Places to Visit in Kocaeli
Places to Visit in Kocaeli
Kocaeli, one of Turkey's most developed industrial cities, is also one of the rarest tourist cities of the Marmara region with its clean beaches on the Izmit Gulf and the Black Sea coast, lush national parks and quality ski resorts.
You can start exploring the city of Kocaeli, which attracts attention with its advanced tourism opportunities, delicious local tastes and unique natural views, by reading our article. Thanks to the location links in our content, you can easily discover the places you want to visit.
Kartepe Ski Resort
Kartepe, one of the most popular ski resorts in Turkey, has a very special location overlooking Sapanca Lake and Izmit Bay. The ski resort, located 1 hour away from Istanbul, attracts great attention from local and foreign tourists.
In Kartepe, where ski enthusiasts can have a pleasant holiday, various activities such as trekking, bird watching, horseback riding and paragliding can be done.
Maşukiye
Maşukiye is in a special location, very close to Istanbul, but at the same time quiet and peaceful. Located on the outskirts of Kartepe, right on the shores of Lake Sapanca, this charming town is different in every season. Maşukiye, which is especially beautiful in summer and winter, conquers hearts with its fascinating atmosphere. Maşukiye awaits you in every season with its clean village air, lake view and lush nature.
Museum of Archeology and Ethnography
The old station and warehouse buildings were evaluated as a whole and opened to visitors within the scope of restoration works. There is a repair workshop, water tank and residential building in the area that serves as the Archeology and Ethnography Museum. Two monopoly warehouses (for archaeological and ethnographic artifacts) were combined to create exhibition halls.
Ship Museum Yarhisar
The Yarhisar ship, which served the Turkish Naval Forces as a reconnaissance patrol ship for 40 years and participated in the Cyprus Peace Operation in 1974, was gifted to Gölcük by the Naval Forces Command after being decommissioned and turned into a public museum on the Kavaklı coast.
The Yarhisar ship, which serves as a museum for the purpose of teaching maritime and maritime, is used as a museum ship covering an area of approximately 200 m² on the Kavaklı coast with various visual arrangements made on its base. Yarhisar ship is the third ship museum of Kocaeli after TCG Gayret and TCG Hızır Reis.
Izmit Clock Tower
The historical clock tower, one of the main symbols of Izmit, is located in the Kemalpaşa district in the city center, between the Kasr-ı Hümayun and the Atatürk statue. The Clock Tower was built by the Governor of Izmit, Musa Kazım Bey, in memory of the 25th anniversary of Sultan Abdulhamid's accession to the throne.
There are fountains on all four sides of the tower, which was built in neoclassical style with travertine stones from Hereke and Tavşancıl. The rebuilt clock tower continues to tell and witness the time.
Izmit Train Station
The 91-kilometer railway line extending from Istanbul-Haydarpaşa to Izmit started to be built on 4 August 1871 and reached Izmit on 1 August 1873.
Izmit train station and surrounding buildings were built at different times according to need. The oldest structure among these buildings is the ground floor wing of the concourse. The plans of Izmit station were drawn by German architect Otto Ritter. The building was built in neoclassical style. He witnessed the welcoming ceremonies of Atatürk and many other important statesmen. The building, which was restored by the Kocaeli Governorship in 2006, is used as a restaurant and partly as a museum.
Darıca Zoo
It is also known as Boğaziçi Zoo or Darıca Bird Sanctuary. It is Turkey's only private zoo. 3000 animals, including 300 species, live here in an area of 200,000 square meters. Apart from this, there are also 500 types of botanical plants.
Reptiles, mammals, birds and fish from different countries of the world are waiting for you. Pythons, crocodiles and green iguanas are some of the reptiles in the park.
Izmit Ataturk Museum
The Museum, located in Izmit Kocaeli, was a small two-storey palace built for Sultan Abdülaziz in 1874, when it was learned that Atatürk came to Izmit in 1922 to meet with the French writer Claude Farrere. The people of Izmit prepared this mansion. Atatürk lived on the upper floor of the mansion.
Izmit Ataturk Mansion was used as the governor's mansion during the Republic period. However, due to its architectural and artistic value, the mansion was converted into a museum and opened to visitors in 1966. Atatürk's bedroom is on the upper floor of the museum, and archaeological artifacts are exhibited on the lower floor.
Gazi Akçakoca House
Akçakoca House became operational in 2014 as a result of the restoration of one of the buildings used as paper mill housing. Here, Kocaeli's Ottoman national struggles and the post-Republic period are revealed with photographs and documents.
Selim Sırrı Pasha Villa
It is the mansion built in 1892 by Selim Sırrı Pasha, who was the Governor of Izmit between 1888 and 1894 and was registered as the first road and bridge engineer of the Ottoman Empire. It is considered the most elegant and beautiful example of the 19th century Izmit civil architecture, with its wooden details, decorations and floor coverings imported from France. The most striking feature of the mansion is the presence of the wooden tower, which is often called a tower-shaped room in Ottoman architecture.
Captain Yahya Monument
Yahya Kaptan is a hero who organized the Kuva-yi Milliye movements in the Kocaeli region during the War of Independence and ensured the transportation of materials and people to Anatolia.
He was martyred in Tavşancıl, where he lived, on January 8, 1920, at the age of 29. A mausoleum was built in his name by Atatürk's order.
Darıca Castle
Kocaeli-Darıca Castle is one of the most popular places in this region. It was called "Daritsion" in the ancient Byzantine era. The castle, built to protect the pier, was named Darıca after the Ottomans conquered this region.
Evliya Çelebi mentioned Darıca Castle in his travelogue. While exploring Darıca Castle on your Kocaeli trip, you will also see the secret underground passage of the castle leading to the beach.
Kefken Island
Kefken Island is important because it is the only inhabited island in the Black Sea. The island, where there are water wells and wall ruins from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Genoese periods, is known as a sacred place. It is possible to see these historical motifs while wandering around the island where there are ten houses.
Transportation to the island is provided by boat from Cebeci. The island is a place especially preferred by those who want to do underwater diving and spearfishing. Those who enjoy swimming in the sea and swimming in its unique bays visit this island. It is also an island where ships sailing in the Black Sea take shelter to protect themselves from adverse weather conditions.
Derince Beach
Covering an area of 30,000 square meters, this facility, built as an example of fairy-tale heroes, is impressive. Families who come to this beach to have fun with their children, watch the magnificent sea view and drink their meals and tea in restaurants and cafeterias built in the shape of mushrooms, Noah's ark, windmills and pirate ships, while children have a pleasant time in the fairy tale heroes and playgrounds of their dreams.
It is possible to reach Wonderland Beach both by regular ferry services and by road and spend a nice day with the unique view of the bay. The intense interest of tour operators operating in the Marmara region, especially the Marmara region, is increasing day by day.
Gebze Çoban Mustafa Pasha Complex
Located on a hill overlooking the northwest of Gebze, the Social Complex is one of the works of Mimar Sinan. It is known that Çoban Mustafa Pasha Complex was built in 1523 and its founder was Vizier Shepherd Mustafa Pasha.
Sections in Çoban Mustafa Pasha Social Complex; They are listed as mosques, tombs, sundials, fountains, caravanserais, Mevlevi lodges, semahanes, guesthouses, madrasahs, soup kitchens and tabhanes. There is also a Turkish bath and an inn in the Çoban Mustafa Pasha Complex.
In the tomb within the complex, there is the tomb of Çoban Mustafa Pasha, the son-in-law of Yavuz Sultan Selim, the founder of the complex.
Gebze Sultan Orhan Mosque
The mosque, located in the west of Gebze, was built between 1323-1331. The mosque, one of the first examples of Ottoman architecture, was built by Sultan Orhan, the founder of Gebze.
Sultan Orhan Mosque is considered one of the most plain and simple examples of the early Ottoman period. The desire to create an original architecture influenced by the Seljuks is evident in the building. There is a mansion bath next to the mosque.
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