A sweet break in Edirne often starts with a bazaar tour: the Selimiye Arasta, the Bedesten and the Ali Paşa Bazaar are the historic bazaars where the city's confectionery and souvenir shops gather. Afterwards, resting with a cup of coffee in the mansion courtyard at İzmir Caddesi No 18 in Kaleiçi rounds off the shopping with a sweet break. The courtyard and its seating are described on our Edirne cafe and restaurant page.
Where to buy sweets and souvenirs in Edirne
Edirne's confectionery and souvenir shopping mostly takes place in three historic bazaars. The Selimiye Arasta was commissioned in the reign of Murad III from Davut Ağa, an apprentice of Mimar Sinan, to provide income for the Selimiye Mosque, and was completed in 1590; it is 256 metres long with 73 arches and 124 shops lined up on both sides. Mentioned by Evliya Çelebi as the Kavaflar Bazaar, the arasta today mostly houses confectionery and souvenir shops.
The Bedesten was built in 1417–1418, in the reign of Mehmed I (Çelebi Mehmed), to provide income for the Old Mosque. The Ali Paşa Bazaar is a work of Mimar Sinan completed in 1568–69 and is the bazaar closest to the guesthouse.
| Bazaar | Built | Distance from the guesthouse |
|---|---|---|
| Ali Paşa Bazaar | 1569, Mimar Sinan | ~350 m, 5 min |
| Bedesten | 1417–1418, reign of Mehmed I | ~630 m, 8–10 min |
| Selimiye Arasta | 1590, architect Davut Ağa | West of the Selimiye courtyard, 12–15 min |
A short plan for a bazaar and sweets tour in Edirne
After breakfast at the guesthouse in the morning, you can walk to the Ali Paşa Bazaar towards noon, then go on to the Bedesten and explore the Selimiye and the arasta just below it in the afternoon. This route is about 3 km and takes three to four hours with shopping breaks.
The bazaars usually open around 09:00 and close in the late afternoon; some shops may be closed on Sundays and religious holidays. Confirm current hours before you go. Getting back to the courtyard after shopping takes a few minutes; leaving heavy bags in the room and heading out again in the evening is one of the conveniences of staying in Kaleiçi.
- Morning: breakfast at the guesthouse
- Noon: the Ali Paşa Bazaar (5 min)
- Afternoon: the Bedesten (8–10 min), the Selimiye and the arasta (12–15 min)
- Late afternoon: a coffee break in the courtyard
The right setting for a sweet break
A good sweet break is not only about taste; where you sit and how rushed you are also shape it. After the bustle of the bazaar, a quiet courtyard, a shady table and a setting where conversation is easy quickly take away the tiredness of shopping.
At the guesthouse this break happens in different corners depending on the season. You can sit in the shade of the arbour in summer, on the lawn in spring and in antique armchairs in the stone-walled lounge in winter. You can see the current menu on our menu page.
Coffee and sweets: forty years' remembrance for one cup
Offering a small sweet with Turkish coffee is one of the best-known habits of Turkish hospitality. Turkish Coffee Culture and Tradition was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 5 December 2013. The Kültür Portalı sums up this tradition with the saying "a cup of coffee is remembered for forty years".
Sitting in the courtyard with a cup of Turkish coffee is the most natural end to a bazaar tour. The details of coffee culture are on our Edirne coffee shop page.
The best time and season for a sweet break in Edirne
After the bazaars open around 09:00, they are relatively quiet until noon; weekend afternoons are the busiest hours. Finishing your shopping in the morning and sitting in the courtyard between 15:00 and 17:00 is the easiest way to escape both the bazaar crowds and, in summer, the midday heat.
The shade of the arbour in summer, the lawned courtyard in spring and autumn and the stone-walled lounge in winter are the natural places for the break. In winter, when the lanterns are lit in the early dusk, the courtyard takes on a calmer mood.
The sweet corner of an Edirne breakfast
At the guesthouse the table closest to sweets is set in the morning. At the spread breakfast every morning from 09:00 to 13:00, homemade jams and honey form the sweet corner of the table, beside the cheeses and warm pastries. The variety of jams and fruit changes with the season and the day's produce.
The details of the table are on our Turkish breakfast in Edirne page, and the city's average breakfast prices on our Edirne breakfast prices page.
For all options and details, see our cafe & restaurant page or contact us directly.
Go to the Cafe & Restaurant pageYou may also like
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- Looking for a Restaurant in Edirne? A Mansion Table in Kaleiçi
- A Cafe in Edirne's Kaleiçi: A Mansion Courtyard in the Middle of Your Route
- Edirne Brunch and Brunch Parties: A Long Morning in a Mansion Courtyard
- Coffee in Edirne: Forty Years' Remembrance for a Cup in Kaleiçi
