Bolu

Understand

Bolu is astride the main land route between Istanbul and Ankara, so it's long been a stopover plus a centre of civilisation in its own right. The route is formed by the valley of the great North Anatolian Fault, still active with major earthquakes every few decades, so the constructions of Hittites, Bithynians and early Romans have been shaken to bits. The town became known as Claudiopolis after the Roman Emperor Claudius, and in 111 AD was the birthplace of Antonius, gay lover of Hadrian. (He died in mysterious circumstances aged 19, so Hadrian had him deified.) After the Romans' successors the Byzantines were defeated in 1071 it was settled by Turkic tribes from the east who simply called it "polis", the town, which morphed into Bolu. It fell to the Ottomans in 1325 and most of the town's antiquities reflect their 600-year realm.

Bolu stands at 742 m / 2434 ft altitude and the mountains draw the clouds and rain. Summer highs are around 28°C and winter lows -2°C.

Get in

Buses run hourly from Istanbul and take 4-5 hours via Gebze, for a fare in 2024 or 450 TL. From Ankara takes three hours. Bus lines are Metroturizm and Flixbus.

the bus station is off D100, 3 km west of town centre. A dolmuş will take you into town and may be included in your inter-city ticket, check when buying.

By road from Istanbul follow O-7 / E80 east. From Ankara take E89 north onto E80.

Get around

The area of interest in town is very compact and won't take long to walk around.

You need wheels for out-of-town sights, and frankly you'd only bother if driving that way, they're hardly worth a special trip.

See

Taşhan is a two-storey traditional market hall on the west flank of Beyazıt Mosque. It was built in 1804 AD and has shops and cafes in the arcades around its courtyard. Saraçhane Mosque faces the museum and Beyazıt Mosque across the main square. It was built by the renowned Mimar Sinan in the 16th century and rebuilt in 1750 AD. Kadi Mosque 100 m west of Saraçhane Mosque is from the 16th century. Yeşil Mosque 100 m north of main square is floodlit green at night just to remind you what yeşil means in Turkish. survives only as banks of seating along Izzet Baysal Cd. More probably lies under the street and buildings. Aslahaddin Mosque is across the street from the stadium seating. It contains the tomb of Hazrat Aslahaddin, killed in battle in 934 AD, but the present structure is a 1967 rebuild. southwest side of town centre was built in 1988 in traditional style. "Siteler" roughly translates as building plots or housing estates.

Do

thumb | 300px | Within Beyazit Mosque Football: Boluspor play soccer in TFF First League, Turkey's second tier. Their home ground Atatürk Stadium (capacity 8500) is 200 m north of the museum and main square. Hamam: Sultan or Aktaş Spa is a traditional Ottoman bathhouse, open daily 09:00-20:00. It's at Süreyya Sk 2, 100 m southeast of the main square. Lunapark is a funfair, enter from Ali Rıza Tekemen Cd just east of Siteler Mosque. Hot springs arise in the town of Karacasu 7 km south of Bolu. There's a cluster of spa hotels and you may be able to pay for non-resident access to their facilities. Ski: Kartalkaya and Sarialan are ski resorts in the Köroğlu Mountains to the south. They have accommodation, but the slopes are easily within a day trip from Bolu.

Buy

Lots of downtown convenience stores. The most central is Carrefour on PTT Cd just south of main square, open daily 08:00-22:00. Özdilek is a large supermarket next to the bus station, open daily 10:00-22:00.

Eat

In or around main square are Bitur, Taşhan in the old market building, Bolu-Aş Lokantasi, Bayram Usta Et Lokantası and Kubbealti.

Drink

thumb | 300px | Seating for the Roman stadium Some cafes may serve alcohol.

Sleep

Downtown has a dozen small places, including Elit Palace (below), Eskoppremium, Otel 374, Parlak, Bolu Deluxe, Eratay, Matışlar Konağı and Bolu City Otel.

Connect

Bolu and its approach roads have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of Jan 2024, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.