--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Edirne, Turkey (2026 Guide) | Wimup" description: "The 10 best things to do in Edirne, ranked. Sinan's Selimiye Mosque, the Health Museum in a 15th-century hospital, the Kırkpınar oil-wrestling arena, the Ottoman bridges and the fried liver the city is known for." url: https://wimup.com/city/edirne type: City guide updated: 2026-10-30 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Edirne Edirne, Turkey · Europe · By Wimup Editorial, 11 min read Edirne was Hadrian's Hadrianopolis and the Ottoman capital for most of a century before Constantinople fell in 1453. It sits in Thrace, minutes from the Greek and Bulgarian borders, and its skyline still belongs to Sinan's Selimiye Mosque, the building he counted as his masterwork. ## Quick answer Give the first morning to the Selimiye Mosque and its museums, then walk the Old Mosque, the Üç Şerefeli and the Ali Paşa Bazaar. Lunch is tava ciğer, the city's fried liver. Cross the Tunca to the Sultan Bayezid II Health Museum in the afternoon and finish at the Meriç Bridge at sunset. A second day covers Sarayiçi, Karaağaç and the Macedonian Tower. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** May · Jun · Sep · Oct - **Ideal length:** 1–2 days - **Budget per day:** $45–90 - **Language:** Turkish - **Getting around:** On foot in the centre; city buses and dolmuş minibuses beyond it - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://goturkiye.com/edirne?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Edirne ### 1. Selimiye Mosque Mosque · Meydan Mahallesi, Mimar Sinan Caddesi, Edirne Sinan finished it around 1575 for Selim II and called it his masterwork: one dome about 31 metres across on eight piers, four minarets around 71 metres tall. A four-year restoration ended with its reopening in 2026. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Dress modestly and avoid the Friday midday prayer; the Arasta bazaar runs below the mosque's terrace Links: [Website](https://www.vgm.gov.tr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Sultan Bayezid II Complex Health Museum Museum · Yeniimaret Mahallesi, Edirne Bayezid II's complex of 1484 to 1488 includes a hospital where patients were treated with music, water and scent. Trakya University runs it as a museum of Ottoman medicine, and it won the Council of Europe's museum award. - **Time:** 1.5 hrs - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Afternoon - **Tip:** It sits across the Tunca north of the centre; walk it in about 20 minutes or take a short taxi Links: [Website](https://saglikmuzesi-en.trakya.edu.tr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 3. Üç Şerefeli Mosque Mosque · Hükümet Caddesi, Edirne Murad II built it between 1438 and 1447, and its wide central dome is the step between early Ottoman mosques and Sinan. One minaret carries three balconies, which gives the mosque its name. - **Time:** 30 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Sinan's Sokollu Mehmed Pasha bath stands across the street ### 4. Old Mosque (Eski Cami) Mosque · Hükümet Caddesi, Edirne Begun in 1403 and finished in 1414 under Mehmed I, the city's oldest great mosque sits under nine domes, with giant calligraphy across its walls. The Bedesten next door was built to fund it. - **Time:** 30 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Pair it with the Bedesten and the Üç Şerefeli, all within five minutes' walk ### 5. Sarayiçi and the Kırkpınar arena Landmark · Sarayiçi, Edirne The meadow on the Tunca held the Ottoman palace, of which the Justice Pavilion of 1561 still stands. Beside it is the arena of Kırkpınar, the oil-wrestling tournament held each summer for more than 660 years. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Reach it over the Kanuni and Saraçhane bridges; book a bed months ahead for Kırkpınar week Links: [Website](https://www.edirne.bel.tr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 6. Ali Paşa Bazaar Bazaar · Ali Paşa Çarşısı, Edirne Sinan built this vaulted arcade for the grand vizier Semiz Ali Paşa in 1569, about 300 metres of shops under one barrel vault. It is where Edirne buys fruit-shaped mis soap, almond paste and household goods. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Midday - **Tip:** Enter from Saraçlar Caddesi and come out near the Üç Şerefeli ### 7. Meriç Bridge Bridge · Karaağaç Yolu, Edirne Completed in 1847 under Abdülmecid I, the 263-metre stone bridge crosses the Meriç on twelve arches, with a viewing kiosk at its centre. The riverside cafés below it are the city's evening gathering place. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Sunset - **Tip:** Walk on to Karaağaç and the Lausanne Monument, ten minutes beyond ### 8. Great Synagogue of Edirne Synagogue · Maarif Caddesi, Edirne Built in the early 1900s and modelled on Vienna's Leopoldstadt Temple, it served the city's Jewish community until 1983, then lost its roof. A state restoration brought it back, and it reopened in March 2015. - **Time:** 30 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Weekday - **Tip:** Visiting hours change; check locally before you go ### 9. Macedonian Tower Museum Museum · Kaleiçi, Edirne The last standing tower of Hadrian's city walls, later topped with an Ottoman clock, reopened in July 2026 as a museum. Finds from the tower and the Kaleiçi digs fill it, with an archaeological park around the base. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** It is a short walk from the Old Mosque; Kaleiçi's grid of old houses starts behind it Links: [Website](https://www.turkishmuseums.com/museum/detail/22382-edirne-macedonia-tower-museum/22382/4?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 10. Tava ciğer in the old centre Food · Tahmis and Balıkpazarı, Edirne Edirne's dish is calf's liver sliced paper-thin, floured and fried crisp, served with dried red chilli and onion. The specialist houses around Tahmis and Balıkpazarı serve little else and fill up at lunch. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Inexpensive - **Best at:** Lunch - **Tip:** Order a porsiyon with ayran and arrive before the lunch rush ## Best Ottoman monuments in Edirne Sinan's lesser works and the mosque above the palace, beyond the Top 10. 1. **Muradiye Mosque** (Mosque · 1430s · Muradiye): Murad II's hilltop mosque of the 1430s, lined with early Ottoman tiles. 2. **Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Hamam** (Hamam · 1569 · Centre): Sinan's double bath of 1568 to 1569, the only one of his baths left in Edirne. 3. **Rüstem Paşa Caravanserai** (Caravanserai · 1560s · Centre): Sinan's inn for the grand vizier Rüstem Paşa, now a hotel round a courtyard. ## Best bridges in Edirne The Ottoman stone bridges that carry the city over its two rivers. 1. **Tunca Bridge** (Bridge · 1615 · Karaağaç road): Ekmekçizade Ahmet Paşa's bridge of 1608 to 1615, on the road to Karaağaç. 2. **Kanuni Bridge** (Bridge · 1554 · Sarayiçi): Sinan's bridge of 1553 to 1554, built to link the palace to the city. 3. **Saraçhane Bridge** (Bridge · 15th c. · Sarayiçi): Also called the Şehabeddin Paşa Bridge; the second way onto Sarayiçi. 4. **Gazi Mihal Bridge** (Bridge · 15th c. · Gazimihal): Sixteen spans and 184 metres, named for the Ottoman commander Gazi Mihal Bey. ## Best bazaars in Edirne Where Edirne still shops, under Ottoman vaults. 1. **Bedesten** (Market · 1418 · Centre): The city's oldest covered market, built around 1418 to fund the Old Mosque. 2. **Selimiye Arasta** (Market · 16th c. · Selimiye): The vaulted row of shops under the mosque's terrace, built to pay for its upkeep. 3. **Saraçlar Caddesi** (Street · Centre): The pedestrian high street, lined with sweet shops and soap sellers. ## Best museums in Edirne The city's museums, from Thracian stones to the Treaty of Lausanne. 1. **Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum** (Museum · since 1924 · Selimiye): In Selimiye's hadith school of 1571, a museum since 1924. 2. **Edirne Archaeology and Ethnography Museum** (Museum · Selimiye): Thracian funerary steles carved with horsemen, and an ethnography collection. 3. **Selimiye Foundation Museum** (Museum · Selimiye): Carpets, lamps and objects from the mosque, in a madrasa off its courtyard. 4. **Treaty of Lausanne Monument and Museum** (Museum · 1998 · Karaağaç): The 1998 memorial beside Karaağaç's old station, which the treaty returned. ## Best restaurants in Edirne Tava ciğer specialists, most open from breakfast to late afternoon. 1. **Kazım & İlhan Usta** (Tava ciğer · Balıkpazarı): A Balıkpazarı fixture frying liver to the same recipe for four decades. 2. **Niyazi Usta** (Tava ciğer · Centre): Often named the best plate in town; the lunchtime queue is part of it. 3. **Aydın Tava Ciğer** (Tava ciğer · Tahmis): A short menu, generous portions, in the Tahmis market. 4. **Köfteci Osman** (Liver · köfte · Centre): Liver and köfte near the Bedesten, an old local favourite. 5. **Çiçek Tava Ciğer Salonu** (Tava ciğer · Centre): Listed among the city's best for the classic crisp plate. ## Best neighbourhoods in Edirne The quarters that make up the old city and its river banks. 1. **Kaleiçi** (Old town · Kaleiçi): The grid inside the old Roman walls, with timber houses and the Great Synagogue. 2. **Selimiye and the centre** (Centre · Centre): The mosques, bazaars and Saraçlar Caddesi, all within a short walk. 3. **Sarayiçi** (Riverside · Sarayiçi): The riverside meadow of the lost palace and the Kırkpınar arena. 4. **Karaağaç** (Suburb · Karaağaç): Across both rivers: the old station, the treaty monument and riverside tea gardens. ## Best day trips in Edirne Thrace and the borderlands within a day's reach. 1. **Uzunköprü** (Day trip · 60 km · Uzunköprü): An Ottoman stone bridge of 1426 to 1443, more than 1.3 km long; about an hour south. 2. **Enez** (Day trip · Enez): An Aegean town with a hilltop castle, a lagoon and beaches in the province's far south. 3. **Dupnisa Cave** (Day trip · 120 km · Kırklareli): Thrace's only show cave, known for its bats, in the Strandzha forest near Demirköy. 4. **Plovdiv** (Cross-border · Bulgaria): Bulgaria's Roman and Revival city, across the Kapıkule border crossing. [Guide](https://wimup.com/city/plovdiv.md) ## Festivals & annual events in Edirne (2026) - **Kakava and Hıdırellez** (5–6 May): The Romani spring festival: a bonfire at Sarayiçi, music through the night and wishes on the Tunca. - **Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling** (Late June–early July): Three days of oiled wrestling at Sarayiçi; the 665th tournament ran on 3 to 5 July 2026. - **International Band and Liver Festival** (Varies): Brass bands parade and the city fries liver for the crowds; recent editions ran in May and October. - **Ramadan at Selimiye** (Lunar calendar): Evening prayers fill the mosque and the squares below hold iftar crowds. - **Health Museum late nights** (Summer): In summer 2026 the museum opened until 22:30 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. - **Edirne Gastronomy Festival** (Late September): Food stalls, concerts and folk dance in the Söğütlük park by the river. - **Republic Day** (29 October): The national holiday, with flags on every street and a ceremony in the centre. - **Edirne Liberation Day** (25 November): A parade down Atatürk Bulvarı marks the city's return to Turkish rule in 1922. ## Must-try dishes in Edirne, Turkey - **Tava ciğer**: Calf's liver, sliced thin and fried crisp, with dried red chilli. - **Ciğer sarma**: Liver and rice wrapped in caul fat and baked. - **Edirne köftesi**: Spiced meatballs with roasted vegetables, often in bread. - **Badem ezmesi**: Almond paste, the city's best-known sweet and a protected product. - **Deva-i misk**: An Ottoman helva made with dozens of spices and egg white. - **Kavala kurabiyesi**: Crescent almond biscuits under a coat of icing sugar. - **Edirne beyaz peyniri**: The region's protected white cheese, salty and firm. - **Hardaliye**: Thrace's grape drink, fermented with mustard seed and vine leaves. ## Edirne transport & airports - **Bus from Istanbul** (Bus): The usual way in. Coaches run from Istanbul's main otogar in about three hours; Istanbul Airport (IST), the nearest major airport, is four to five hours by bus. - **Regional train** (Rail): TCDD runs a slow daily train from Halkalı in Istanbul, about five and a half hours. Pleasant, but the bus is faster. [Website](https://www.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Border crossings** (EU): Kapıkule, about 18 km west, is the main road and rail crossing into Bulgaria; Pazarkule, about 13 km out, crosses into Greece at Kastanies. - **City buses and dolmuş** (City): The centre is walkable. Municipal buses, paid by card, and dolmuş minibuses cover the otogar, the Health Museum and Karaağaç. [Website](https://www.edirne.bel.tr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Edirne at a glance - **Country:** Türkiye (Turkey) - **Region:** Thrace, Marmara Region; capital of Edirne Province - **Population:** About 191,000 in the central district (2022, TÜİK) - **Founded:** As Hadrianopolis by Emperor Hadrian, 2nd century AD - **Nickname:** The second Ottoman capital, about 1369 to 1453 - **Language:** Turkish - **Currency:** Turkish lira (₺, TRY) - **Time zone:** UTC+3, no daylight saving - **Calling code:** +90 284 - **Airports:** None; Istanbul Airport (IST) is the nearest major airport - **Power:** 230V, 50Hz, plug types C and F - **Emergency:** 112 ## Interesting facts - The Selimiye's dome, about 31 metres across, is slightly wider than Hagia Sophia's. - Kırkpınar oil wrestling has been on UNESCO's intangible heritage list since 2010. - Karaağaç, across the Meriç, returned to Turkey under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. - Mehmed II, who took Constantinople, was born in Edirne and left from here in 1453. - Edirne's fruit-shaped mis soap is a registered geographical indication, since 2019. ## Edirne travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in Edirne? One full day covers the Selimiye, the Old Mosque, the Üç Şerefeli, the bazaars and a liver lunch. Stay a second day for the Health Museum, Sarayiçi, Karaağaç and the Macedonian Tower without rushing. ### How do you get from Istanbul to Edirne? By coach from Istanbul's main otogar, in about three hours, with frequent departures. A daily TCDD train from Halkalı takes about five and a half. Most coach firms run a free shuttle from Edirne's otogar to the centre. ### When is the Kırkpınar oil-wrestling festival? Each summer at the Sarayiçi arena, usually in late June or early July over three days; the 665th tournament ran on 3 to 5 July 2026. The city fills up that week, so book a bed well ahead. ### Is the Selimiye Mosque open to visitors? Yes. It reopened for worship on 18 February 2026 after a four-year restoration. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times; dress modestly, cover the hair if you are a woman and take off your shoes at the door. ### Can you visit Bulgaria or Greece from Edirne? Yes. The Kapıkule crossing into Bulgaria is about 18 km west and Pazarkule, for Greece, about 13 km out. Both need the usual passport and visa checks for the EU's Schengen area. ## Nearby guides - [Burgas](https://wimup.com/city/burgas.md): Bulgaria · 10 picks - [Plovdiv](https://wimup.com/city/plovdiv.md): Bulgaria · 10 picks - [Veliko Tarnovo](https://wimup.com/city/veliko-tarnovo.md): Bulgaria · 10 picks - [All of Europe →](https://wimup.com/europe): 156 cities Part of the [Turkey guide](https://wimup.com/country/turkey.md) · [Europe](https://wimup.com/europe.md) ## Sources - [Edirne tourism board](https://goturkiye.com/edirne?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Selimiye Mosque (official site)](https://www.vgm.gov.tr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Sultan Bayezid II Complex Health Museum (official site)](https://saglikmuzesi-en.trakya.edu.tr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Sarayiçi and the Kırkpınar arena (official site)](https://www.edirne.bel.tr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Macedonian Tower Museum (official site)](https://www.turkishmuseums.com/museum/detail/22382-edirne-macedonia-tower-museum/22382/4?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Regional train (official site)](https://www.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.