Tekirdağ is a port and farming city on the northern shore of the Sea of Marmara, 135 kilometres west of Istanbul, with the sunflower fields and wheat plains of Thrace stretching behind it. Known in antiquity as Bisanthe and Rhaedestus, it carried the names Rodosçuk and Tekfurdağı in Ottoman times. The city's best known exports are its meatballs and its raki, while the vineyards along the Şarköy and Mürefte coast form one of the oldest wine regions in Turkey. The seafront promenade, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque in the centre of Süleymanpaşa and the house of the Hungarian prince Rakoczi, who lived here in exile in the 18th century, make a short tour; Kumbağ beach and the village of Uçmakdere are the city's two faces towards the sea and the mountain.
Looking for cheap flights or monthly payment flight packages to Tekirdağ?
Suso is a travel-planning platform that turns your Tekirdağ trip from Turkey into a buy now, pay later flight package: the ticket is issued by travel agencies, booking sites or airlines, and the payment plan runs on consumer credit from partner finance institutions. One click in the basket completes the purchase and the financing together; you pay over 3 to 24 months. No credit card limit needed.
See flights to Tekirdağ →When to visit Tekirdağ
May to October is the easiest period; from June to September days reach 27C to 31C and the beaches at Kumbağ and Şarköy are busiest in July and August. September is the grape harvest month, with harvest festivals in Şarköy and a sea still warm enough to swim in. November to March is wet and windy at 8C to 14C, and the southwesterly lodos wind can close the coast road. Early June, when the cherries ripen, and July, when the sunflowers open, are the most colourful times on the Thracian plain.
Things to do in Tekirdağ
Rakoczi Museum
Francis II Rakoczi, leader of the Hungarian war of independence, lived in this timber house from 1720 until his death in 1735 after taking refuge in the Ottoman Empire. Hungary bought the house in 1932 and made it a museum; its rooms hold the prince's belongings, period furniture and paintings by Hungarian artists of the city they called Rodosto. His remains were moved to Hungary in 1906. It stands in the centre near the seafront, is reached on foot and entry is free.
Rüstem Pasha Mosque
Built in 1553 by Mimar Sinan for Rüstem Pasha, grand vizier to Suleiman the Magnificent, the mosque is one of Sinan's early works, with a plain single dome and a five domed portico. The covered bazaar of the complex is still in use as a market, and the streets around the mosque form the oldest commercial fabric of the city. The ablution fountain in the courtyard and the cut stone minaret survive in original form. It stands a few streets above the coast road, within walking distance of the Rakoczi Museum.
Tekirdağ Archaeology and Ethnography Museum
The neoclassical building put up in 1927 as the governor's residence has been a museum since 1976. The ground floor shows Thracian and Roman finds from the digs at Perinthos, Heraion Teikhos and the burial mounds of Thrace, with marble sarcophagi and gold jewellery; the upper floor holds Thracian village rooms, textiles and farm tools. Roman column capitals and Ottoman gravestones stand among the stonework in the garden. It sits just above the seafront park and takes about an hour.
Uçmakdere village
The old Greek village 45 kilometres southwest of the city, built on the steep slope where Mount Ganos drops to the Marmara, keeps its stone houses and narrow lanes. Its name comes from the paragliding launch site: pilots take off from 700 metres and land on the beach at the shore, one of the few launch points in Turkey with a sea view. The village coffee house serves homemade tarhana soup and grape molasses, and paths lead up into the Ganos forest. Part of the road is narrow and winding, so go in daylight.
Hoşköy lighthouse and the Şarköy vineyards
Şarköy, 80 kilometres southwest of Tekirdağ, and its villages of Mürefte and Hoşköy form one of the oldest wine regions in Turkey, with vineyards facing the Marmara on the southern foot of Mount Ganos, where grape growing has continued unbroken since the Greek era. The Hora Lighthouse of 1861 on the hill above Hoşköy is one of the oldest lighthouses on the Marmara and looks out to sea over the vines. The wineries along the coast run tastings and vineyard tours, and a festival marks the September harvest. From Tekirdağ it is an hour and a half along the coast road.
Kumbağ beach
Kumbağ, 12 kilometres southwest of the centre, is Tekirdağ's own beach resort: two kilometres of sand right in front of a pine forest, a shallow sea without waves, fish restaurants along the shore and summer housing estates. The municipal beach has sunbeds and showers and fills at weekends with visitors from Istanbul. The road continues to Barbaros and Uçmakdere, and from the viewpoints above it Marmara Island across the sea is visible on a clear day.
Flights from Turkey to Tekirdağ
Flights to Tekirdağ leave Ankara Esenboğa on Pegasus and take about 1 hour 15 minutes; the route runs on certain days of the week and the days change with the season. Aircraft land at Tekirdağ Çorlu Airport (TEQ), 15 kilometres from the centre of Çorlu and about 40 kilometres from the city centre of Tekirdağ, which a taxi reaches in 40 minutes. There is no flight from Istanbul; buses from the Istanbul coach station reach Tekirdağ in two hours.
Tekirdağ FAQ
How many days do you need in Tekirdağ?
The seafront, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, the Rakoczi Museum and the archaeology museum fit into one day, along with the meatballs and a walk on the promenade. A second day for Uçmakdere and Kumbağ and a third for the Şarköy vineyards turn a weekend into a long break.
How far is the airport from the city centre?
Tekirdağ Çorlu Airport is about 40 kilometres from the city centre and 15 kilometres from the centre of Çorlu. A taxi to central Tekirdağ takes 40 minutes, and there are frequent minibuses from Çorlu to Tekirdağ. A hire car is the most practical option for Uçmakdere and Şarköy.
What do you eat in Tekirdağ?
Tekirdağ meatballs are the emblem of the city, served with bean salad and pickles by the seafront grill houses. Marmara fish, Şarköy wines and the syrupy Hayrabolu dessert make up the rest of the table. Cheeses from Çorlu and Malkara and the sunflower oil of Thrace are sold in the markets.
Buy now, pay later flights to Tekirdağ
Fly now, pay later. Plan your trip, pay over up to 24 months. One click at checkout sets up the plan, no credit card limit needed.
Search flights to Tekirdağ →