Uludag

To fully appreciate why Bursa is called Green Bursa, take the 30-minute ride up the teleferik (cable car) in Bursa to Uludag's Sarialan point (5,350 feet) for a panoramic view. This terminus is lively in summer: there are restaurants and picnic areas. In winter, however, the cable car terminus is only a staging point for the hotel area, which is 7 km farther up. In spring or fall, there isn't much activity here, especially when the mist is over the mountain—the cable car runs anyway as the ride itself can be fun. Take a sweater or jacket, as temperatures fall dramatically as you climb, even when it's warm downtown. There are also various walking paths up the mountain from Bursa to Uludag and Uludag to Bursa; the hike takes about three hours each way. From Uludag's hotel area you can reach undeveloped spots for blissfully cool hikes in summer.

Uludag gets most of its attention for its skiing and, lately, snowboarding. There are 30 intermediate and beginner routes, with five chairlifts, and seven T-bars. The season lasts from November until April, though the best conditions are between mid-December and March. The resort is packed on weekends, school holidays, and religious festivals, when prices increase dramatically.