Türkiye Textiles & Handcrafts Tour
1-16 September 2025 – SOLD OUT
September 2026 – dates TBC
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST in future TüRkiye tours or ASK TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST
Join us for this small group, women’s tour exploring fabulous Türkiye through the lens of its textiles and handcrafts.
Türkiye has had 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, embroidery, ebru (marbling), lacework, silk, felt making, weaving, ceramics and much, much more!
JOIN US as we participate in hands-on handcraft workshops, visit handcraft ateliers and studios, 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 spectacular 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
Things to note:
- The itinerary is a full one to ensure value for money, however some free periods are built in. The opportunity exists to extend your trip by extra nights at our hotel in Istanbul before, and/or after the tour;
- Türkiye is often misjudged when it comes to the cost of goods and services and prices can vary considerably between regions. Budgets are a personal choice, but please bear in mind that you should NOT expect Türkiye to be a budget destination.
- Transport is by private air-conditioned coach, commuter ferry, gulet, taxi, tram and a domestic flight;
- Cultural, environmental and economically sustainable travel is important to us. To this end, we: engage local guides; partner with a wholesale tour operator whose values align with ours; patronise organisations and co-operatives that return all profits directly to their local community; support fair trade and non-government organisations providing vocational training, experience and rehabilitation to disadvantaged groups and communities, particularly those that empower women and girls to earn an income through the production of traditional handcrafts.
- Is this trip right for you? Please carefully and realistically consider your mobility and fitness levels to determine if this trip is right for you. Participants need to be able to navigate arrival and departure airports without personal assistance, carry their luggage for short distances, embark and disembark coaches, trains, and boats without assistance, manage flights of stairs without assistance, stand for periods of time in galleries and museums, undertake walking tours including walking on uneven ground and possibly in warm to hot weather.
- The hands-on handcraft activities included in this itinerary are not formal classes with trained teachers. They’re more about genuine person to person interactions, cultural exchange and learning directly from authentic, traditional artisans at their work place, village or home, in their own style;
- our maximum group size on this trip is 15 women;
- retreat|recreate’s tour groups comprise women from all over the globe and embrace all ages (over 18), ethnicities and personalities. Flexibility and a sense of humour are essential when travelling as part of a group.
The textile tour of Türkiye exceeded my expectations! retreat|recreate had an outstanding level of organisation and attention to detail, which was apparent from their first communication. The groups size worked well, giving us all the chance to get to know each other. The itinerary was the perfect balance between learning about the culture, visiting inspiring textile museums and ateliers and workshops. It was a wonderful tour which I would highly recommend. I will certainly be booking another tour with retreat/recreate in the future. Alison – Türkiye, September 2025
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 K 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, Sept 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, Sept 2024
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