The Best Workshops in Istanbul: Hands-On Experiences Worth Doing
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Having lived in Turkey for a number of years now, we’ve had the chance to sample and participate in some of the best classes and workshops Istanbul has to offer.
If you only book one workshop in Istanbul, make it this. This traditional cooking class in a local mum’s home lets you learn recipes you’ll actually use again, then sit down together at the end for a proper meal. It’s relaxed, hands-on, and feels more like being invited over for dinner than attending a class.
CHECK AVAILABILITY FOR THIS CLASSThough it might sound a bit rude (ooooh err missus!), it’s also completely true that some of the best activities in Istanbul involve ‘getting your hands dirty’.
Beyond the usual sightseeing and food stops, workshops give you the chance to actually engage with Turkish culture, whether that’s through traditional crafts, cooking, or something a bit more unexpected.
All whilst mixing with locals and learning directly from people who’ve been doing this for years.
Whether it’s learning how to make your own traditional Turkish mosaic lamps, having a go at a ‘scent-sational’ perfume making class, or even getting all modern and artsy with a graffiti art class, these immersive, hands-on experiences give an insight into Turkish customs and culture that goes far beyond the usual checklist tourism.
(Sorry about the ‘scent-sational’ pun, it just had to be done.)
Start Here: Istanbul Trip Essentials
Planning your trip? Start with this (including the best workshops!)
🥘 Best workshop to book:
- Traditional Cooking Class With a Local Mom (hands-on cooking & shared meal)
🎨 Other workshops worth considering:
- Turkish Mosaic Lamp Workshop (top-rated, fun & very creative)
- Ebru (Water Marbling) Workshop (relaxing hands-on Turkish art class)
- Traditional Turkish Coffee Making Experience (part history lesson, part coffee & fortune-telling)
🏠 Where to stay in Istanbul:
- NOA - Ali Hoca 6 (we've stayed here & love it)
- Hagia Sofia Mansions Istanbul (luxury pick)
- Le Banc (great budget option)
🛬 Need an airport transfer?
🌟 Don't Forget:
- Stay connected with an Airalo eSIM!
- Save money with a Wise International Debit Card.
Covering everything from Turkish Coffee fortune telling to traditional Ebru painting, our list of the best workshops in Istanbul is sure to have something you’d love to try.
Time to get mucky (ooh matron!)
🍳 Turkish Cooking Classes and Traditional Food Workshops
Sasha having a go at making baklava in a Turkish home
As you will no doubt be able to tell if you’ve taken even a cursory glance at the rest of this blog, food is important to us. Very important.
Elsewhere on the site you’ll find guides to the best baklava in Istanbul, the best cafes in the city, the best street food and lesser known under-the-radar vegan places, not to mention an exhaustive guide to the best food tours in Istanbul with break downs of what they include.
So yeah…food and particularly Turkish food, rocks.
Naturally then, some of the workshops we have included involve preparing and of course sampling, food.
As well as being delicious (and it is), we believe Turkish food is a great way to understand and explore Turkey’s culture. That’s why these Turkish cooking classes and Turkish food workshops are high on our list of experiences to try.
Some of the more homely examples listed here are particularly worth doing because they not only involve preparing and sampling traditional Turkish dishes, but they take place in the actual homes of the people running them.
No stainless steel kitchens or wipe clean canteens, these are experiences of homemade Turkish food made in actual bona fide homes.
A great way to explore the cuisine in the most hands-on way possible.
Turkish Cooking Workshop in a Local Home
This Turkish cooking workshop hosted by a local chef in her own home is suitable for up to eight people and is advertised with the tag line “come as guests, leave as friends” which when helping to prepare food in someone’s home, is almost impossible not to do.
As often seems to be the case in Turkish kitchens and particularly homes, the dishes and ingredients come with their own stories, histories and traditions.
You will love hearing the details and background even as you learn how to create the dishes for yourself.
The three-hour experience begins with Turkish coffee and involves the preparation of starters like sarma (stuffed vine leaves) and mezes that originate from specific regions of Turkey.
You will learn to prepare popular main dishes and find out more about Turkish food and culture through conversations with your guide and host.
Turkish Cooking Class With a Local Mom
A similar experience that again takes place in the host's home, is this workshop, advertised as a Turkish food workshop run by a ‘local Mom’. I mean, come on, could it sound any more cosy and inviting?
Well yes, as soon as you find out that the class involves making Turkish mantı, which is about as homely and satisfying a comfort food as it is possible to experience.
Mantı, a uniquely Turkish dish similar to ravioli, was traditionally prepared as a collaborative effort and you will certainly feel part of a team as you prepare, fold and fill the dough all whilst your host Rojda provides fascinating stories about the history and background of these dishes.
The delicate process of making Turkish mantı
After a warm welcome of delicious Turkish tea you will spend your three hour experience learning about, preparing and digging into, a selection of traditional Turkish dishes including stuffed vine leaves, side dishes, soup and of course the famous manti.
Once again, this experience is many steps beyond your generic ‘catering school’ style cooking class.
Being literally invited into someone’s home makes the entire thing far more personal and as mentioned above, it is hard not to quickly become friends. Especially if your host is Turkish (if you’ve never experienced Turkish hospitality before, you’re in for a treat).
Vegan/Vegetarian Turkish Cooking Class
If you happen to be vegan or vegetarian then fear not, Rodja also provides a specifically vegan and veggie option.
Like all the best vegan alternatives this vegan and vegetarian Turkish cooking class retains all the flavours of the original.
Delivered by a mother and daughter combo it gives you the exact same homely welcome in an apartment close to Taksim, as well as that same blend of sweet stories and savory delights - it just comes sans meat.
Baklava Making Workshop in a Turkish Home
And if you are more in the mood for a sweet treat, there's even a baklava making class where you will get to make (and stuff your face with) what is undoubtedly the king of Turkish desserts.
Try your hand at rolling out the paper-thin layers of dough, make your own delicious sweet walnut filling and at the end pour warm sugar syrup over your just-baked creation before settling down to enjoy it with a cup of Turkish tea. An afternoon well spent, I'd say.
By the way, if you want to know how the baklava you prepare stacks up against the best in Istanbul, or you want to skip the making and go straight to the sampling, our guide to the best baklava in Istanbul will tell you exactly where to find the very best pistachio-pastry based pleasures in the city.
Homemade baklava is the best!
Turkish Cooking Workshop in a Professional Kitchen
If the more homely classes sound just a little too cute and intimate for you and you’d prefer something more modern with a cooler, sharper, edge then this Turkish cooking workshop in a professional kitchen might be more your style.
Hosted in a professional kitchen by a professional local chef, (did I mention the word professional?) this cooking class allows you to choose menu items, explore Turkish and Ottoman cuisine and learn about the specific regional differences in technique, preparation and flavours of common dishes.
The four-hour workshop is very flexible and can be adjusted for vegans/vegetarians and other dietary requirements if preferred. The hosts always recommend coming to the class hungry because obviously part of the joy of preparing such delicious food is getting to eat it afterwards!
Having tried both the more home-based workshops and the professional classes, our recommendation would be…try both.
Participating in both styles of class gives you an excellent overview and appreciation for the full spectrum of Turkish cuisine and its possibilities.
🌟 Turkish Mosaic Lamp Making Workshop
Anyone who has walked the streets of Istanbul or braved the magnificent melee of chaos and colour that is the Grand Bazaar, will at some point have been dazzled by the stores and stalls selling beautiful Turkish mosaic lamps.
Incidentally, an underrated yet hilarious side activity when visiting the bazaar is to stand opposite these stalls specifically to watch people as they try to surreptitiously get around the ‘no photos’ rule.
Smile as they try to take photos unnoticed by the owner, bending and twisting themselves into an array of secretive contortions with all the sly, undetectable cunning of a blind bull in a tiny china shop.
Or in this case a tourist in a lamp shop, I suppose.
We can’t blame people for wanting to take pictures of these lamps - I mean, look at them!
The reason they go to such lengths to snap a picture is simple. Turkish lamps are undeniably beautiful objects.
For those who have never had the pleasure of seeing one, these iconic creations look like fractured rainbows, gorgeously shaped and pendulously hanging with a warm evocative glow that speaks of Ottoman grandeur and opulence.
Of course you could barter your way to buying one at the bazaar, but then, why buy a Turkish mosaic lamp when you can have a go at making one?
In this Turkish mosaic lamp workshop you will learn about the history of these fascinating and beautiful objects and their place within Turkish culture, before having a go at creating one of your own.
Guided by an expert local artisan you will use mosaic stones and beads to decorate a delicate glass sphere, putting together a stunning and colourful piece that will always remind you of your time in Istanbul.
Whilst your piece dries, you will share tea/coffee and snacks (bonus points to this tour for their delicious homemade cookies!) whilst learning about some of Istanbul’s hidden gems, before completing your creation - which of course you can take away with you in a protective bag.
The thoughtful organisers even throw in free adaptors to make sure you can use your lamp at home.
The Turkish lamps workshop lasts around three hours and is a fantastic way to explore your creative side whilst fashioning your own piece of Turkish artwork to take home with you.
Workshops take place in small groups and are a great way to meet and mix with locals and other travellers alike.
☕ Turkish Coffee Workshops: Preparation, Prediction and Painting
It goes without saying that one of the essential things to do when visiting Istanbul is to sample Turkish coffee (it goes without saying but we’ll say it anyway because we’re rebels like that. That’s right, stickin’ it to the man…take that conformity!)
If you’ve ever had a friend come back from Turkey and then try to serve you something that resembles caffeinated mud on their return, you’ll know that one thing most visitors to Turkey don’t ever get to learn is exactly how to make Turkish coffee. Or at least how to make it properly.
They also rarely get to explore just how integral kahve (that’s the Turkish word for coffee) can be to Turkish culture. Trust us, the quality and thickness of the layer of crema on top can be an indicator of all kinds of surprising things - see our post on the best cafes in Istanbul and specifically the entry on Mandabatmaz for more details.
Whilst proper preparation remains a mystery for many visitors, the even more mysterious side of kahve is its role as a divination tool used to tell fortunes and give details about future events.
Luckily, with a Turkish coffee workshop you can learn about all of these things in one delicious experience.
Traditional Turkish Coffee Workshop
In this traditional Turkish coffee workshop you will learn the ‘on hot sand’ method of Turkish kahve preparation, as well as the correct method for making a cup or two on a stove top so that you can prepare it for yourself at home and serve something delicious rather than something that smells like tar and tastes like...well...tar.
You will hear about the history of coffee in Turkey and its importance to Turkish culture. Not only will you get to have a go at grinding your own beans but you can also try your hand at a spot of ‘kahve tarot’ or Turkish Coffee fortune telling, with a special divination technique.
As part of the experience you will receive a copper cezve (Turkish coffee making pot), a bag of ground coffee and a booklet about making Turkish coffee for you to take away.
You will also enjoy Turkish delight and other snacks as you learn and discuss how to prepare the perfect cup of coffee with your host.
Traditional Turkish copper cezves
Turkish Coffee Tarot and Fortune Telling Workshop in a Local Home
If you’d prefer to learn about this aspect of Turkish culture in a more intimate setting, this experience offers you the chance to explore Turkish coffee in a local’s home.
With an emphasis on the slightly magical fortune telling aspect, this Turkish coffee fortune telling workshop in a local home will not only show you the method for preparing Turkish coffee and ‘reading the grounds’ but you will also receive a personal reading from the owners and their lovely cat (who to be fair does very little to contribute to the actual coffee preparation or reading, but is an expert in visitor relations).
Turkish Coffee Painting Workshop
A final interesting and creative twist on the Turkish coffee experience and maybe the most left-field kahve workshop Istanbul has to offer, (which is saying something when the previous entry was about coffee fortune telling), is this Turkish coffee painting workshop.
Here you will not only learn about the history and importance of coffee in Turkish hospitality, but also how it can be employed as an artistic medium.
Your host will demonstrate various brush techniques and explain how the different tones and grades in the coffee’s colour and texture can be used to create different shades and forms on the canvas or page.
You will produce your own unique piece of coffee-based art work to take home as you get to know more about Turkish painting techniques.
🎨 Ebru Marble Painting Workshop
Speaking of Turkish traditions and painting techniques, how about trying your hand at an approach to painting that is officially recognised by UNESCO as a preserved aspect of Intangible Cultural Heritage?
I have tried many times to get Sasha to recognise the mixing of milk and Vimto into a ‘Manc-shake’ as part of my ‘intangible cultural heritage’ as a Northerner, but she’s having none of it.
Anyway…
Ebru marbling is a technique that involves layering different coloured paints onto the surface of water and using the entrancing variations of eddies and swirls to create stunning patterns and colour combinations.
In this ebru painting workshop you’ll learn about the history of Turkish ebru art, be welcomed into a comfortable studio and presented with all the materials and traditional tools necessary to create your own piece of artwork.
The workshop lasts around two hours, during which time your friendly Turkish painting instructor will show you exactly what to do and help you understand the subtleties of the technique.
Refreshments are provided and as always you end up with a fantastic and personalised souvenir to take home with you.
🖌️ Street Art and Cocktails: Graffiti Workshop
If ebru marbling sounds a little too traditional and historical for you and you’d maybe like to try your hand at something a bit more cutting edge and modern, then why not have a go at a graffiti workshop?
Even a short stroll around the uber cool neighbourhoods of Cihangir, Moda or Karaköy (see our guide to the best areas to stay in Istanbul for details of these areas) will show you that when it comes to street art, Istanbul is a canvas in and of itself.
In fact, in our humble opinion, Istanbul street art ranks amongst some of the best in the world.
You can hardly pass a carpark, an apartment block or a stretch of naked wall without seeing a beautiful mural, painting or design thrown up by the scores of talented spray can wielding artists that the city is host to.
But exactly how do they do that?
What are the actual techniques involved in getting their designs from their head or the page and onto the city walls?
How do they layer colours for maximum effect or combine elements in their compositions to make them more striking? Well, why not find out?
At this street art and cocktails workshop you’ll learn the best spray can techniques whilst also enjoying cocktails with local artists and expert bartenders in what they call a “blend of art and mixology”.
After a few tasty sips, you’ll try your hand at creating your own tag, learn about the historical significance of graffiti and street art in Istanbul (see there’s even history in the more modern workshops) and once suitably lubricated, you’ll be let loose to express your creativity on your own stretch of blank wall.
Not all street art workshops include cocktails by the way, just this particularly cool one.
Alongside the lovely libations, this street art class provides all the materials you need, just make sure you're not too tipsy to keep a steady hand when trying out your designs. This really is a hip and vibrant way to get to know the locals and also get a better understanding of this unique art form.
🌹 Perfume Making Workshop
Istanbul is a city of sensation. Now we’ve covered sights, tastes and textures, our final recommendation for a workshop in Istanbul is one that appeals to yet another sense.
Spend any length of time in this city and you will inevitably have the experience of finding yourself standing next to someone and thinking “Damn, they smell amazing!”
In fact, if you’re out and about a lot like we are, it’ll happen on an almost daily basis. Perfume, cologne and scent are a big part of Turkish culture and those of the surrounding regions.
After all, it's not every city where you will find vending machines in the Metro stations that sell a few sprays of famous fragrances so you can top up on your way to or from work.
No, really.
Just as an aside you can also pick up soup and cheese toasties from vending machines in Istanbul but we’d recommend finding actual vendors for these items. Just saying.
If you quite fancy being the person others have a reaction to, would love to know more about the history and techniques behind these beautiful scents, or more to the point would like to have a go at producing a perfume yourself, then maybe a perfume making course is for you!
A perfume vending machine at a metro station in Istanbul
This perfume making workshop, at a venue overlooking the waters of the Bosphorus, is a fantastic oasis of calm in the midst of the bustling city.
Your guides will talk you through the history and importance of perfumes and colognes as you sample and choose from a range of over 100 different fragrances.
After gaining a better understanding of how different scents are mixed and composed, your expert guides will assist you in creating your own personalised fragrance, which you can then take home with you in an elegant bottle.
All equipment is provided, you leave with a fragrance that is completely unique to you and honestly, the entire meditative afternoon accompanied by a few glasses of Turkish tea is about as calm and zen an experience as you’ll find in this bustling metropolis.
Let’s face it, if you are going to do a perfume workshop, Istanbul is the place to do it, just make sure you book ahead as these classes do tend to fill up and sell out quickly, particularly during busy periods.
By the way, if whilst looking out over the Bosphorus you happen to notice the cruises travelling up and down and wonder how to go about booking one, all the information you could ever need about precisely that is precisely here in our post on the best Bosphorus cruises in Istanbul.
Conclusion
So there you have it, our recommendations for some of the best workshops, classes and top activities Istanbul has to offer.
It’s also worth noting that for those of you like Sasha who do not enjoy being out in the wet, these workshops also happen to cover some of the best indoor activities Istanbul has to offer too.
Hopefully, you’ll give them a try and leave Istanbul feeling that by getting a bit more hands-on you’ve fully immersed yourself in the culture, perhaps made a few friends and maybe created something that will help you take a little piece of this magical place home with you.
Have fun!
More Useful Resources For Your Turkey Trip
🚘 Turkey Car Rental
Explore the rest of Turkey easily by renting your own car.
Before you go, make sure to check out some of our other Istanbul and Turkey/Türkiye guides:
🗓️ The Best 1 Day in Istanbul Itinerary
🏠 Best Areas to Stay in Istanbul: Coolest Neighbourhoods & Top Hotels
🛌 Where to Stay in Cappadocia: Best Areas, Hotels & Top Tips
🛫 How to Get from Istanbul Airport to the City Centre
🗓 The Ultimate Turkey Itinerary 10 Days
🏖️ Where to Stay in Izmir: Best Izmir Districts, Top Hotels + Useful Tips
🕌 Things to Do in Mardin: Turkey’s City of Golden Stone
🇹🇷 The Best Places to Visit in Turkey
🌷 Visit the Istanbul Tulip Festival
🎪 18 Best Festivals in Istanbul
🚂 Sirkeci Station: Discover Istanbul's Orient Express Station
🍴 A Foodie’s Guide to the Best Mardin Restaurants
🍯 Where to Find the Best Baklava in Istanbul
🏔 Cappadocia in Winter: 7 Reasons to Visit + 16 Amazing Things to Do
🏞️ Zelve Open Air Museum Cappadocia: A Complete Guide
🎄 Christmas in Istanbul: All You Need to Know for a Magical Stay
⛄ 9 Awesome Reasons to Spend Winter in Istanbul
🍳 Best Breakfast in Istanbul - 16 Incredible Places to Try
✅ 12 Things You Need To Do in Istanbul
✈️ How to Get From SAW Airport to Istanbul City Center
🔎 Explore Balat Istanbul: An Insider's Guide to One of Istanbul's Most Unique Neighbourhoods
🍟 Best Vegan Fast Food in Istanbul
🥑 Where to Find the Best Vegan Turkish Breakfast in Istanbul
🖼️ 14 Top Things To Do in Gaziantep
🍔 Off the Eaten Track: The Best Street Food in Istanbul
🥦 Vegan Istanbul: The Best Under-the-Radar Restaurants
Find more travel tips and useful information on Turkey here.
Looking for more travel inspiration? Click here to discover more of our favourite places around the world.
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