Turkiye · WORKSHOPS
A shortlist rather than a catalogue: 15 workshops & classes worth the money, each with what it costs, what travellers made of it, and the detail to check before you commit.
Make a Turkish mosaic lamp in Istanbul with artisan guidance, tea, coffee, cookies, and a take-home souvenir for $29.
“Such an amazing workshop! A very memorable experience. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. Nihal was an excellent teacher. A must do experience in Istanbul. It also gave us the opportunity to visit the Asian side as well”
Make a 50ml signature perfume in Istanbul with expert guidance, 100 scents, tea, and Bosphorus views during this relaxed two-hour workshop.
“It was such a fun experience! Beren and Irmak did a great job at explaining and at keeping the process fun! 10/10 recommend to try if you visit Istanbul.”
Learn Turkish coffee history, grind beans, brew with a cezve, try fortune telling, and take home a coffee set in Istanbul.
“Kübra did an amazing job here! she has such a profound knowledge on turkish history and you can tell she loves to educate her audience about it! she was very patient and gave us clear instuctions on how to brew our coffees the traditional way. At the end, each participant received a hand-painted tea set and a cezve 🤍”
Make a Turkish mosaic lamp in Istanbul with expert guidance, tea, Turkish delight, and Bosphorus views at a historic workshop.
“Esra was very patient, kind and easy to understand.”
Learn to brew Turkish coffee on hot sand in Cappadocia with a local guide, sweets, Ottoman-style dress, and a small group for $12.
“it was a nice experience on how to do turkish coffee. The best”
Make a Turkish mosaic lamp in Galata with 55+ glass colors, tea, Turkish delight, patient instruction, and a take-home souvenir.
“It was a great experience. They are very friendly and patient. We also loved the results of our lamp!!!”
Make a personalized 50ml perfume in Istanbul with expert guidance, Turkish tea, coffee, cookies, and more than 50 scents to choose from.
“Highly recommend this amazing class! What a fantastic way to make a beautiful souvenir and learn about perfume making. Our guide was clearly an expert and I appreciated his guidance as we learned to craft our own perfumes. I wish we would have learned a bit more about the history of perfume in Turkiye although our teacher very patiently answered all questions and was very knowledgable. Rather than crafting my own from scratch, I asked for some recommendations on how to make a scent reminiscent of a Turkish spice shop. Our teacher was kind enough to give some great guidelines to help shape my perfume's scent. Tbh, I'm obsessed with…”
Learn Turkish coffee in a 500-year-old Istanbul room, brew your own cup, read the grounds, and take home handmade pottery for $20.
“It was really amazing learning about Turkish culture and coffee. Petek was fabulous, bubbly, welcoming and her fortune telling was very accurate for both me and my mum. It was a great activity and I would recommend it to anyone.”
Paint Turkish stained glass in a friendly three-hour Istanbul workshop, enjoy tea and cookies, and take home a framed handmade souvenir.
“Our instructor was amazing!! It was one of my favourite parts/tours of Istanbul!”
Brew Turkish coffee on hot sand, learn its cultural ritual, enjoy fortune telling, and take home beans, a cezve, and cup set in Istanbul.
“Fantastic experience, Islam (the guy that taught us) was very professional and informative when teaching us how to make Turkish coffee and told us a lot of information on how coffee was discovered and the traditions behind Turkish coffee, planning to go back to Istanbul in 2 years and will definitely do this workshop again”
Make a Turkish mosaic lamp in Istanbul’s Old Town with coffee, snacks, expert help, and protective packing for a memorable $30 souvenir.
“This was a great experience. Ezra did a great job explaining how to decorate our mosaic lamps. There were many colored to chose from . Ezra also gave good ideas on which colors looked good together . You can't beat this price and you get to take home a lamp that actually works.”
Shape Avanos clay with a local master, learn its Hittite-era craft, and take home your own unfired pottery after a relaxed 1.5-hour workshop.
“It was a great experience ! They took the time with us to explain the history behind it and we had an amazing time doing the pottery ! A must do !!!”
Make a Turkish mosaic candle holder in Istanbul with patient instructors, unlimited pomegranate tea, Turkish delight, and a Bosporus view.
“Very fun and creative activity. Glad we found it. Our guide Esra was very helpful and attentive. Good activity with a good price. Highly recommend.”
Shape Cappadocian clay with an English-speaking instructor, take home your pottery, and learn a family craft in a one-hour Avanos workshop.
“Our instructor Yusuf was very pleasant and patient with my group. It is a perfect activity for 1st timers or experienced ones. One person at a time but everyone gets on the wheel. Classes are personal per group.”
Shop Bodrum’s farmers market, cook five Turkish dishes with Aslihan, and enjoy lunch, wine, and Aegean views in a local home kitchen.
“Do this. This was a huge highlight of the trip! Loved getting to know a slice of local Bodrum life and get to know some wonderful people! Cooking was so much fun and that was the best meal we had the entire trip! Hosts were communicative and accommodating - setup Whatsapp before you get to Türkiye as it’s easiest to communicate there. I love the cookbook that was offered - we have at the recipes we prepared and more to make at home!”
Pick a coast, a ruin, or a room full of steam.
