three shops we had to visit (one for sweets , one for jams and one for silk ), we were forced to do a paid activity on motorcycles that smell of oil in a dirty forest . A photo stop imposed in the middle of the forest and paid. Of course those who are not interested are harassed and have to wait. The icing on the cake: on the way back when it was dark. Forced arrest in a mall for clothes. Those who did not want to get off were forced to do so because the bus had to be washed: unheard of ... the bus had come back clean ...

via Viator (translated)

pure scams and misleading advertising

Last Sunday (November 9) booked this trip with a group of friends, together with other groups in a bus of about 30 men in total. Appointment was at 08.30, finally we left after a number of wanderings through Istanbul only around 10.30 (the bus first appeared to have to drop off a number of other travelers or pick them up at various hotels, then stopped at a gas station for about half an hour before leaving). There was no boat trip by ferry, the trip was carried out by bus with a small ferry crossing of about half an hour. After the ferry our bus was driven to a quad-park around 12.00 where the bus stopped for an hour and a half against the program. It was strongly urged to hold, of course for an extra fee, a trip of less than an hour on a quad bike or buggy. Back on the bus at 1.30 pm, and around 3 pm we were unloaded again at a supermarket where we were pushed to definitely taste and buy the local sweets and other specialties. Since we had been on the road for over 6 hours at that time and were still not in Bursa, the whole bus group refused to enter and we asked to get our lunch as soon as possible. The guide became aggressive (he loses his commission of course since no one wanted to enter the shop) and a scuffle could only be narrowly avoided. Then the bus immediately drove to our lunch place somewhere on the mountain. Around 4 p.m. we got there. After lunch the bus continued its way to the ski station. Once there, the luxury 'closet of a real cable car' with closed cabins of about 30 minutes with which one makes the distinction, so to speak, turned out to be an open chairlift with a ride of 7 minutes. This is when the most scandalous thing happened: since some of our group did not like to go up on these cold open chairlifts but we had already booked our tickets for them anyway, we offered our paid tickets to fellow passengers who had not yet booked a ticket. The guide and the bus driver threatened these fellow passengers that they would prevent them from going up with these tickets (again for loss of commission). After everyone got back on the bus and realizing that the outward journey had taken 5 to 6 hours, the whole bus wanted to go straight back to Istanbul. The guide refused to do so: there was a coffee shop, a souvenir shop and also the sweet shop we had refused to enter on the way out. At the coffee shop the whole group stayed in the bus, but still the bus stopped for half an hour. The souvenir shop was also stopped for another 45 minutes, after which the guide finally realized that further urging the group to stop at the sweet shop was impossible work. The entire group of passengers (Belgians, Iraqis, Malaysians, Palestinians, Algerians) was in solidarity and wanted to return to Istanbul immediately. Finally we arrived back in Istanbul at around 00.30: a 16-hour excursion without ever having seen the centre of Bursa or the Green Mosque, without a real ferry ride on the Bosphorus and the , without a luxury cable car. The only thing that interested this guide (Mustafa was his name) was dropping off a group of tourists at some local traders and collecting his commission.

via Tripadvisor (translated)

Going down by cable car in Bursa is a truly magnificent view.

The Bursa tour exceeded all my expectations. The historical atmosphere, beautiful nature and our knowledgeable guide made it an unforgettable experience. I strongly recommend this tour to everyone

via Tripadvisor

*My Experience in Bursa, Turkey* This summer, I had the chance to visit Bursa, a beautiful city in Turkey, and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Bursa is a city full of history, culture, delicious food, and warm people. From the moment I arrived, I was impressed by how green and peaceful the city was. Surrounded by mountains and filled with parks and trees, Bursa has a calm and refreshing atmosphere. I also explored the old bazaars where I saw handmade items, colorful fabrics, spices, and tasted traditional Turkish sweets like baklava and Turkish delight. One of my favorite parts was trying the local food. Bursa is known for its Iskender kebab, and it truly lived up to the reputation—juicy meat, fresh bread, yogurt, and tomato sauce all in one dish! I also enjoyed drinking Turkish tea in small glasses, especially during the evenings while watching the sunset.

via Tripadvisor