Edirne walking tour & city guide

Mosques and bazaars

The Selimiye Mosque, completed in 1575, rises above the city with a vast dome and four slender minarets, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside, the space under the dome feels light and immense. Nearby, the Old Mosque and the Üç Şerefeli Mosque, with its four differently patterned minarets, show earlier stages of Ottoman architecture.

Between them lie the Ali Paşa and Arasta covered bazaars, where shops sell fruit-shaped scented soaps, a city tradition, along with textiles and sweets. The Rüstem Paşa caravanserai, another Sinan building, still works as a hotel.

Rivers, bridges and Karaağaç

South of the center, a road crosses the old Ottoman bridges over the Tunca and Meriç rivers, lined with tea gardens and fishermen. It leads to Karaağaç, where the old railway station, a grand building from the early 20th century, is now part of Trakya University, with a historic train standing beside it.

North of the city, the Sultan Bayezid II complex beside the Tunca holds a hospital museum showing how patients were once treated with music and water. Each summer, Edirne hosts the Kırkpınar oil wrestling festival, one of the oldest sporting events in the world.

A classic walk: Selimiye to Karaağaç

Start at the Selimiye Mosque, then walk through the Arasta and Ali Paşa bazaars to the Old Mosque and the Üç Şerefeli Mosque. Follow Saraçlar Caddesi, the pedestrian shopping street, south toward the rivers and cross the bridges to Karaağaç station. The walk is about five kilometers; return by bus or taxi, or stop in a riverside tea garden on the way back.