Kitap Evi Otel

Kitap Evi means "house of the book". Before becoming a hotel, this Ottoman mansion on the Tophane ramparts was a bookshop; the books have stayed, along with the music. The hotel is not allowed to call itself a "boutique hotel", it explains, the Turkish Ministry of Tourism having refused it the label, but that is what it is: thirteen rooms, all different, a garden and a restaurant, in the first Ottoman capital.

Thirteen rooms, all different

"Sometimes the warmth of a fireplace, sometimes the shade of a magnolia, sometimes the pleasure of a hammam that reminds you you are in Bursa": that is how the hotel sums up its rooms. Manolya and Uludağ Burç, the smallest, are enough for a couple passing through. For a slower stay, take the hammam suite or the Cumba suite with its Ottoman bay window. Families should book the Uludağ connecting suite: two rooms joined by a door, each with its own bathroom.

All have air conditioning, a minibar, a coffee machine, satellite TV and free wifi. Bursa is a city of waters: the bathrooms are carefully designed, some with a resting area, others with a hammam.

Garden and restaurant

The garden, enclosed by high Ottoman stone walls, was once crossed by the water of Pınarbaşı, the hotel recalls. The Kitap Evi restaurant, the winter garden and small private dining rooms host meals; fireside conversation is part of the house. Valet parking is free.

The view over Bursa

From the rooms facing the plain you see the city spreading out at the foot of Uludağ, with the Great Mosque, the Green Tomb, Emir Sultan, the Yıldırım complex, the han district and the covered bazaar. The other rooms look onto the garden and the lanes of the historic quarter.

Location

The hotel is at Kavaklı Mahallesi, Burçüstü Sokak No. 21, on the Tophane ramparts. The monuments of the centre are within walking distance or a few minutes' drive; Cumalıkızık is a quarter of an hour away. Sultanahmet in Istanbul is 1 h 55 by road without traffic. For the city, see our Bursa page.

Prices

In October 2026, for two nights from 1 to 3 June 2027, the hotel's own website offered its cheapest room at about €150 per night for two adults, breakfast not included, non-refundable, all taxes included. With breakfast and free cancellation until 24 May, Booking.com offered the Superior Double Room at around €165 per night.

Sabaro's view

For whom: travellers who would rather sleep in an Ottoman house than in a large conference hotel; lovers of books and gardens.

Strengths: the mansion and its garden; the hammam suite; the view over the city; a Google rating of 4.4 out of 5 (about 2,100 reviews).

Good to know: the smallest rooms are 21 m², and the hotel advertises no spa or pool. It is the only Bursa hotel in Sabaro's selection.