Uludag – Skiing Heaven in Turkey!
If you think that Turkey is just about beaches and city breaks, you’re wrong! There are many ski resorts around Turkey that are packed during the summer months, and one of the most popular is the beautiful and iconic Uludag.
Situated close to the huge city of Bursa, a few hours away from Istanbul, Uludag is Turkey’s biggest and most upmarket ski resort on offer. If you love snow, you’re in luck during the winter months! The ski season runs from the middle of November until the end of March, depending on the snowfall, but the best time to ski is considered to be from the middle of December, until the middle of March. The resort gets around 3 metres of consistent snow during this time.
Getting to Uludag
It is best to take a transfer or bus to Uludag, because driving yourself there can be a hassle. The roads are fiddling and quite winding, and during the winter time, it’s best to put that responsibility in the hands of a professional! You can also sit back and relax.
The national park’s entrance is around 22km away from the centre of Uludag itself. There are buses which run from Bursa regularly during the winter months, and there is a small fee to go inside the park, which changes constantly, so do check online to make sure you get the right price ahead of your visit.
Once inside the park, you can either get to the ski centre by road or by cable car, and by road this takes around an hour and a half. Of course, the scenery gets more and more stunning the higher you climb!
Staying in Uludag
There are countless hotels in and around Uludag, but not that many inside the national park, other than the official ones. Of course, the price is higher to stay right in the centre of the ski resort, but it’s worth it for the lack of having to commute back and forth every morning and night. If you book your accommodation well in advance, you’ll find prices are cheaper than if you book in the middle of winter, when demand for accommodation is high.
Skiing Fun to be Had
Uludag offers beginner, intermediate, and advance ski routes, and if you’re a total newbie, there is a ski school on site which will help you learn. There is also a children’s ski school, so you can help the little ones learn a new skill, surrounded by some of the best scenery you’ll ever see in your life, and crisp, fresh, mountain air.
There are 8 chair lifts, 7 teleskis, and 13 tracks, which are around 20km long. There is a yearly festival held at Uludag, which brings entertainment and music to the ski slopes, and you’ll find a really inclusive vibe, with families, singles, groups, and everything in-between!
Now, Uludag isn’t the cheapest place in the world to visit, but this is because we’re talking about the most upmarket ski resort in the country. Once you Google a few images of this site, you’ll be more than happy to pay the little bit extra, compared to some of the lesser quality ski resorts around the country, and indeed around the region. Bursa isn’t that far away from the border with Bulgaria, a few hours away at the most, and you’ll know that Bulgaria is one of the most popular ski countries in the world during the winter months. The quality is very comparable, but because not that my people tend to think of Turkey for snow, tending to consider sun the main-stay, you’ll find a quieter feel.
So, if you’re looking for a winter spot for fun this year, make it Uludag.
