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Travel tips for Edirne, a Turkish city located next to the borders of Greece and Bulgaria. This small city boasts a rich history. It’s home to some of the most magnificent mosques in Turkey.
Introduction to Edirne
The city was once known as Hadrianopolis (Αδριανούπολη), as it was founded and developed by Roman Emperor Hadrian. After spending over a thousand years in the Roman and Byzantine empires, it fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1363 and served as their second capital until 1453. Throughout history, the city has been one of the most hotly contested spots on earth.
Why Visit Edirne
Edirne makes a wonderful day trip from Istanbul and an even better overnight trip. The city has a lot to offer as far as Ottoman architecture, specifically mosques. Each mosque has its own unique features and story. There are also a handful of interesting and low-priced museums to visit.
Tips on Getting to Edirne
Edirne is about a three hour journey from Istanbul by bus. There are several companies offering several journeys daily. If you go to Istanbul’s Esenler Bus Terminal, it’s possible to be on a bus within 15 minutes. The Edirne Bus Terminal (Edirne Otogarı) is on the outskirts of the city.
Once at the bus terminal, there may be a free transfer service to the historic city center provided by your bus company. If not, you can take a taxi or a city bus to get into town.
Tips on Getting Around Edirne
It’s easy to get around Edirne on foot. Most of the tourist sites are located in a very small and compact area of the city center. Even the sites outside the historic city center, such as Edirne Palace and the Bayezid II Complex, are reachable on foot in about 15 to 20 minutes. To get to the suburb of Karaağaç, however, you’ll need to rent a bike or take a bus or taxi.
If you take one of the city buses, the routes are clearly marked at almost every bus stop. You can pay the fare in cash to the driver. If you don’t have the exact amount, the driver will give you your change at the first opportunity.
Where to Stay in Edirne
Most people visit Edirne on a day trip from Istanbul, but there’s enough to do and plenty of good accommodation to make it an overnight trip. There are a good mix of modern hotels as well as a few restored Ottoman homes.
Saray Hotel
On my first overnight trip, I stayed at the Saray Hotel. It’s centrally located near the pedestrianized Saraçlar Street and just a few minutes walk from many of the important mosques and other historic landmarks in Edirne, as well as several restaurants. The room was a little disappointing for the price and the staff wasn’t the friendliest, but the breakfast room on the top floor had excellent views.
Edrin Hotel
On my second overnight trip to Edirne, most of the hotels I wanted to try were fully booked. I ended up having to settle for the Edrin Hotel. It’s a little further away from the historic city center than I had hoped, although it was still only about a seven minute walk. The hotel was also a bit disappointing.
We stayed in a standard room, which included a small kitchenette, separate living room, and bathroom. The room was comfortable but the walls were quite thin. We could hear our neighbors late at night and early in the morning.
Also, we weren’t satisfied with the service or housekeeping. First of all, they only put one towel in the room for a two person booking. We called the front desk to ask for another, but ended up having to go down an hour later to get the towel. Secondly, after returning from a full day in town, we noticed the room wasn’t cleaned very well.
Breakfast was included in the room rate. It was a mediocre buffet with cold food, but service was friendly. The breakfast room is in the restaurant located on the ground floor, Kahve Kültürü.
Taşodalar Hotel
Northeast of the Selimiye Mosque are some Ottoman homes that have been converted to a boutique hotel, the Taşodalar Hotel. Although we didn’t stay there because it was fully booked, it looks like a great option.
Tips on Shopping in Edirne
For shopping, Edirne is known for fruit scented soaps and badem ezmesi (marzipan). You can find both of them in the bazaars. The fruit soaps come in various shapes and sizes and at various prices.
Where to Eat in Edirne
We were satisfied with most of the meals we had in Edirne, but the variety isn’t too exciting. Almost every restaurant in the historic city center serves the same dishes.
Tava Ciğer (Fried Liver)
First of all, you can’t leave Edirne without trying tava ciğer. The city is famous for these small bits of fried liver, usually served with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and onions. They’re delicious and can be found in several restaurants in town. They go great with a glass of ayran. We tried tava ciğer at two different places.
Köfteci Osman
Köfteci Osman, which is just across the street from the Bedesten, was recommended as one of the best places to eat tava ciğer in Edirne. Marisol and I shared an order of tava ciğer and an order of köfte. We also had a salad and each had a bowl of lentil soup (mercimek çorbası). The food was delicious and the service was extremely friendly and efficient. I went back on another trip a few years later and the experience was just as good.
Aydın Tava Ciğer
The next day for lunch we went to Aydın Tava Ciğer, which is just around the corner from Köfteci Osman. The restaurant was jam packed with locals both inside and out. We had to wait a few minutes for a table but it was well worth it.
Aydın Tava Ciğer only offers a few dishes, but they do them very well. We shared a salad and each had an order of tava ciğer. We thought the tava ciğer was better than at Köfteci Osman and the portion was much bigger as well. Service was excellent and we had fun joking around with the waiters.
Kırkpınar Kasap & Restaurant
Having our fill of liver for the trip, we decided to try something different for dinner. Across the street from Aydın Tava Ciğer, we found Kırkpınar Kasap & Restaurant. It was almost completely empty but decided to give it a shot anyway.
Of course they have tava ciğer on the menu, but we gave it a pass. I had the kaşarlı köfte (cheese meatball) and Marisol had the kuzu şiş (lamb skewers). We were both very happy with our meals although service was a bit slow.
Patio
Another night, we visited Patio Café & Restaurant. It’s located in the Kaleiçi neighborhood and has a nice setting in the courtyard of a historic building. The negative is that it’s technically outdoors so smoking is allowed.
I had the kuzu şiş and Marisol tried the fettuccine with mushrooms and bacon. My meal was fine, but Marisol’s wasn’t up to her expectations. The setting is nice and service is friendly, but it isn’t worth going for the food.
Kahve Kültürü
On our final night, we didn’t feel like straying too far from our hotel. We went down to the ground floor to Kahve Kültürü. The convenience was nice, but the food wasn’t good.
The menu had a lot of variety, but the burgers caught my eye. Marisol wanted to satisfy her pasta craving from the previous night’s disappointment, so she ordered spaghetti bolognese. The burger was decent although it was basically Turkish köfte on a bun with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion. Marisol unfortunately struck out with the pasta again, and thought it was worse than at Patio.
Aliço’nun Çay Evi
After visiting the Selimiye Mosque, we stopped outside Aliço’nun Çay Evi for Turkish coffee and a glass of tea. It’s a friendly place located a few steps from the Edirne City Museum. There are a few tables outside.
Tunca Café
Directly across the street from the Old Mosque is Tunca Café. It’s a pleasant tea garden set under a few tall trees. There’s a play area for kids, service is friendly, and they have decent Turkish coffee, tea, and lemonade. They also serve ice cream for those hot summer days.
