Where to stay in Bolu

Bolu is astride the main land route between Istanbul and Ankara, so it's long been a stopover plus a centre of civilisation in its own right. The route is formed by the valley of the great North Anatolian Fault, still active with major earthquakes every few decades, so the constructions of Hittites, Bithynians and early Romans have been shaken to bits. The town became known as Claudiopolis after the Roman Emperor Claudius, and in 111 AD was the birthplace of Antonius, gay lover of Hadrian. (He died in mysterious circumstances aged 19, so Hadrian had him deified.)

Getting in

Buses run hourly from Istanbul and take 4-5 hours via Gebze, for a fare in 2024 or 450 TL. From Ankara takes three hours. Bus lines are Metroturizm and Flixbus. Bolu Otogarı the bus station is off D100, 3 km west of town centre. A dolmuş will take you into town and may be included in your inter-city ticket, check when buying. By road from Istanbul follow O-7 / E80 east. From Ankara take E89 north onto E80.

Getting around

The area of interest in town is very compact and won't take long to walk around. You need wheels for out-of-town sights, and frankly you'd only bother if driving that way, they're hardly worth a special trip.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.