​ Bursa was the first capital city of the Ottoman Empire and a witness to very early developments both in culture and architecture. It's a modern thriving city with many historical sites dating back to the Ottoman time and even earlier. It is south of Istanbul across the Sea of Marmara and due to its location one of the must-do day trips from ...

Edirne is a historical city along the borders of Greece and Bulgaria, 235 km west of Istanbul making it a feasible destination for a day trip. It is historically known as Adrianople and was the second capital of the Ottoman Empire after Bursa.  I spent a couple of days in the city after crossing into Turkey from Bulgaria and exp...