41 · City guide
Kocaeli
Gulf, forest and industrial heritage
Kocaeli is a province that spans both shores of the Gulf of İzmit and reaches the Black Sea coast in the north. Today's İzmit is built on Nicomedia, capital of the Kingdom of Bithynia and eastern capital of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. The Clock Tower, the Hunting Lodge, Pertev Paşa Mosque and the SEKA Paper Museum show the city's layers from the Ottoman era to Republican industry. In Gebze, visit the Çoban Mustafa Paşa Complex, Eskihisar Castle, Osman Hamdi Bey's house and the Hannibal monument; in Körfez, the factory where the famous Hereke carpets were born. Kartepe's ski slopes, Kuzuyayla and Maşukiye offer mountain air, while Kandıra's Kerpe, Kefken and Cebeci shores offer Black Sea coolness.
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Where shall we explore?
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Tomb (türbe)
Akçakoca Bey Mausoleum
Kandıra, Kocaeli
The mausoleum of Akçakoca Bey, one of Osman Gazi's commanders, who is held to have given his name to Kocaeli.
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Armaş (Charkhapan Surp Asdvadzadzin) Monastery Ruins
İzmit, Kocaeli
The ruins of a monastery near Akmeşe, founded in the 17th century and once an important Armenian religious and educational center.
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Hunting Lodge (Kasr-ı Hümâyun) Palace Museum
İzmit, Kocaeli
A wooden hunting lodge built for Sultan Abdülaziz in the 19th century, where Atatürk also stayed.
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Bağırganlı Beach
Kandıra, Kocaeli
A quiet, broad sandy beach on Kandıra's western coast where green hills run down to the sea.
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Ballıkayalar Nature Park
Gebze, Kocaeli
A canyon near Gebze, a favorite of rock climbers, with limestone walls and travertine pools.
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Cebeci Beach
Kandıra, Kocaeli
One of Kandıra's longest beaches near Kefken, with a broad fine-sand shore and pine forests.
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Çoban Mustafa Paşa Complex
Gebze, Kocaeli
A complex with colored marble decoration founded in Gebze in the 16th century by Çoban Mustafa Paşa, one of the viziers of Süleyman's reign.
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Castle
Darıca Castle
Darıca, Kocaeli
The remains of a castle in Darıca, known in the Byzantine period as Tararion and Daritzion, which passed to the Ottomans after the 1329 Battle of Pelekanon.
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Bridge
Dilovası Mimar Sinan Bridge (Dilderesi Bridge)
Dilovası, Kocaeli
A three-arched stone bridge over the Dilderesi at Diliskelesi, on the Istanbul–Baghdad road, dated to the 16th century and attributed to Mimar Sinan.
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Eskihisar Castle
Gebze, Kocaeli
A Byzantine-period castle on a hill commanding Eskihisar bay, controlling the entrance to the Gulf of İzmit.
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Hannibal Monument
Gebze, Kocaeli
A monument to the Carthaginian commander Hannibal in the area near ancient Libyssa where he is believed to have died.
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Hereke Kaiser Wilhelm Pavilion and Carpet Factory
Körfez, Kocaeli
The palace factory where the world-famous silk Hereke carpets were born, and the pavilion prepared for the visit of German Emperor Wilhelm II.
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Hereke Castle
Körfez, Kocaeli
The remains of a small Byzantine-period castle and its walls on a hill in Hereke overlooking the gulf.
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İzmit Clock Tower
İzmit, Kocaeli
An elegant clock tower designed by the architect Vedat, built in 1901 for the 25th anniversary of Abdülhamid II's accession.
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Mosque
Karabali Mehmet Bey Mosque
Karamürsel, Kocaeli
The mosque of Kara Bali Bey's complex in Karamürsel, opened for worship in 1532 and reopened in 2019 after restoration by the General Directorate of Foundations.
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Kartepe Ski Resort
Kartepe, Kocaeli
One of the ski resorts closest to Istanbul, on Kartepe, one of the highest points of the Samanlı Mountains.
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Kefken Island
Kandıra, Kocaeli
The only island on Kocaeli's Black Sea coast, off Kandıra, with a lighthouse and historic wall remains.
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Kerpe Bay and Rocks
Kandıra, Kocaeli
A Black Sea bay with rocky headlands and small beaches, site of the ancient harbor of Kalpe described by Xenophon.
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Kocaeli Archaeology and Ethnography Museum
İzmit, Kocaeli
A city museum displaying sculptures and reliefs from ancient Nicomedia alongside local ethnographic artifacts.
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Kocaeli Science Center
İzmit, Kocaeli
A science center that makes science fun for children with interactive exhibits and a planetarium.
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Kuzuyayla Nature Park
Kartepe, Kocaeli
A picnic and walking area at the foot of Kartepe, with a pond and meadows in beech forest.
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Maşukiye
Kartepe, Kocaeli
A green village at the foot of Kartepe, famous for the plane trees lining its stream, small cascades and trout meals.
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Nicomedia Ancient City
İzmit, Kocaeli
Ancient İzmit, capital of the Kingdom of Bithynia and later the eastern capital of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
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Orhan Mosque (İzmit)
İzmit, Kocaeli
The city's oldest Ottoman mosque, built in the time of Orhan Gazi after İzmit passed to the Ottomans.
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Ormanya
Kartepe, Kocaeli
A large eco-park in natural forest in Kartepe, with wildlife areas and walking and cycling paths.
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Osman Hamdi Bey Museum
Gebze, Kocaeli
The summer house in Eskihisar of the painter and archaeologist Osman Hamdi Bey; a museum telling the story of his paintings and life.
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Pertev Paşa (Yeni Cuma) Mosque
İzmit, Kocaeli
İzmit's most important Ottoman mosque, completed by Mimar Sinan in 1579 for the vizier Pertev Mehmed Paşa.
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Saatçi Ali Efendi Mansion
İzmit, Kocaeli
A 19th-century mansion preserved with traditional timber architecture in İzmit's old neighborhoods.
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SEKA Paper Museum
İzmit, Kocaeli
A museum in the historic buildings of SEKA, Türkiye's first paper factory, telling the story of papermaking and industrial memory.
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SEKA Park
İzmit, Kocaeli
A large seaside park on the site of the former SEKA factory, stretching along the shore of the Gulf of İzmit.
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Serindere Waterfall
Başiskele, Kocaeli
A stream and waterfall flowing through a canyon in a wooded valley of the Samanlı Mountains, south of Başiskele.
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Tahtalı Pond
Derince, Kocaeli
A pond in the woodland north of Derince, a haunt of amateur anglers and campers, being laid out as a nature park.
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TCG Yarhisar Ship Museum
Gölcük, Kocaeli
A retired Turkish Naval Forces patrol boat on the Gölcük waterfront, converted into a museum ship.
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Mosque
Uzundere Wooden Mosque
Karamürsel, Kocaeli
A village mosque in Uzundere, Karamürsel, rebuilt in 1905, whose minbar, gallery and ceilings preserve wooden decoration in natural dyes.
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Uzunkum Nature Park
Kandıra, Kocaeli
A nature park east of Kefken with a long sandy beach, preserving the integrity of dunes and forest.
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Lighthouse
Yelkenkaya Lighthouse
Darıca, Kocaeli
A historic lighthouse in Darıca, 20 meters high from the ground, built in 1896 by Mişel Paşa, of French origin.
Practical information
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.- Climate
- Mild Marmara climate on the gulf, rainy Black Sea climate in the north
- Best season
- May–October; December–March for skiing; July–August for the Black Sea beaches
- Museum pass
- Müzekart (Museum Pass) is valid at Ministry-run museums; National Palaces tickets apply at the palace museums
- Getting there
- The İstanbul–Ankara high-speed train stops in İzmit and Gebze; Cengiz Topel Airport (Kartepe); Eskihisar–Topçular ferry