Stand on Anafartalar Cd and the Clock Tower rises in front of you, a cylindrical Italianate structure rebuilt to its 1827 design after the 1898 earthquake. A short walk along the same street brings you to a former mansion that served as the headquarters of the Kuva-yı Milliye, and beyond that the streets give way to the green of Atatürk Park.
Balıkesir suits travellers moving between Istanbul and the Aegean coast who want a day of Ottoman architecture, early republican history and a walk in a city park rather than a resort. It also works for those heading north towards Bandırma and the coast road, or northwest towards Çanakkale.
This guide covers the sights in the city centre, the museums and mosques worth your time, and a few places on the edges of town. It also sets out how to string them together if you only have one day.
Top things to do in Balıkesir
1. Clock Tower (Saat Kulesi)
The Clock Tower is the focal point of the city, standing on Anafartalar Cd. The original of 1827 was destroyed by the earthquake of 1898 and rebuilt to the same design. It is often described as a copy of Istanbul's Galata Tower, though it is cylindrical and Italianate rather than resembling that building.
Come here first to orient yourself, then walk the length of Anafartalar Cd. The Balıkesir National Forces Museum and the Ömer Ali Bey Yazma Eser Kütüphanesi are both by the tower, so you can combine all three in one stop.
2. Balıkesir National Forces Museum (Balıkesir Kuva-yi Milliye Müzesi)
This former mansion house was the headquarters of the Kuva-yı Milliye, the irregular force assembled in 1919 after Greek troop landings in Smyrna. They were the main resistance until 1920, when they were absorbed into the regular army fighting for Turkish independence. The building later became Balıkesir town hall, and the council vacated in 1986 before it was converted into a museum.
The displays cover documents, personal items and photos of the fighters, and photos of Kemal Atatürk visiting the city. Archaeological and ethnographic findings from the region are exhibited upstairs. It sits at Anafartalar Cd 58, right by the clock tower, and is open daily 08:30-17:30.
3. Zagnos Pasha Mosque (Zağnos Paşa Camii)
This was built around 1461 by Zağnos Pasha, grand vizier of Mehmed II, as a religious complex. The hammam survived the earthquake of 1897, while the mosque, tombs and shadirvans were rebuilt. The engravings on the minbar are especially fine, and Atatürk himself preached a sermon here in 1923.
The tombs of Karesi Bey and his five sons are on the south side of the mosque. Karesi Bey founded the Karasid dynasty, which ruled Southern Marmara from 1297 to 1360 until it was absorbed by the Ottoman Empire. It is on Turan Cd and entry is free.
4. Yıldırım Mosque
This mosque was built by Sultan Bayezid I in 1388 and is the oldest remaining work from the Ottoman period in Balıkesir city. A couple of years later he built the similar Yıldırım or Bayezid mosque in Bursa.
Entry is free. Pair it with the Zagnos Pasha Mosque for a compact look at the city's early Ottoman buildings in a single outing.
5. Atatürk Park
Atatürk Park is a bosky green space 200 m south of the railway station. It is the easiest place in the centre to slow down between sights.
Atatürk Stadium sits at the south end of the park, so if Balıkesirspor are playing at home you can walk straight from the green space to the match.
6. Atatürk House
Opened in 2021, this is a replica of the house where Atatürk was born in Thessaloniki, and it depicts events of the War of Independence. It is on Edremit Cd.
It is open Tue-Fri 09:00-17:00 and Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00. Note that it closes on Mondays, so plan it for another day of the week.
7. Umurbey Mosque
Umurbey Mosque is fairly simple. It was built in 1413 and repaired in 1635 and 1925.
It is 200 m west of the railway station, which makes it an easy stop if you are arriving or leaving by train, or combining it with a walk to Atatürk Park.
8. Devril Erbil Contemporary Art Museum (Devrim Erbil Çağdaş Sanatlar Müzesi Kent Arşivi)
This contemporary art museum and city archive is on Gazi Bv. It is listed as open Mon-Fri 08:30-17:30, though those stated hours are described as a token of good intentions.
Treat the opening times as a rough guide and have a backup plan in the area in case it is shut when you arrive.
9. Old houses of Aygoren and Karaoglan
The town centre is modern, but a few higgledy-piggledy streets with traditional houses survive in the Aygoren and Karaoglan neighbourhoods east of Atatürk Park.
Walk these after a visit to the park, when the light is softer, and keep to the streets rather than expecting a formal sight with an entrance.
10. Ömer Ali Bey Yazma Eser Kütüphanesi
This is a reference library of early Ottoman books and manuscripts. It is for serious scholars only, and access is by prior arrangement.
It sits by the clock tower, so you can note its location while seeing the tower and the National Forces Museum even if you are not visiting the collection itself.
11. Balya
Balya is a town 50 km northwest on the scenic mountain road to Çanakkale (D555/210). In the 19th century a French company got a concession to exploit its lead and zinc ore, and the town has never recovered since the economically extractable portion ran out and the company left in the 1930s. When the mines were active, Balya had the earliest public electricity supply anywhere in Turkey and saw the earliest use of cyanide processing in the world.
The main mining heritage is north of the town, around the road to Gönen. Follow the brown signpost at the turn-off 1 km north of the town to reach the atmospheric shell of a stone building overgrown by pine forest, with the ruins of the extraction and processing units just behind the corner and far more extensive. About 350 m north of the turn-off on the main road is a pair of derelict villas known locally as Fransız evleri. As of Jan 2023 the area is messy as it is once more being developed for mining, so watch your footing.
12. Thermal springs around town
Thermal springs emerge in the hills around Balıkesir, with spa hotels to use them. Ilica is north of the city, and Pamukçu is south, with Sındırgı also worth looking into.
These are best treated as a separate half-day or overnight rather than squeezed into a city-centre itinerary.
13. Balıkesirspor at Atatürk Stadium
Balıkesirspor were relegated in 2022 and now play soccer in TFF Second League, Turkey's third tier. Their home ground, Atatürk Stadium, is at the south end of Atatürk Park.
Check the fixture list before you travel if a match is the reason for your visit, and combine it with a walk through the park beforehand.
If you only have one day
Start your morning at the Clock Tower on Anafartalar Cd, then step into the Balıkesir National Forces Museum next door, which opens at 08:30. If you have arranged access in advance, the Ömer Ali Bey Yazma Eser Kütüphanesi is by the tower as well.
In the afternoon, walk to the Zagnos Pasha Mosque on Turan Cd and see the tombs of Karesi Bey and his sons on the south side, then continue to the Yıldırım Mosque for the city's oldest surviving Ottoman building. Finish the daylight hours with a slow loop through Atatürk Park, 200 m south of the railway station.
In the evening, walk the old streets of the Aygoren and Karaoglan neighbourhoods east of Atatürk Park while the light holds, then return to the centre for dinner. If Balıkesirspor are playing at home, Atatürk Stadium at the south end of the park is where you will end up instead.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time of year to visit Balıkesir?
Balıkesir has a fairly continental hot-summer Mediterranean climate, with cool wet winters that bring frequent frosts and occasional snowfall, and hot dry summers. Continentality increases as you move from west to east and north to south, so winters are colder and snowier inland.
How do I get around the main sights in the city centre?
Most of the central sights sit on or near Anafartalar Cd, including the Clock Tower, the Balıkesir National Forces Museum and the Ömer Ali Bey Yazma Eser Kütüphanesi. Atatürk Park is 200 m south of the railway station, and Umurbey Mosque is 200 m west of it.
Are the mosques free to enter?
Both the Zagnos Pasha Mosque and the Yıldırım Mosque are listed as free to enter.
What is there to see outside the city itself?
Balya is 50 km northwest on the scenic mountain road to Çanakkale, with mining heritage ruins and the derelict villas known as Fransız evleri. Thermal springs emerge in the hills around town, with Ilica to the north and Pamukçu to the south.
Work out which of these fit your dates, check the opening days for the Atatürk House and the Devril Erbil Contemporary Art Museum, and start building your route along Anafartalar Cd.