Sapanca Lake and Masukiye Tour
A lake, a wooded valley and a mountain, about 135 km east of Istanbul — the standard weekend escape for people who live in the city.
- At the gate
- £25.50
- Allow
- 1h 30m
- District
- Closed
- Open daily
Sapanca and Mau015fukiye, in short
A lake, a wooded valley and a mountain, about 135 km east of Istanbul u2014 the standard weekend escape for people who live in the city.
Sapanca is a freshwater lake ringed by tea gardens and small restaurants. Mau015fukiye, in the hills above, is a run of trout restaurants built over the streams themselves.
What it costs
The guided day trip is u20ac30 separately. Included on the pass.
The day
Roughly an hour and a half to two hours each way. Time at the lakeside, lunch in Mau015fukiye, and a run up to Kartepe for the view.
Mau015fukiye
The village was settled by Circassians who came to Anatolia after the Caucasian wars ended in 1864, and the community is still there. The restaurants serve trout from the streams they are built over, which is the reason most people come.
Kartepe
A mountain above Mau015fukiye, and a ski resort in winter. In clear weather you get the lake, the Gulf of u0130zmit and a long way beyond from the top. It is a short drive up and worth the detour.
When to go
Green and mild in spring and autumn; snow on Kartepe in winter; busy with Istanbul residents at summer weekends. Weekdays are noticeably quieter.
Frequently asked questions
- Walk or cycle the shore, sit in the lakeside tea gardens, eat, and take a boat out in season. It is a slow day rather than a sightseeing one.
- About 135 km from Istanbul, or an hour and a half to two hours by road.
- Trout restaurants built over the mountain streams, in a village founded by Circassian settlers in the 1860s.
- Yes, for the view over the lake and the gulf. It is a ski resort in winter.