Türkiye · WORKSHOPS
Good workshops & classes fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Spend 2.5 hours decorating a glass globe with more than 45 colors of mosaic stones and beads. Instructors such as Nihal, Mehmet, Aicha, and Ayse guide you through the craft, with Turkish tea, coffee, cookies, drying time, and a protective bag with a US adapter included.
“Amazing experience! Would recommend to anyone visiting Istanbul we are so glad we did this!!”
At Istanbul Experiences Workshops, English and Turkish-speaking guides such as Tuana, Elif, Beren, and Irmak help you build a personal fragrance from more than 50 scent options. You will test notes, blend your formula, and leave with a 50ml bottle in a special package, with Bosphorus views and tea included.
“Really nice workshop, 5star. Tuana was very helpful and we had a great time”
Spend two hours with an English-speaking instructor such as Kübra, Mehmet, or Taner learning Turkish coffee history, grinding beans, brewing with a cezve, tasting several coffees with Turkish delight, and reading the grounds before taking home a coffee set.
“I’ve Had a great time! This amazing experience gave me a lot of info regarding coffee culture and I met amazing people there! Definitely recommend!”
Spend 2.5 hours making a Turkish mosaic lamp at Istanbul’s 1,500-year-old Balkapanı Inn. Guides such as Esra, Dila, Fatma, and Serhat explain the craft, help you choose colors, and provide tea, Turkish delight, packing, and a US adapter.
“The people who leads the workshop. Serhat and Esra were very kind. We totally recomed it.”
Meet at Owl Cave hotel reception for a 30-minute, English-language workshop led by hosts such as Ugur, Kubi, Ozan, or Aslı. You will brew Turkish coffee in a copper cezve over hot sand, hear about Ottoman customs, and enjoy coffee with Turkish sweets.
“We loved the workshop and learned a lot. It was great!”
At a Galata workshop, you’ll design a Turkish mosaic table lamp with help from instructors such as Ali, Dogan, David, and Zeynep. Choose from 55+ glass colors, enjoy unlimited tea and Turkish delight, and leave with your assembled lamp, bulb, and base, carefully wrapped for the trip home.
“Great experience had a lot of fun doing this activity. Would recommend anybody that’s interested in doing arts and crafts and loves trying new activities.”
Spend two hours with perfumer Ali, testing more than 50 fragrance ingredients and blending your own 50ml scent. Enjoy Turkish tea, coffee, and cookies while learning about Istanbul’s perfume and spice trade. You leave with a custom label, recipe card, certificate, and a handmade souvenir.
“Really good experience. Guide was very knowledgeable about perfume making and quantities and very friendly and welcoming. 64 varied scents to try to sniff as many as you can to select the combination desired. My partner and I both love our finished products, and endless tea and biscuits are an excellent touch. One thing I would have enjoyed would be a bit of information about perfume in Istanbul, but we were fully engaged for the full two hours without this.”
In a 500-year-old central Istanbul room, English-speaking instructors such as Petek and Fatma guide you through Turkish coffee history, brewing, dessert pairings, and coffee-ground fortune telling. You choose a blend, make your own coffee, and take home a handmade cup.
“Petek is very professional and friendly. I've learned so much about Turkish coffee culture and coffee making tips. Future telling part is really interesting. It is a very impressive workshop with value. Highly recommend if you visit Istanbul.”
Spend three hours learning Turkish glass painting with local artists such as Eda, choosing a design, adding color, and framing your own piece. The small-group workshop includes materials, tea, coffee, cookies, water, transport fees, a certificate, and a souvenir. It meets at Merhaba Pastanesi in Sirkeci.
“the artist was very helpful, giving suggestions on how to make it better. the craft centre was just fabulous ! i was with two other ladies on the course who were from Germany and they were very friendly.”
At Highlights in Istanbul Workshops in Hacımimi, a coffee guide such as Esin, Zeynep, Togrul, or Adema leads you through bean selection, hand grinding, sand brewing, and Turkish coffee customs. You finish with tea, Turkish delight, a fortune reading, and a small gift set.
“The workshop was informative and fun. Metin was a great teacher and I learned a lot. Let’s see if his predictions come true too!”
Spend about two and a half hours making a Turkish mosaic lamp in a small Old Town workshop. Esra, Dila, or Lina may help with color choices and technique. Choose glass tiles, create a pattern, and leave with a lamp, LED bulb, adapter, bag, and protective packaging.
“Five of us (2 men, 3 ladies) had a wonderful experience learning about and making our own mosaic lamps! We really appreciated the organization and quality of the supplies and instructors, the varied color and pattern options, and the private room overlooking the busy Bosphorus waterway. We gained a true admiration for what skill and patience goes into mosaic art! We were thrilled with the way each of our lamps turned out and look forward to having a useful souvenir that will remind us of our time in Turkey. We had the opportunity the next day to visit some other mosaic light workshops with other friends and noted that our…”
Travel from Göreme, Ürgüp, Uçhisar, Avanos, or Çavuşin to an Avanos pottery workshop. Alper or another host explains local history, then a master such as Baran guides you at the wheel. Make your own pieces, enjoy drinks, and browse finished ceramics.
“Alper was very nice and very knowledgeable. The pottery class was fun!”
At Kybele Boutique Ceramic in Avanos, an English-speaking instructor demonstrates traditional pottery before helping you shape your own clay piece. You can browse the gallery, enjoy free tea, coffee, and water, and leave with the pot you made. The class lasts about an hour, with groups capped at 10.
“This was actually a nice "shop" They gave us an introduction to pottery, showed us around their workshop and how they make the designs, kids got to try shaping some pottery from clay, but we could not take the kids handywork home because it is a long process to dry and cook the clay. Then you could buy something from their shop. The shop had items ranging from 10 TRY to 3 million TRY with everyday house hold items to designer pieces.”
Spend about two hours near Antalya Old Town making a Turkish mosaic lamp with local hosts Orhan and Esra. Choose from more than 30 glass colors, learn basic mosaic techniques, enjoy tea and Turkish delight, then take your finished lamp home in protective packaging.
“Fun workshop. Off-season so a smaller class and more personal experience. An opportunity to get creative and play with colored glass. Enjoyed this.”
Join a local Turkish home cook such as Nuran, Özge, Kevser, or Rojda for a three-hour class in Beşiktaş. Prepare dishes such as dolma, börek, meze, soup, or Turkish breakfast, then eat together in a private home.
“Two grandparents and a 13 year old grandson had a wonderful time learning to cook a Turkish breakfast in Nuran‘s home. She was so friendly and made sure our grandson was engaged in all the activities! He LOVED it….as did his grandparents! A great way to ‘see into’ traditional Turkish life after 2 day of visiting Grand Mosques and Palaces!”
Pick a strait, a valley or a stretch of coast.
