Balıkesir, Turkey
Balıkesir is a regional capital of 238,151 people in Balıkesir, Turkey.
Why visit Balıkesir
Townapedia lists 19 museums and landmarks, 42 parks and trails, 91 places to eat, 18 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Dedebayırı Tepesi, Balıkesir Ulusal Fotoğraf Müzesi, Balıkesir Kuvâ-yi Milliye Müzesi and Balıkesir Atatürk Stadyumu.
Weather in Balıkesir
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Balıkesir
Balıkesir (Turkish pronunciation: [baˈlɯcesiɾ]) is a city in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Balıkesir Province, which is also a metropolitan municipality. As of 2022, the population of Balıkesir Province is 1,257,590, of which 314,958 in the city proper (the urban part of the districts Altıeylül and Karesi). Between 1341 and 1922, it was the capital of Karasi.
From the Wikipedia article Balıkesir (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Balıkesir on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks19
Balıkesir Kuvâ-yi Milliye Müzesi
Museum · 0.7 km
Mo-Su 08:30-17:30
Hadrianotherae
Monument and historic site · 5.2 km
Ancient city of Mysia in modern-day Turkey
Museum of the Nationalist Forces in Balıkesir
Museum · 0.7 km
A museum established in memory of the Turkish War of Independence
7 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds42
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30 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes91
On On Kafe
Cafe · Coffee Shop, Sandwich, Pasta · 1.2 km
No:9 Çamlık Tepesi A Blok, balıkesir
Mo-Su 11:00-02:00
Palaz Et Restaurant
Restaurant · Meat, Barbecue, Kebab · 2.8 km
139 100. Yıl Teknik Lisesi Caddesi, Balıkesir
Hancı Kebap Izgara
Restaurant · Kebab, Turkish, Soup · 2.3 km
79 more on the map.
History
Close to modern Balıkesir was the Roman town of Hadrianutherae, founded, as its name commemorates, by the emperor Hadrian. Hadrian came to the region in 124 A.D., as a result of a successful bear hunting he had established a city called his name here. It is estimated that the city consisted of the castle, the homestead, the stud and a few homes. It is thought that the small town was where the current stadium is present.
Members of the Roman and Pre-Byzantine dynasty had used this castle as a vacation area and for hunting. During the Byzantine period, the small town which had become increasingly neglected was known as Palaiokastron (Greek: Παλαιόκαστρον) meaning Old Castle.
Also, when the Turkomans came from Middle Asia to Mysia, they called it Balukiser because of the remains of the castle, as Hisar is the Turkish word for castle. Balıkesir's former name was Karasi because Balıkesir city was founded by Karasi Bey in the 13th century as using the remains of the small town. 1297 is considered as the date of establishment of the city which was one of the few to be founded by the Turks in Anatolia. The Karasids was a Turkic principality in Mysia. Since the 13th century, Balıkesir city have been the administrative centre of the Mysia region.
From the History section of Balıkesir on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay18
Ramada Residences by Wyndham Balıkesir
Motel and hotel · 1.4 km
19/23 100. Yıl Teknik Lisesi Caddesi, Balıkesir
Churches and places of worship94
Shopping46
Gas and EV charging28
SHARZ Yaylada AVM
EV charging · 1.9 km
Paşa Alanı, Bandırma Cd. No:74, 10020 Karesi/Balıkesir, BALIKESİR MERKEZ
Schools, colleges and libraries74
15 Temmuz Şehitler Anadolu Lisesi
School · 1.5 km
İşletmecilik Caddesi / Zübeyde Hanım Sokak, Balıkesir
Albay Cafer Tayyar Nuran Oğuz Anadolu Lisesi
School · 2.9 km
5 Mimar Sinan Caddesi / 224. Sk., Balıkesir
Healthcare150
Map of Balıkesir
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Balıkesir Center Airport (BZI) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 5 km away.
- Akçakaya 8 km south, about 8 min by car
- Aslıhantepeciği 14 km southeast, about 14 min by car
- Macarlar 15 km south, about 15 min by car
- Hacıhüseyin 21 km west, about 21 min by car
- Çömlekçi 22 km southeast, about 22 min by car
- Kepsut 23 km east, about 23 min by car
- Akyar 23 km southeast, about 23 min by car
- Gökçeören 22 km northeast, about 22 min by car
- Elyapan 26 km southeast, about 26 min by car
- Balya 29 km northwest, about 29 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Zağanos Paşa Mosque outside, Balıkesir, Turkiye 2023, Karakalem, CC BY 4.0
- Umurbey Camii (kitabe), Balıkesir, 2023, vlyalcin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Umurbey Camii (arka cephe), Balıkesir, 2023, vlyalcin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Umurbey Camii, Balıkesir, 2023, vlyalcin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Umurbey Camii Çeşmesi, Balıkesir, 2023, vlyalcin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Balıkesir saat çan kulesi by ismail soytekinoğlu - panoramio, ismail soytekınoglu, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eski Vali Konağı, Balıkesir, 2023, vlyalcin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Yıldırım Cami, Balıkesir 2, Basak, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Balıkesir historical railway station, Turkey, 2023, vlyalcin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Yıldırım Cami, Balıkesir, Basak, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Balıkesir Cami Girişi, Ollios, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Muharrem Hasbi Un Fabrikası, Balıkesir, 2023, vlyalcin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sümerbank balıkesir, Basak, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Zağanos Paşa Mausoleum (Türbe), Balıkesir, Turkiye 2023, Karakalem, CC BY 4.0
- Zağanos Paşa Mosque Ottoman Cemetery, Balıkesir, Turkiye 2023, Karakalem, CC BY 4.0
- Zağanos Paşa Mosque outside1, Balıkesir, Turkiye 2023, Karakalem, CC BY 4.0
- Kuvâ-yi Milliye Müzesi, Balıkesir, 2023, Karakalem, CC BY 4.0
- Balıkesir Ulusal Müzesi ve M. Emin Tan Fotoğraf Kitaplığı-Ömer Gemici, Gemici49, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hacı Ali Camii, Balıkesir, 2023, Karakalem, CC BY 4.0
- Kuvâ-yi Milliye Müzesi giriş kapısı, Balıkesir, 2023, Karakalem, CC BY 4.0
- Balıkesir Atatürk Anıtı-Ömer Gemici, Gemici49, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mutasarrıf Ömer Ali Bey Şadırvanı, Balıkesir, 2023, Karakalem, CC BY 4.0
- Mutasarrıf Ömer Ali Bey Şadırvanı1, Balıkesir, 2023, Karakalem, CC BY 4.0
- Hüseyin Ağa Çeşmesi, Balıkesir, Türkiye, vlyalcin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Balıkesir saat kulesi, Basak, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Balıkesir Museum, Ollios, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Balıkesir Atatürk Stadı, Ollios, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Karesi Bey türbesi, Lord Leatherface at Turkish Wikipedia, Public domain
- Balikesir june 2008 1555, Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Alaca mescid, Ollios, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Balıkesir Eski Hamidiye Cami 1536, Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Balıkesir Atatürk Stadyumu, Supermæn, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Yesilli cami 2, Basak, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Yesilli cami 3, Basak, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Yesilli cami, Basak, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Milli Kuvvetler Cad. Balikesir - panoramio, halilarslan, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Zağanos paşa türbesi, Basak, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Zağanos paşa camisi 2, Basak, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kalaycılık, Turpcan, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Zağanos paşa camisi 1, Basak, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Street-level photo, ktahyam-Mapping, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ktahyam-Mapping, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ktahyam-Mapping, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ademturkmen, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, dursunsuluk, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ktahyam-Mapping, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ademturkmen, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ktahyam-Mapping, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ktahyam-Mapping, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ademturkmen, CC BY-SA 4.0
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