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Türkiye Textiles & Handcrafts Tour
1-16 September 2025
SOLD OUT
Click HERE to ask to be added to the waitlist and/or register your interest for our 2026 Türkiye tour
Join us for this small group, women’s tour exploring fabulous Türkiye through the lens of its textiles and handcrafts.
Türkiye has a rich and eventful history with various empires and cultural influences (due to it being a stopover along the Silk Road) each leaving their mark and shaping its culture, cuisine, architecture and aesthetics, not to mention its superb textiles and handcrafts – the jewel in the Turkish crown and the focus of our wonderful 16 day adventure!
Our journey will take us from vibrant, cosmopolitan cities to picturesque hill-side villages, from world famous monuments to ancient ruins, from the azure waters of the Mediterranean to the distinctive rock formations of Cappadocia, from colourful handcraft bazaars to the serenity of the mesmerizing dervish ritual. We’ll learn about the fabulous handcrafts for which Türkiye is known including carpets, kilims, tile painting, ebru (marbling), oya lacework, embroidery, silk, felt making, weaving, ceramics and much, much more!
Join us as we visit handcraft ateliers and studios, learn from artisans and master craftspeople and participate in hands-on handcraft activities. Engage with local artisans and craftspeople, be inspired by historical designs and motifs, marvel at superb craftsmanship, be in awe of ancient sites and architecture, gasp at stunning landscapes and experience wonderful traditional culture and generous Turkish hospitality.
This exciting textile adventure is not to be missed! We’d love you to join us!
Click here to register your EXPRESSION OF interest (EOI) for future EXCITING EXPLORATIONS OF TÜRKIYE’S TEXTILE AND HANDCRAFT TRADITIONS.
Just back from our 16 day Textiles tour to Turkey. What an amazing journey. For like minded people interested in crafts, sewing, art, textiles etc this is the tour you would enjoy. I went on this tour with 4 friends from Australia. We were so excited and it did not disappoint. Everything was planned to last minute. Susan was very experienced in leading a group of ladies from all different countries. I recommend this tour even if you are travelling alone. Frances – Türkiye, September 2025
The Türkiye retreat/recreate tour was Fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed the tour: the guides knowledgeable and helpful, the itinerary interesting, experiential and informative, the workshops informative and fun, the food exceptional. Turkiye is a fascinating country, historically rich and complex, the people diverse, generous and so friendly, tourists are very welcome. I can highly recommend the tour, safe, challenging and FUN! Kathleen – Türkiye, September 2025
This tour was so enjoyable I am keen to join another retreat|recreate tour. Workshops and demonstrations were wonderful and appropriately targeted. Susan handled the group very well, was very inclusive and easy to travel with. We had a lot of fun. Turkey is one of my favourite memories. Thank you! Lynette – Türkiye, September 2025
This tour to Türkiye was absolutely magical. Every day brought a delight of discoveries and adventures. Türkiye is a textile and handcrafts lovers dream and the workshops and visits that retreat|recreate arranged were once in a lifetime experiences. They managed to achieve just the right balance of tours, visits, sightseeing and workshops. I cannot enthuse enough about this tour! Lee-Anne – Türkiye 2024
Türkiye is amazing. The sights, the food, the people, the crafts – all will stimulate your senses and fill your heart. retreat | recreate put together a tour that lets you explore things you’d not be able to do on your own. They have long standing relationships with masters of their crafts that make the tour that much more special, and you’ll come home with true treasures and an appreciation for historic ways crafts have been done as well as amazing photos, memories and new friends. Terri – Türkiye 2024
I was fortunate to join the September tour to Turkiye. It was during this, my second trip traveling with retreat|recreate, that I can clearly say that the reason I love and will continue to travel with them is because of the unique insight they offer to a country, culture, and community through the lens of the practice and study of traditional crafts. The tours offer a refined balance of artisanal workshops and visits to studios, not-for-profits, museum crafts collections, and a few great restaurants. The groups bond well because of a common interest and passion for arts and crafts and the local guides are extremely passionate and knowledgeable. There is a good mix of curated and free time – and great suggestions to do when in specific destinations at this time. I would jump at any opportunity to travel with retreat|recreate again and heartily recommend you consider traveling with this unique group. Belinda – Türkiye 2024
The Turkey textiles and handcrafts tour was an amazing introduction to the country. We saw many of the famous tourist sights but also enjoyed workshops on tile painting, felt making, block printing and ebru silk marbling and met artisans who were generous in sharing their expertise and answering our questions about their crafts. The itinerary was full but there was a good mixture of workshops, museum visits and general sightseeing, as well as time for relaxation, shopping and delicious meals. We travelled in a small friendly group, stayed in a mixture of interesting hotels, and were guided by our host, Susan and our cheerful and knowledgeable local guide, Hande. One of the great joys of these tours is the people you meet, not only your fellow travellers but all the local people who hosted us, the women who taught us how to make oya lace and kitre dolls, the artisans in their workshops, the couple who took us out for a day sailing in the Mediterranean, and so many more – each of them helped to make this a wonderful experience. Carol – Turkiye 2024
The trip was meticulously researched, well organised and run smoothly by our retreat|recreate host and our knowledgeable Turkish guide. My fellow travellers were a fun and flexible group and a delight to travel with. It was a varied itinerary taking in many major cultural sites, including museums, mosques, archaeological sites and most importantly people’s workplaces and homes. Visiting weaving, silk and carpet workshops and co-operatives were craft highlights for me. The hands-on workshops were informative and fun, especially the felt making. Everywhere we went we were genuinely welcomed with warm smiles and, of course, glasses of tea. A truly memorable trip – highly recommended for anyone interested in the crafts, history and culture of Türkiye. Gail – Türkiye, Sept 2024
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