Location: Gebze
Top Things to do in Gebze
Countries
The 10 Best Things to Do in Gebze, Turkey
Gebze (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈgebze],) is a district in Kocaeli Province, Turkey. It is situated 30 miles southeast of Istanbul, on the Gulf of Izmit, the eastern arm of the Sea of Marmara. Gebze is the second largest district in Kocaeli after İzmit, the provincial centrum in terms of population. Gebze has experienced rapid growth in recent years, from 159,116 residents in 1990 to 299,047 in 2011.
Restaurants in Gebze
1. Osman Hamdi Bey Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 28 reviews
Reviewed By elsie31 - Gebze, Turkey
Osman Hamdi Bey (1842-1910) was Turkey's premier painter, first on a notably short list. He was a late Ottoman, and a Renaissance man of the first water. While relatively unknown in the west, his work is a rich reflection of life and architecture during the last century of Ottoman rule in Turkey. He studied in Paris during the time of Ingres, the great Orientalist painter, loved by many and hated by the anti-Orientalists. He returned to Turkey and created a very nice oeuvre of paintings depicting the doings of every-day people in the Empire, largely Istanbul, Bursa, and the area around Gebze, in Kocaeli.
His day job was being a pioneer archaeologist, and he and his team discovered the mis-named "Alexander's Tomb", actually the sarcophagus of a rich Syrian merchant, which is housed now in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, which Hamdi designed and constructed in his position of museum director. The museum is world-class, and known to archaeology students world-wide.
Hamdi was married twice, both times to French women named Marie. While he wasn't designing and building museums or discovering ancient artifacts, he painted in a little wooden house in the village of Eskihisar, near Gebze. His home and Gardens still exist, although the house could use a good coat of paint. His paintings are all owned by private parties, but good reproductions hang in the little white house. On the first floor the rooms, with contemporary furniture and adornments, include manikins of Hamdi and one of the Maries busy at their work of painting and posing. In Hamdi's day, there wasn't the painting culture that existed in France, so he used his wife, children and, mostly, himself as models for his paintings. Original doors with flower paintings on them are still on display. Upstairs is a charming little bathroom with a flowered porcelain sink (for display only) and a gallery of his work.
Admission is still free as of the writing of this review; if there is no one to let you in, look around for a security guard and he will accommodate. There are plenty of tea Gardens nearby the museum, and maybe even on site by now - the wheels of Turkish historical site improvement turn slowly. The bamboo he planted (not native to Turkey but beloved of Osman Bey - is still visible in the lovely if wild-ish garden. A few hours spent in this quiet time-machine are a few hours well-spent, but it helps to Google the man to get an idea of what you're looking at. If nothing else, go see what late-Ottoman Turkey looked like; his archaeological representations of tombs, mosques and other buildings are flawless, and the doings of the carpet sellers and Ottoman ladies, rich and poor, is priceless.
2. Faruk Yalcin Zoo
Overall Ratings
4 based on 87 reviews
Reviewed By Sarisoy - Istanbul, Turkey
I was twice at this place. on time during the tour I participated last year and I was there again recently by IRO Guides Event. They have different sizes of cages for different animals. Monkeyes were impressive and lions have a family now. We also had a chance to feed the bear, Siberian tiger and a speacial horned tropical bird. Overall great experience.
3. Faruk YalcIn Hayvanat Bahcesi ve Botanik ParkI
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 30 reviews
4. Oksijen O3 AVM
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By junior1907 - Istanbul
İstanbul'a giriş ve çıkış noktalarında kolayca ulaşım imkanı olan yeni bir alışveriş merkezi.Migros da var.Pekçok yiyecek ve de içecek mekanı ile mağaza ve dükkanlar hizmetinizde.Biz her geçişimizde mutlaka burada mola verip birşeyler yiyip içiyoruz.
Bilhassa kahve keyfi Körfez manzaralı olarak acayip güzel.
5. Yuruyen Kosk
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 125 reviews
Reviewed By Clive B - Liverpool, United Kingdom
Beautiful, eccentric, thought-provoking, windswept, mind-boggling, tranquil, the Yürüyen Kösk is all of these and many more. For an insight into the mind of a truly great man, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the story of the sycamore tree and why this house truly did "walk", and the contemporary articles inside all make this a must-see if you visit Yalova or the surrounding area.
6. Ballikayalar Kanyonu
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 27 reviews
Reviewed By John B
This is the place for rock climbing near Istanbul! With over 100 bolted sport routes and only about 1 1/2 hrs from the city, it is totally worth the trip. I live here and try to get to this place at least once a month. It has beautiful hikes as well. Recently, the restaurant near the entrance was torn down, so bring your own food. If you want to climb, bring your own gear. There are no classes or gear rentals.
7. Mavi Inci Sosyal Tesisleri
Overall Ratings
5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By sevimlitirtil - Kocaeli Province, Turkey
Aileniz veya sevdiklerinizle haftaiçi veya haftasonu yaz aylarında vakit geçirebileceğiniz doğayla iç içe nezih bir ortam güler yüzlü personel ve aparatif yemekleride mevcut
8. Osmangazi Koprusu
9. Coban Mustafa Pasa Camii
Overall Ratings
5 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By Perrygrinate - Ashby de la Zouch, United Kingdom
Absolutely worth the long trip from Istanbul. Gebze is the town where Hannibal committed suicide and Sultan Mehmet II died.
Gebze was the last stop on the caravan route from the east to Istanbul and that explains the richness of the mosque complex, which also has a medresa, a soup kitchen and a tomb. The interior of the mosques is beautiful - especially the marble and stone work. Much was done by Egyptian craftsmen.
To get there by public transport, take the metro from Kadikoy to Kartal and then change on to the 17B bus (Exit 4) This bus stops by the station in Gebze almost 2 miles short of the centre of town; take a dolmus or taxi for the last bit
10. Idris Gulluce Kultur Merkez
Overall Ratings
4 based on 6 reviews
Reviewed By junior1907 - Istanbul
Sezonun final konserini izlemek için İdris Güllüce Kültür Merkezi bir kere daha rotamız oldu.Salon oldukça kalabalıktı,bu sefer de balkonda yer bulabildik ancak,Şefimizin konseri çok güzeldi.Çok beğendik.
TAGS
