Iznik: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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İznik is the ancient city of Nicaea, and the modern town still lives inside its walls, on a grid of streets laid out by the Romans. Two straight main streets cross at the Hagia Sophia and run to the four gates. Everything is within walking distance, and the lakeshore is ten minutes from the centre. Walk it in a loop: gate to theatre to lake, then back through the centre and out to the other gates.

A short history of Iznik

İznik is ancient Nicaea: one of the successors of Alexander the Great founded it at the end of the 4th century BC, and Lysimachus named it after his wife. In 325 the first Christian council met here and drew up the Nicene Creed, and in 787 the seventh council met here. After the Crusaders captured Constantinople in 1204, Nicaea was the capital of the Byzantine Empire in exile until 1261. In 1331 the Ottoman Orhan captured it, and in the 15th and 16th centuries its workshops produced the painted ceramic tiles that decorate the mosques of Istanbul. The ancient city walls still surround it almost in full.

The ten best sights in Iznik

1
Hagia Sophia of İznik
The church where the Seventh Ecumenical Council met in 787, now a mosque in the very centre; modest dress
2
Roman Theatre
The ruined theatre of Roman Nicaea, by the south-west walls; seen from the fence
3
Sunken Basilica
Ruins of an early church lying under the shallow lake water near the shore; best on a calm day
4
İstanbul Gate
The grand northern gate of the Roman walls; start a walk along the walls here
5
Lefke Gate
The eastern gate, a triple Roman gateway you can walk through
6
Yenişehir Gate
The southern gate, on the road towards Bursa
7
Green Mosque
A small, perfect early Ottoman mosque in marble; look up at the tiled minaret
8
Nilüfer Hatun Imaret
An Ottoman soup kitchen of 1388 opposite the Green Mosque, long the town's museum
9
İznik Museum
Tiles, ceramics and finds from Roman Nicaea; check hours before you go
10
İznik tile kilns excavation
The excavated kilns where the famous Ottoman tiles were fired

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Iznik →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Iznik:

Free walking tours in Iznik

Roman and Byzantine Nicaea

Yenişehir Gate · When the crusaders took Constantinople in 1204, the Byzantine court fled here, and for more than fifty years Nicaea was the capital of what remained of the empire, until Constantinople was recaptured in 1261.
Roman Theatre · Pliny the Younger, governor of the province, wrote to the emperor Trajan around 111 that the theatre of Nicaea had already swallowed ten million sesterces and was cracking and sinking before it was even finished.
Sunken Basilica · In 2014 aerial photos showed the outline of a church lying in the lake about 20 metres from the shore, a metre or two below the surface. It was probably built in the 4th century and later sank as earthquakes changed the shoreline.
Hagia Sophia · In 787 the Seventh Ecumenical Council met in this church and ruled that icons could be venerated, ending the first period of Byzantine iconoclasm. Orhan Gazi turned it into a mosque after taking the city in 1331.
İstanbul Gate · The walls run for about 5 km around the old city and are among the best preserved Roman-Byzantine city walls in Turkey. The town has never grown far beyond them, which is why the circuit still frames İznik today.
Lefke Gate · In 1097 the First Crusade besieged Nicaea, then a Seljuk capital. The Byzantines hauled boats overland into the lake to cut the city's supplies by water, and Nicaea surrendered to them rather than to the crusaders.

Ottoman İznik, mosques and tiles

İznik was one of the first great cities the Ottomans took, and the young state left some of its earliest buildings here. Two centuries later the town became famous for something else: the blue, white and red tiles that cover the great mosques of Istanbul. This walk links the early mosques, the kilns and the tombs of the first viziers. Finish on the hill outside the walls for the sunset.

Hacı Özbek Mosque · Its inscription dates it to 1333, two years after the conquest, which makes it the oldest dated Ottoman mosque that survives. It is a single small dome on plain walls, the seed of the vast mosques built later.
Tile kilns excavation · At their peak in the 16th century, the potters of İznik supplied the tiles for the great imperial mosques; the Blue Mosque in Istanbul alone holds more than 20,000 of them. The kilns found here show where that work was fired.
Green Mosque · The mosque was built between 1378 and 1391 for Çandarlı Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha. It takes its name from the green glazed tiles on the minaret, made before the famous İznik ware existed.
Nilüfer Hatun Imaret · Sultan Murad I built this soup kitchen and hostel in 1388 in the name of his mother, Nilüfer Hatun, wife of Orhan Gazi. Tradition says she was a Byzantine-born bride.
Çandarlı Hayreddin Pasha Tomb · Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha, who served under Murad I, was the first to hold the title of grand vizier. His family held the post for generations, until Mehmed the Conqueror executed his descendant after the fall of Constantinople.
Abdülvahap Hill · The tomb on the hill is said to be that of Abdülvahap, a standard-bearer of the Arab armies who besieged Nicaea in the 8th century. The hill gives the only view of the whole walled grid of the town at once.

Around the lake

Lake İznik fills a long basin between wooded hills, ringed by olive groves and small towns. Two Roman monuments sit just north of the town; beyond them the roads lead west along the shore to the Sea of Marmara and south to the plain where the Ottoman state began. It makes a good half-day drive on the way in or out of İznik. Stop for olives in Gemlik and meatballs in İnegöl.

Beştaş Obelisk · The 12-metre obelisk is the tomb monument of Gaius Cassius Philiscus, a citizen of Roman Nicaea in the 1st century AD. Locals call it Beştaş, five stones, or simply Dikilitaş, the standing stone.
Underground Tomb · This vaulted family tomb from around the 4th century was found by chance in 1967. Its walls and ceiling are painted with birds, flowers and a pair of peacocks, colours still fresh after sixteen centuries underground.
Orhangazi · The lakeside town was long called Pazarköy, market village, and was renamed after Orhan Gazi, the sultan who took Nicaea in 1331 and Bursa before it.
Gemlik · The port on the Sea of Marmara is ancient Kios, and it gave its name to the Gemlik olive, the small black olive that is on almost every Turkish breakfast table.
İnegöl · The town is known across Turkey for İnegöl köfte, small grilled meatballs first made here by immigrants from the Balkans; the name is now a protected geographical indication.
Yenişehir · Osman, founder of the Ottoman dynasty, made this small plain town his base in the early 1300s, and it is often called the first Ottoman capital, before Bursa took that role.

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Getting to Iznik and getting around

İznik bus terminal · Buses to Bursa, Yalova and Istanbul; a few minutes' walk south of the centre
Bursa Yenişehir Airport · The nearest airport, about 35 minutes by car; only a few domestic flights

Cheap eats in Iznik

İznik eats like small-town Anatolia: köfte on the grill, home-style dishes from steam trays, fish from the lake, and olives from the groves around it. Restaurants are few and simple, and most are inside the walls or along the lake road. Tea is the constant, in tulip glasses, at any hour. Bursa, an hour away, is where you go for its famous İskender kebab; here keep it simple.

Köfteci Yusuf · Grilled köfte with bread and salad, about ₺350-500
Karçiçeği · Home-style Turkish dishes from the steam trays, a plate about ₺200-350
Nihat'ın Yeri · Local cooking near the lake, a meal about ₺300-500
Yeşil Cami tea garden · Tea under the trees beside the Green Mosque, a glass about ₺20-30
İznik market place · Fruit, cheese and olives for a picnic by the lake, a bag about ₺100-250
Nicaea Zeytinyağı · Olives and local olive oil, a litre about ₺450-700

Museums in Iznik

İznik Museum · İznik tiles and Roman finds; small fee
Nilüfer Hatun Imaret · The 1388 building opposite the Green Mosque
Tile kilns excavation · Look into the open dig in the centre
Underground Tomb · Painted 4th-century tomb; visits arranged through the museum
Murad I Bath · An early Ottoman bath house in the centre; ask if it is open

Holy places in Iznik

Hagia Sophia · Mosque today; visit outside prayer times, modest dress
Sunken Basilica · Seen from the shore when the water is clear and calm
Green Mosque · Small marble mosque; step inside between prayers
Hacı Özbek Mosque · The oldest dated Ottoman mosque
Mahmut Çelebi Mosque · A small early Ottoman mosque in the centre

Nature and day trips near Iznik

Lake İznik · Drive or walk the shore road; sunsets over the water
Abdülvahap Hill · Panorama of the town and the lake; best at sunset
Beştaş Obelisk · Hilltop among olive groves, with views back over the lake
Rock tombs · Rock-cut tombs in the hills south of town; a short walk from the road

Where to eat in Iznik

Umut Restaurant · Fish and Turkish dishes near the lake, mains about ₺400-800
Nihat'ın Yeri · Local dishes in a simple setting, about ₺300-500
Karçiçeği · Turkish home cooking in the centre, about ₺250-400
Köfteci Yusuf · Köfte and grilled meats for a simple dinner, about ₺350-550

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Frequently asked questions about Iznik

What is there to see in Iznik?

The top sights in Iznik are Hagia Sophia of İznik, Roman Theatre and Sunken Basilica. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Iznik?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Iznik without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Iznik?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Iznik, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Roman and Byzantine Nicaea.

How do you get to Iznik and get around?

The main ways are İznik bus terminal and Bursa Yenişehir Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Iznik, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Iznik that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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