11 editor picks across Turkey.
11 day trips worth the trip across Turkey, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Turkey guides.
Nizip sits 45 minutes east of Gaziantep, 10km from the ancient city of Zeugma on the Euphrates, among the groves that press the best oil in the region.
TipSee the mosaics at the museum in Gaziantep first, then drive out. Nizip presses the oil most Gaziantep kitchens buy.
Bursa, the southern Marmara city across the sea from Istanbul, is the birthplace of iskender kebap, thinly sliced lamb over pita with tomato butter.
Edirne, the old Ottoman capital near the Bulgarian-Greek border, fries paper-thin liver with peppers and onions; the city is famous enough that day-trips.
Halfeti is the village half-drowned by the Birecik dam, reached from Gaziantep in about two hours, with boat trips, riverside cafes and pomegranate orchards.
TipGo for a late lunch. The boats run through the afternoon and the light is better then.
Büyükada, the largest of the Princes' Islands, runs car-free with horse-cart food deliveries; its quay restaurants do the day's catch from the surrounding.
Şanlıurfa lies just over two hours from Gaziantep and eats hotter and heavier with isot, which makes it the obvious comparison trip for a Gaziantep visitor.
TipMost operators sell this as an overnight rather than a day trip. Treat it as two days.
Rumkale stands on a Euphrates peninsula an hour from Gaziantep in Yavuzeli, reached by boat from Kasaba village, with simple village kitchens along the road.
TipBoats are weather dependent. Ring the Yavuzeli jetty before driving out for the day.
Polonezköy, a Polish émigré village founded in the 1840s on the Asian-side forest fringe, runs a weekend brunch culture famous across Istanbul for its garden.
Şile, the small Black Sea harbour town an hour and a half from Istanbul, runs a working fish fleet whose quayside lokantas serve the catch within hours.
İslahiye grows the table peppers and the grapes that become pekmez, bastık and sucuk in Gaziantep kitchens, and harvest is when the drive west pays off.
TipAutumn is the trip. Outside harvest season there is little food reason to make the drive.
Oğuzeli is the pomegranate district of Gaziantep, half an hour from the centre, and its nar ekşisi and dried vegetables end up in kitchens across the city.
TipBuy nar ekşisi direct from a producer. The bottled supermarket version is usually sweetened.
Private tour · 5 hours
Discover Gaziantep’s history, art, and cuisine on a guided tour. Visit the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, taste local street food, and explore the city’s vibrant streets.
3 hours
Join a local family in Gaziantep for a traditional Antep cooking class. Learn how to prepare classic dishes, enjoy a warm welcome, and savor the flavors of Gaziantep.
Guided tour · 2 hours
Explore Gaziantep’s culinary delights and cultural heritage on a guided walking tour. Sample iconic dishes, visit traditional markets, and learn about the city’s rich history.