4 Days Edirne & Kocaeli Tour: Ottoman Mosques, Kasr-i Humayun and Gayret Ship Museum (Private Tour)

Highlights of the 4-Day Edirne and Kocaeli Tour

This short tour connects two Marmara provinces that are rarely visited together: Edirne, on Turkey's European frontier with Greece and Bulgaria, and Kocaeli, the industrial and maritime hub at the head of the Gulf of Izmit on the Asian side. The programme starts at Corlu-Tekirdag airport and finishes at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen airport, so it fits easily into a wider trip. It suits travellers who enjoy Ottoman architecture and imperial history, and who would like to see places beyond the usual circuit with a local guide explaining every stop.

Edirne served as the Ottoman capital for almost a century, and its monuments show how the empire's architecture developed. On the guided city day you visit the early Eski Mosque, the Uc Serefeli Mosque whose four minarets are each decorated differently, and the Selimiye Mosque, the work Sinan himself regarded as his finest. Along the way you see historic lodgings and medreses, shop in the Selimiye Arasta or the Ali Pasa covered bazaar and explore the Health Museum in the Beyazit Complex. Lunch is Edirne's famous fried liver, and your guide tells you about other local dishes, from almond paste to Rumeli begendi.

In Kocaeli the focus moves to the late Ottoman period. You visit Kasr-i Humayun, the hunting pavilion of Sultan Abdulaziz, and the clock tower erected to celebrate Sultan Abdulhamid II completing 25 years on the throne, one of many built across the empire after an imperial decree. The tour continues to the Gayret Ship Museum, a decommissioned warship open to visitors, the historic railway station and the Kocaeli Museum, and the Coban Mustafa Pasa Mosque. Breakfast every day, two local lunches, an English-speaking guide, entrance fees and all transfers are part of the package.