As the capital of one of few Turkish provinces which has a coastline on two seas, Balıkesir is around 50 km away from the seaside resort towns on both Southern Marmara and Northern Aegean coasts, such as Erdek, Ayvalık, and Akçay. Two of Turkey's largest cities, the former Ottoman capital of Bursa, and Izmir, "the pearl of the Aegean", lies a little further away to east and south, respectively.
