A Two-Day Itinerary for First-Time Visitors to Bursa.

Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman state and most of the buildings from that period still stand, within walking distance of one another. The city's second face is the two and a half thousand metre mountain behind it. Two days are enough to see both.

Day one, the centre and its history. Begin at the tomb of Osman Gazi in Tophane; this is the oldest core of the city and the whole plain is visible from the terrace, so you map out the day from above. Come down to the Ulu Mosque. Beneath the centre of the twenty domed building stands a fountain, and the dome above it was left open so light falls straight onto the pool, an arrangement with no parallel in Turkey. Koza Han next door has sold silk since 1491; do not pass up tea under the plane tree in its courtyard. In the afternoon head east to the Green Mosque and Green Tomb, which face each other and are considered the height of early Ottoman tile art.

Day two, the slope and the mountain. The twelve tombs in the garden of the Muradiye complex are quiet and little visited, their tiles showing in sequence how the style changed across a century. Move on to Cumalıkızık, an Ottoman village of seven hundred years at the foot of Uludağ, still lived in. End the day riding the cable car up the mountain; the journey takes thirty minutes and is among the longest lines in the world.

Eating: this is the home of İskender kebab. Candied chestnuts and, in season, Bursa peaches make the gifts to take home; Kemalpaşa dessert is better found on the Mudanya road.

Getting around: the fast ferry from İstanbul reaches Mudanya in two hours and beats the road. The city tram and metro cover most central stops; Cumalıkızık and the cable car need a car or a municipal bus.

When: spring and autumn are the most balanced. In winter Uludağ works as a ski centre and cable car tickets sell out at weekends, so buy ahead.