39 · City guide
Kırklareli
Istranca forests and Black Sea floodplain forest
The north of Kırklareli is covered by the forests of the Yıldız Mountains; Dupnisa Cave and the Ottoman foundry in Demirköy, and the longoz (floodplain) forests and lakes of İğneada are the heart of the province's nature route. On the Black Sea coast, Kıyıköy, with its Byzantine walls, rock-cut monastery and setting between two streams, is a favorite day trip from İstanbul. Vize, with the castle, theater and Little Hagia Sophia of ancient Bizye, is a town that has joined the Cittaslow network. In the provincial center, the Hızırbey Complex, the Kırklareli Museum and the Aşağı Pınar mound tell Thrace's thousands of years of settlement history. To the south, Lüleburgaz and Babaeski follow the historic staging road with the Mimar Sinan complexes and bridges on the Edirne–İstanbul route.
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Where shall we explore?
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Geographical indication product
Ahmetbey Köfte (Ahmetbey village)
Lüleburgaz, Kırklareli
A geographically indicated köfte unique to Ahmetbey village in Lüleburgaz, cooked over oak charcoal.
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Bridge
Akarca Bridge
Pehlivanköy, Kırklareli
A 109-meter Ottoman stone bridge with seven pointed arches over the Ergene River at Akarca in Pehlivanköy, dated to the 16th century.
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Alpullu Bridge
Babaeski, Kırklareli
The 124-meter Sinanlı Bridge over the Ergene, thought to have been commissioned from Mimar Sinan by Sokollu Mehmed Paşa.
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Mound (höyük)
Aşağı Pınar Mound
Merkez, Kırklareli
A Neolithic mound south of Kırklareli bearing traces of one of Europe's earliest farming villages.
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Aya Nikola Rock Monastery
Vize, Kırklareli
A rock-cut monastery in Kıyıköy dating to the time of Justinian, with a church and a holy spring.
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Babaeski (Fatih) Hammam
Babaeski, Kırklareli
The surviving men's section of a double hammam opposite the Fatih Mosque, thought to have been built in the 1560s in the time of Semiz Ali Paşa.
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Babaeski Bridge
Babaeski, Kırklareli
A stone bridge from the reign of Murad IV dated 1633–34 over the Babaeski stream, with an inscription pavilion at its center.
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Cedid Ali Paşa (Semiz Ali Paşa) Mosque
Babaeski, Kırklareli
The mosque commissioned from Mimar Sinan by Semiz Ali Paşa, a symbol of Babaeski with its broad dome.
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Archaeological site
Demirköy Foundry (Samakocuk)
Demirköy, Kırklareli
The excavated remains of a 15th-century foundry in the Istranca forests where the Ottomans produced cannonballs and iron.
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Doktor Celepoğlu Mansion
Merkez, Kırklareli
A Greek mansion dated 1908 with a neoclassical facade; a fine example of Kırklareli's late Ottoman architecture.
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Doktor Hacı Yanaki Mansion
Merkez, Kırklareli
A registered two-story mansion around Yayla Meydanı, commissioned in the late 19th century by the Greek physician Hacı Yanaki.
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Four-Sided Fountain (Babaeski)
Babaeski, Kırklareli
A domed, four-sided cut-stone square fountain in the Babaeski bazaar.
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Dupnisa Cave
Demirköy, Kırklareli
Near Sarpdere village, a two-level cave system with three entrances, the only one in Thrace open to visitors.
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Erikli Gölü (Lake Erikli)
Demirköy, Kırklareli
A quiet longoz lake north of İğneada, separated from the sea by dunes, where swans can be seen.
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Hızırbey Arasta and Hammam
Merkez, Kırklareli
The still-functioning arasta and double hammam of the Hızırbey Complex; the historic shopping street of central Kırklareli.
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Hızırbey Mosque and Complex
Merkez, Kırklareli
The mosque of the complex founded in the late 14th century by Köse Mihaloğlu Hızır Bey, in the heart of Kırklareli.
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İğneada (Limanköy) Lighthouse
Demirköy, Kırklareli
The westernmost lighthouse on the Black Sea; the Limanköy Lighthouse built in 1866 by the Frenchman Mişel Paşa.
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İğneada Longoz Forests National Park
Demirköy, Kırklareli
A national park on the Black Sea coast protecting one of Europe's rare floodplain forests, with flooded longoz woods, lakes and dunes.
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İğneada Coast
Demirköy, Kırklareli
The long, natural İğneada beach, lined with dunes, where the longoz forests meet the sea.
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Mound (höyük)
Kanlıgeçit Mound
Merkez, Kırklareli
A mound west of Aşağı Pınar with a walled Early Bronze Age settlement and megaron buildings.
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Karakaş Bey Mosque
Merkez, Kırklareli
A mosque in the city center, commissioned in the 17th century by Karakaş Hacı Mehmet Bey and later rebuilt.
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Kırklareli Museum
Merkez, Kırklareli
A city museum in the former municipal building dated 1894, with natural history, Thracian archaeology and ethnography sections.
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Kıyıköy (Midye) Castle
Vize, Kırklareli
The wall gates of ancient Salmydessos and Byzantine Midye, on the headland between the Pabuçdere and the Kazandere.
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Kıyıköy Beach
Vize, Kırklareli
Kıyıköy's forest-fringed sandy beach where the Kazandere flows into the sea.
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Kofçaz and the Villages of the Yıldız Mountains
Kofçaz, Kırklareli
The villages of Kofçaz, Kırklareli's highest and quietest district, on the forested foothills of the Yıldız Mountains.
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Lüleburgaz Sokollu Mehmed Paşa Hammam
Lüleburgaz, Kırklareli
The double hammam by Mimar Sinan of the Sokollu Mehmed Paşa Complex; the municipal council building after restoration.
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Lüleburgaz Sokollu Mehmed Paşa Bridge
Lüleburgaz, Kırklareli
A stone bridge over the Lüleburgaz stream, attributed to Mimar Sinan together with the Sokollu complex.
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Mahya Dağı (Mount Mahya)
Pınarhisar, Kırklareli
At 1,031 meters, the highest peak of the Istranca (Yıldız) Mountains; a forested summit looking toward Bulgaria.
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Mert Gölü (Lake Mert)
Demirköy, Kırklareli
A coastal lake south of İğneada, surrounded by longoz forest, where canoe tours start.
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Castle
Pınarhisar Castle
Pınarhisar, Kırklareli
A Byzantine castle at the top of Pınarhisar, with two round towers with brick bonding still standing.
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Polos Castle
Merkez, Kırklareli
A Middle and Late Byzantine castle on a 405-meter hill at the foot of the Istranca, near Yoğuntaş village.
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Lake
Saka Gölü Nature Conservation Area
Demirköy, Kırklareli
A nature conservation area at the southern end of the national park, surrounded by floodplain forests now rare in Europe.
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Sokollu Mehmed Paşa Complex
Lüleburgaz, Kırklareli
A staging complex with an arasta and prayer dome, commissioned from Mimar Sinan by Sokollu Mehmed Paşa.
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Sultans' Trail (Kırklareli section)
Merkez, Kırklareli
The section through Kırklareli's villages of the international Sultans' Trail, which follows the route of Süleyman the Magnificent's Vienna campaign.
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Vize Castle and Ancient Theater
Vize, Kırklareli
Concentric walls on the acropolis of Bizye, capital of the Thracian kings, and the Roman-period ancient theater on its slope.
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Vize Little Hagia Sophia (Gazi Süleyman Paşa Mosque)
Vize, Kırklareli
Vize's basilica, known as the Little Hagia Sophia, built as a church in the Byzantine period and converted into a mosque.
Practical information
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.- Climate
- Cool and humid on the Black Sea coast; continental inland, with cold, snowy winters
- Best season
- May–October; October–November for longoz and forest colors, July–August for the Black Sea coast
- Border zone
- On forest roads near the Bulgarian border, military zones and warning signs must be obeyed
- Nature note
- Use the marked trails in İğneada Longoz Forests National Park and protected areas; Dupnisa Cave is open seasonally
- Getting there
- About 3 hours from İstanbul via the motorway and D-020; the provincial center and districts are reached by intercity bus. A private vehicle is practical for İğneada, Kıyıköy and Dupnisa.