14 Top Things To Do in Gaziantep, Turkey - The Ultimate Guide
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We had one simple goal when we visited Gaziantep in Turkey: to eat everything.
This is, after all, Turkey’s gastronomic capital, world-famous for its indulgently sweet and treacly pistachio-stuffed baklava and endless varieties of kebabs.
Our mouths watered as we read about all the different things we could try. 30 different yogurt dishes? 20 kinds of pastries you say? 40 ways to cook with aubergines? Little wonder then that Gaziantep became a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2015.
We booked our plane tickets without a second thought.
It would be a mistake, however, to visit Gaziantep and only spend your trip binge-eating and falling into a sort of food coma.
The vibrant city of Gaziantep is home to around 2 million people and is Turkey’s sixth most populous city. Gaziantep lies close to the Sacırsuyu River, a tributary of the mighty Euphrates, and was first settled in the Neolithic period over 10,000 years ago.
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🏠 Best Gaziantep Hotels
Our Top Pick: Ali Bey Konagi (⭐ 9.0)
Best Luxury: Divan Gaziantep (⭐ 8.1)
Best Mid-Range: Hampton By Hilton Gaziantep (⭐ 8.5)
Best Budget: Hotel Kaleli (⭐ 8.2)
Click here for more Gaziantep hotels!
🙋 Best Gaziantep Tours
The Gaziantep City Highlights and Gastronomy Walking Tour
All-inclusive Private Guided Tour of Gaziantep City by Viato
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Located at the crossroads of various ancient trade routes connecting Asia and Europe, Gaziantep was ruled by numerous empires including the Hellenistic Greeks, Romans and the Ottomans.
This rich history means that travellers like us who visit Gaziantep for its food scene will be delighted to discover that the city offers so much more - from unique historical attractions and authentic cultural experiences to uber-friendly folk.
There are so many cool things to do in Gaziantep - we’d encourage you to explore the many fascinating and unusual museums, wander the cute old streets, admire the unique historical buildings and enjoy the raucous atmosphere of the local markets and bazaars where you’ll often be the only non-Turkish tourists.
We spent a week exploring Gaziantep and (of course) eating like kings. So without further ado, here is our guide to Gaziantep, an off-beat destination in southeastern Turkey.
📍 Map of Gaziantep
Click here for an interactive Google map showing all the different places to visit in Gaziantep that we recommend in this guide.
📜 A Little Bit of Context: Gaziantep History
A chess board in a Gaziantep market gives a nod to the city’s history.
A quick scan of Gaziantep’s long history tells you one thing: people have been fighting over this area of land for like, forever.
Gaziantep's strategic location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia, its proximity to ancient trade routes leading to Syria and the rich and fertile lands surrounding it have made it prime real estate for centuries.
During the Middle Ages it was known as Aintab or Hantab and was conquered by errryone from early Islamic empires like the Umayyads and Abbasids to the Byzantines.
The Seljuk Turks finally took the city in 1067 but within 30 years it had been captured by the pesky Crusaders. The Seljuks eventually won it back in 1150 but not for long - Aintab was captured by the Armenians, followed by numerous other Arab dynasties and was besieged by the Mongols.
And so it went on with seemingly endless conquests of Aintab until the Ottomans came along in 1516, laid some serious smackdown and made it part of their ever-expanding empire. The Ottomans renamed the city Ayıntab/Antep meaning ‘Good Spring’ and it quickly became an important trading route.
After World War I, the British did what Brits are so good at and occupied Antep in 1918. They then withdrew to enable the French (who also loved a bit of occupation) to invade in 1919.
By this point the Turks were well and truly fed up of European occupation and a new nationalist movement, led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (the founder of the Turkish Republic), had emerged. Under siege, the civilians of Antep, including children, fought with everything they had against French occupation.
6317 civilians died over the 10-month and nine-day-long siege - the people eventually capitulated because they were being starved. France had won but ultimately abandoned its claim to Gaziantep and other surrounding areas in 1921. Au revoir!
The heroism and resistance of the citizens of Antep was formally recognised in 1922 when Atatürk renamed the city Gaziantep. ‘Gazi’ means veteran or Warrior of Islam - the perfect description for the ordinary people who defended their city without support, despite being outnumbered and outgunned.
🥘 Top Things To Do in Gaziantep Turkey
Marvel at the Roman Mosaics in the Zeugma Mosaic Museum
During our trip around eastern Turkey we visited mosaic museums in Sanlıurfa, Antakya (Hatay province) and Gaziantep. Sanlıurfa and Gaziantep stand out as having some of the best, intact and restored mosaics that we have ever seen.
The Zeugma Gaziantep Mozaik Müzesi is the largest mosaic museum in the world and is one of the top Gaziantep attractions. It includes beautiful mosaics from villas in the ancient city of Zeugma and from churches from the Eastern Roman period.
The remains of Zeugma ancient city actually lie around 50 km outside of Gaziantep. Back in the day this was the Roman equivalent of Beverly Hills and was considered one of the most majestic and opulent cities in the Roman Empire.
Extremely wealthy Romans built huge villas with bathhouses and dining halls all adorned with gorgeous, intricately detailed mosaics. If MTV cribs had existed during the Roman period, these mansions would have been on it!
Incredibly, the magnificent mosaics in Zeugma were almost lost. The construction of the Birecik Dam in 2000 on the Euphrates River meant that the whole city of Zeugma and its beautiful mosaics would eventually be completely flooded.
The story caught the media’s attention and more money and resources were pumped into the emergency excavations that had already been going on at the site.
Archaeologists from all over the world worked quickly to salvage as many of the stunning mosaics as possible - these were first stored in the Gaziantep Archaeology Museum and then moved to the Zeugma Gaziantep Mosaic Museum.
The Zeugma Museum has 3000 square metres of mosaics on display! All the mosaics and artefacts have been placed in the same order as they would have been in Zeugma ancient city.
So you’ll find mosaics that were originally close to the Euphrates River at the entrance to the museum and Roman bath mosaics displayed in the basement. There are also Roman columns, statues, fountains, frescoes and sarcophagi exhibited throughout the museum.
Some of the most famous mosaics include the mysterious and silent Gypsy Girl, which is often used as an image to represent Gaziantep. This mosaic is displayed in a special dark room - you walk in and only the haunting face of the Gypsy Girl is illuminated.
Other mosaics to look out for are Oceanus and Tethys which feature various sea creatures and the god Eros mounting a dolphin and a mosaic of Achilles.
We enjoyed the Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum - although it is huge, everything is explained really well and the exhibits are so breathtaking that we didn’t mind spending a few hours there. It’s one of Gaziantep’s must-see attractions for sure!
Check Out the Wildlife at Gaziantep Zoo (Gaziantep Hayvanat Bahçesi)
Gaziantep Zoo is Turkey’s largest zoo and worth visiting if you want a relaxing day out or are looking for something to do as a family.
It’s a huge place and there are plenty of different kinds of animals to see. The zoo also has a safari park of 200 hectares and a zoology museum.
We loved just walking through the green areas - the zoo was pretty empty and it was nice to be out in nature. There’s also a miniature train that takes you around the zoo if you get tired of walking.
There are cafes and restaurants at Gaziantep Zoo but if you want to save money we’d recommend bringing your own lunch, drinks and snacks.
Explore Gaziantep’s History at the Gaziantep Archaeology Museum (Gaziantep Arkeoloji Müzesi)
It might not get as many visitors as the Zeugma Mosaic Museum but history and archaeology buffs and curious travellers should definitely check out the Gaziantep Museum of Archaeology.
Beginning with fossils and artefacts from the Lower Paleolithic period to the early 19th Century, a visit to this museum is a great way to familiarise yourself with the ancient history of Gaziantep and the surrounding region. All the displays are brilliant and have information in Turkish and English.
We had fun wandering around the exhibits about the Bronze Age and the Iron Age - the collections about the Bronze Age Hittites are particularly impressive.
We first learned about the Hittites from our friend Emre, who studied archaeology and took us to the Hittite capital in what is now Çorum province! (Interestingly, Çorum is also known as the geographic centre of the world…).
Look out for the huge stone slabs carved with lines of Luwian hieroglyphs, the script used by the Bronze Age Hittites. In my ignorance, I didn’t know about any other hieroglyphic languages aside from Egyptian! We also loved the detailed carvings of winged sphinxes and other Hittite deities.
Gaziantep Archaeology Museum also has an amazing collection of incredibly preserved life-size statues from Zeugma ancient city.
Forget The Diet And Gorge Yourself Silly On Amazing Gaziantep Foods
Gaziantep is rightly proud of its baklava.
We started this article by discussing what initially led us to Gaziantep: the food.
Gaziantep food is world renowned - its membership in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the area of gastronomy recognised how food has been at the very heart of Gaziantep’s identity since the Iron Age.
Today 60% of people in Gaziantep are employed by the food sector and 49% of businesses in the city are also dedicated to food: from selling nuts, herbs and spices to seemingly infinite varieties of the delectable Gaziantep kebab!
Gaziantep’s cuisine is incredibly rich and varied: spicy, sweet, sour, robust, delicate - everything you eat is basically a party in your mouth.
Gaziantep was, perhaps a tad controversially, also recognised by the EU as the birthplace of one of my all-time favourite sweet treats: baklava.
Get in my belly!
I am going to ignore the geopolitics of this for a second and just focus on the fact that Gaziantep baklava is the bomb! It’s the perfect balance of flaky, buttery pastry, sticky sugar syrup and pistachios.
And the good news is that there are hundreds of restaurants all around Gaziantep that specialise in baklava, all day, every day.
Our favourite places for the best baklava Gaziantep has to offer include the city’s most popular baklava restaurant, Kocak Baklava or the wonderful Haci Usta Baklavari.
As tempting as it might sound, please don’t just fill up on baklava during your visit as there are plenty of other dishes to try.
Top of our list has to be Antep katmer, a traditional local breakfast dish.
Katmer is made from a gossamer thin, folded filo pastry dough dotted with clotted cream and generously sprinkled with sugar and chopped pistachios before being baked to crispy perfection in the oven. High in calories? Yes, but absolutely banging in taste.
Beautiful, gorgeous, heavenly katmer.
After many months of having vegetarianism foisted upon him by way of being married to me, Vincent was finally able to indulge his carnivorous side and feasted upon as many kebabs as his body could possibly handle.
If you also want to go on a kebab-binge like him, Gaziantep is the place to do it as there are so many different types on offer. Bring on the meat sweats!
We’d recommend trying the famous Ali Nazik kebab - perfectly cooked chunks of beef or lamb kebab served on a bed of baba ghanoush (smoky aubergine puree) and garlic yogurt.
Imam Çağdas Kebab, widely considered to be one of the best restaurants in Gaziantep, does a stellar version of this and they very kindly also made a vegetarian version for me!
We loved eating our way through Gaziantep’s food scene so much that we wrote an entire article about it! Check out our guide to the 26 Must-Try Gaziantep Foods - it includes cafe and restaurant recommendations for each dish.
Discover the History Behind Gaziantep’s Amazing Food at the Culinary Museum (Gaziantep Emine Göğüş Mutfak Müzesi)
It probably comes as no surprise that Gaziantep has a museum entirely dedicated to food. If you’re keen to know why Gaziantep cuisine is so diverse and tasty and where on earth it all comes from, then make sure you pop into the Gaziantep Culinary Museum.
Located in the former house of Ali Ihsan Göğüş, Turkey’s first Tourism Minister, this Gaziantep museum is small but extremely comprehensive.
It aims to cover all areas of Antep cuisine from kitchen tools, equipment and tableware and the main components of Gaziantep food, to pickling and storing fruits and vegetables; popular drinks and dishes; and even meals for special occasions.
There’s a whole display dedicated to pickling and preservation of vegetables, which is a central and important component of Turkish cuisine. Hence why every bazaar around the country sells strings upon strings of dried vegetables - how else do you still get dolma (stuffed vegetables) in the middle of winter?!
There are also full-size dioramas showing how meals are traditionally prepared, served and eaten. Explanations for all the exhibits are in English and Turkish.
It was fascinating for us to see how many Gaziantep foods we had managed to try! We also learned about less common dishes that we haven’t seen in restaurants and that are now in danger of disappearing.
If you’re a foodie, don’t skip this place as it will give you a much better understanding of everything that you’re eating!
Understand the Traditions of Turkish Bathhouse Culture at the Gaziantep Hamam Museum (Gaziantep Hamam Müzesi)
One of the things we loved about Gaziantep müzeleri (museums) is that there are so many quirky ones that focus on a particular element of Turkish or Gaziantep culture.
The Gaziantep Turkish Bath Museum is located inside a renovated Ottoman bathhouse from 1577. The museum is divided into three sections: the Soğukluk (cold room), Ilıklık (warm room) and Sıcaklık (hot room).
If nothing else, a visit to this museum is an opportunity to wander around a very beautiful building, but we found it interesting to learn a bit more about the tools and equipment used in traditional hamam rituals, Turkish bath etiquette and particular hamam traditions.
Historically, Turkish baths were not just a place for a good old scrub down. They served as somewhere people could socialise and were also central to particular life events.
For instance, before a wedding, it was common for brides-to-be to have a bathing ritual featuring food and music with her female relatives and friends.
The guests gather together in the cold room and simsirak, a mixture of rose water combined with cinnamon, musk, bay leaf, clove and amber, is poured over the bride’s head by a happily married woman who is respected in the community.
Hamam rituals for newly engaged women still take place today. I recently popped into a hamam in Üsküdar and was surprised to discover a raucous atmosphere as there was the equivalent of a hen party going on.
There were food and drinks in the common areas, loud music, a woman playing the tambourine and ladies just chilling wrapped in their peştemals (aka hamam towels).
If I hadn’t been to the Hamam Museum in Gaziantep, I would have assumed every Turkish bath experience was like this!
Gaziantep Hamam Museum also has statues showing the hamam rituals for women who have just given birth, a practice known as the Nevse Hamam.
The mother and her new baby attend the hamam with her female relatives and close friends 40 days after she has given birth. There are lots of elements to this ritual, including the baby having sugar applied to its face to make it a happy, smiling, person!
However, the one that stood out to us most was the ritual that protects the mother and baby from evil: the baby is held up high over the mother’s head and water is then poured over a wolf’s skull and the new baby and the mother. If that ain’t a super protection from evil, I don’t know what is.
Finally, when you visit make sure to check out the ‘gulleytin’ section of the hamam - this was the equivalent of a ‘mikvah’ for Jewish patrons who believe they need to be completely immersed in water to be purified of their sins.
Enjoy the Stellar Views From the Top of Gaziantep Castle (Gaziantep Kalesi)
Towering over Gaziantep old town, Gaziantep Kalesi was initially built by the Hittite Empire as a small watch tower and then later expanded into a much larger castle by the Roman Empire in the 2nd and 3rd century AD. Emperor Justinian further renovated and expanded the castle to its current size between 527 and 565 AD.
The top of the castle has great views of the city and beyond and you can explore the excavations at the top, including a Roman bathhouse. The views of the city, particularly during golden hour, are lovely - you can easily see why it is one of the top Gaziantep tourist attractions.
The castle is also home to the Gaziantep Defense and Heroism Panoramic Museum, which gives a detailed account of how Gaziantep’s citizens bravely resisted British and French occupation after the fall of the Ottoman Empire and during the Turkish War of Independence.
You have to walk through the museum to get to the top of the castle. We lingered for a little while in here as we found it interesting - we had no idea about the French and British occupation of the city before we visited.
As well as having statues, reliefs, explanation boards with detailed information in Turkish and English and photographs, there is also a documentary about the struggle that plays from time to time.
Gaziantep Kalesi is considered one of the best-preserved castles in Turkey - so if you’re wondering what to see in Gaziantep, make sure you tick this off your list.
Note: Gaziantep Kalesi was badly damaged during the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey on 6th February 2023. The castle is currently undergoing renovation so it may be closed.
Be Like a Real Turkish Student and Eat Nohut Dürüm
Now technically I could have included this entry in the section about gorging on Gaziantep food, but in my opinion this Turkish street food really needed its own part.
While many popular Gaziantep foods can be found elsewhere in Turkey - you’ll find whole restaurants specialising in Gaziantep cuisine in Istanbul - nohut dürüm is one thing that is extremely difficult to get outside of Gaziantep.
After a lot of research, I found a restaurant in Güngören in Istanbul (pretty far from me) that serves this dish but it opens at 6.30am and is apparently sold out of nohut dürüm by 8.00am. I’d never get there on time!
So what is nohut dürüm?
We’ve written about this particular dish in detail in our article on the best Gaziantep foods but it is essentially perfectly cooked, soft chickpeas topped with spicy peppers, parsley, onions and various spices and then wrapped in a thick, freshly baked, pide bread.
Some restaurants add fried aubergine and french fries into the wrap too. Serious yums!
It’s one of the cheapest breakfast/lunch dishes in Gaziantep and so is a go-to staple for students. And for vegetarians, who honestly might struggle with this slightly meat-obsessed city, it’s a dream (just be sure to check that the chickpeas haven’t been stewed in bone broth).
In the meantime, I’ll be looking for another place in Istanbul where I can get my nohut dürüm fix. If you have any recommendations, hit me up in the comments. I’ll be eternally grateful.
Soak Up the Atmosphere of the Coppersmith Bazaar (Gaziantep Bakırcılar Çarşışı)
You will likely hear the clinking and clunking of coppersmiths perfecting their gorgeous wares before you enter this Gaziantep market. The coppersmith trade has existed in Gaziantep and the wider region for over 500 years.
Most of the customers are locals, coming to buy homeware or getting something fixed. We saw quite a few saucepans and Turkish teapots getting cleaned and polished up so that they were as good as new. We rather wished that we’d bought our own!
You can also watch the coppersmiths shaping their tin and copper pieces over a naked flame without any protection gear (no British-style health and safety here!) whilst others are busy with the delicate process of engraving their items with a small hammer and chisel.
Despite its name, the Coppersmith’s bazaar sells many other handicrafts including jewellery, handmade olive oil soaps, wooden chess boards, tables and jewellery boxes all inlaid with mother of pearl, leather shoes and prayer beads.
If you’re visiting Gaziantep and looking for gifts to take home then it’s worth browsing around this bazaar. It’s a fantastic place to buy souvenirs and unlike Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar or other more touristy markets, you won’t be hassled while you browse.
Stock Up On Spices at the Spice Bazaar (Gaziantep Baharatçılar Çarşısı)
A trip to Gaziantep would be incomplete without a trip to the spice market. If you’ve been wondering why Gaziantep cuisine is so flavoursome, visiting this Gaziantep bazaar will provide the answer pretty quickly.
This market is a feast for the eyes: piles of saffron, sumac, red pepper flakes, various nuts and seeds, numerous dried flowers for different types of tea, strings of dried red peppers and aubergines dangling from the roof...It’s a wonderful place for a relaxing afternoon stroll.
Be sure to check out the piles of Antep biber salçası, a dark red pepper paste added to many Turkish dishes.
The spice bazaar is a fabulous place to pick up some ‘foodie’ souvenirs - we bought menengıç coffee, ground pistachios and Gaziantep cevizli sucuk, a chewy sweet made from walnuts threaded onto a string and then dipped in boiled molasses.
Get Your Feet Looking Fly With a Pair of Yemeni Shoes
Fashion lovers who visit Gaziantep might want to pick up a pair of Gaziantep Yemeni Ayakkabı (Yemeni leather shoes).
Painstakingly sewn by hand, these shoes keep feet cool in the summer and cosy warm in the winter. Yemeni shoes were a common sight throughout the Ottoman Empire but are now mostly bought by tourists and traditional folk dancing groups.
The tradition of making Yemeni shoes was almost lost until 20 years ago when it was revived as one of Gaziantep’s cultural traditions.
Making Yemeni ayakkabı is often a skill that goes back many generations - some cobblers have been making the shoes for 70 years whilst others are the fourth or fifth generation of their family to be involved in the business.
Several of the shoemakers in Gaziantep also have a claim to fame: they’ve made shoes for Hollywood films such as Troy, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Apparently, 600 pairs of shoes were made for Troy alone - that is a whole lot of sewing!
You’ll find stalls selling Yemeni shoes all around Gaziantep old city - most of the small shops are along the street that runs between Zincirli Bedesten and the Coppersmith Bazaar.
Time Your Visit to Coincide With a Gaziantep Festival
If you’re wondering what to do in Gaziantep that’s a little bit different, why not attend a festival?
We love it when we stumble upon a festival when we are travelling - it’s a unique and authentic way to get a deeper insight into people and their culture. In our experience, it's always a lot of fun too!
Given its ancient history and strong traditions, it's unsurprising that Gaziantep holds a whole range of cultural, art and (of course) food festivals throughout the year.
Perhaps the most famous festival is the GastroAntep International Gaziantep Gastronomy Festival. Taking place in mid-September, GastroAntep celebrates Gaziantep food culture and traditions and aims to bring Gaziantep cuisine to a worldwide audience.
This is the ideal opportunity to get to know Gaziantep’s food. You’ll be able to attend live cooking workshops with local and international chefs, including several Michelin-starred top bods. In 2023 the workshops featured chefs from Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Spain, Portugal, Jordan and Italy.
There was even an instructor from the famous Cordon Bleu school! Ooh la la!
There are also informative panel discussions on a wide range of topics from sustainable gastronomy to food stories from little-known places in Anatolia, competitions, and of course plenty of opportunities to sample amazing local food. So if a delicious Gaziantep kebab has somehow eluded you on your visit, you’ll definitely find some of the best versions here!
Despite its name, the GastoAntep festival isn’t only about food - it also celebrates traditional Gaziantep handicrafts and there are also many cool theatre performances, art exhibitions and concerts. There are even activities for children - from puppet making to face painting and sack races.
Each day of the festival also includes guided tours of Gaziantep’s most popular museums - several slots are available each day from 8.30am - 9.00pm, so you can pick a time that suits you best.
Gaziantep also holds numerous other music and film festivals and sports events (the latter includes an oil wrestling festival and a marathon!).
Some of the most popular Gaziantep festivals are the International Gaziantep Opera and Ballet Festival (usually held in April) and Jazz On Campus (part of the Akbank Jazz Festival and usually in late October/early November).
Admire Some of Gaziantep’s Historical Mosques
Gaziantep, like other areas of Turkey, has many beautiful and historical mosques.
We love visiting religious buildings but during our trip a lot of the mosques were being renovated and so weren’t open for visitors. Another reason for us to go back I suppose!
We did manage to visit a few. First off is the ginormous Liberation Mosque, locally known as Kurtuluş Camii. This huge mosque has very distinctive black and white brickwork and was formerly an Armenian Apostolic church- the St Mary’s Cathedral or Holy Mother of God Church.
Completed in 1892, this church was designed by Sarkis Balyan, the chief architect of Sultan Abdülhamid II. Balyan hailed from a family of Armenian architects who had worked for various other Ottoman sultans and were famous for building many of the palaces, mosques, fountains and residences you still see around Istanbul today.
Sadly, these stories of collaboration and coexistence weren’t to last. The Armenians who lived in Gaziantep were deported to Syria as part of the Armenian Genocide in 1915 and the Holy Mother of God church was converted into a stable. It was subsequently turned into a prison in the 1920s and was used in this capacity until the 1970s.
In 1986 the building was converted into a mosque and renamed Kurtuluş Camii in reference to the liberation of Gaziantep city from French occupation during the Turkish War of Independence.
Kurtuluş Camii was badly damaged during the February 6th 2023 earthquake - the dome collapsed and the upper part of the minarets were also destroyed. It is now undergoing renovation but is still a stunning site to see from the outside.
Boyacı Mosque with its unique minaret, is also one of the symbols of Gaziantep. Completed in 1357 and repaired in 1575 by the governor of Aleppo, Mehmet Pasha, the minaret of the mosque has an unusual closed wooden balcony and is carved with beautiful flowers and patterns.
However, the minaret isn’t the only unusual thing about this mosque. It’s also home to a very unique minbar aka pulpit! The walnut wood minbar at Boyacı Mosque is gorgeously carved with geometric shapes and rosettes. It's a stunning example of ancient Gaziantep craftsmanship but that’s not what is special about it: it’s actually a minbar on wheels.
The minibar is built into the wall and is on rails - when it’s time for a sermon it can be pulled out and afterwards, it fits right back into the wall and just looks like an ornately carved wooden door.
Seeing this was so cool and it reminded me of hidden doorways in a James Bond movie! The imam at Boyacı Mosque is very friendly and more than happy to show visitors his rare minbar.
Finally, we also visited one of the oldest mosques in the city, Şirvani Mosque. This mosque has a beautiful sandstone minaret with two balconies and is decorated with ceramic plates - something we had not seen before. It also has a minbar on wheels!
Sadly this mosque was also damaged during the earthquake and is now undergoing renovation. I am hoping it will be open to visitors soon.
There are many more mosques in Gaziantep which we plan to explore on our next visit to the city. If you’re looking for free things to do in Gaziantep and like cool architecture, definitely go on a self-guided tour of the city’s mosques.
Note: The February 6th 2023 earthquake damaged a number of historical mosques in Gaziantep so many are currently undergoing renovation. Check with your hotel whether these mosques are open for visitors.
Chill Out in One of Gaziantep’s Lovely Parks
Gaziantep is a very green city and when we weren’t sightseeing (or eating) we spent quite a lot of time just relaxing in different parks. We liked Masal Park and Festival Park: they both have picnic areas, benches and play areas for kids. We often grabbed a lunch of nohut dürüm and enjoyed it in the park!
If you have a car, you can drive further out to the Dülükbaba Picnic Area in the Şehitkamil district of Gaziantep province. It’s a popular BBQ spot amongst locals and has fountains and ponds.
The newest park on the scene is Galle Park, just 10km outside of the city centre. It’s absolutely massive and features a Japanese zen garden, Ottoman garden, running track, zip lines, giant swing, paintball area, small lakes and a huge children’s adventure playground.
This is the place to burn off a few calories if you’ve indulged in one too many portions of baklava!
🏠 Where to Stay in Gaziantep
There is a great range of hotels in Gaziantep, and you’ll easily find something to suit every budget. We stayed in two places - a few days at an Airbnb with a wonderful Syrian host and then smack bang in Gaziantep city centre at the wonderful Ali Bey Konagi (⭐ 9.0).
Offering a stellar view of Gaziantep castle, this hundred year old mansion offers spacious, character-filled, cosy rooms with free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TV and ensuite bathroom.
Photo courtesy of Ali Bey Konaği via Booking.com
But the best thing about this hotel is without doubt the homemade breakfast. We didn’t miss it during our whole stay, even when we planned to eat katmer in the morning!
The location is also absolutely perfect - all the top attractions are within easy walking distance - and the staff were so helpful and friendly during our stay. We absolutely adored our stay in this fabulous Gaziantep hotel - for us it’s the best place to stay in Gaziantep!
Here are some of our other recommendations for Gaziantep hotels for every kind of traveler:
Photo courtesy of Divan Gaziantep via Booking.com
TOP LUXURY CHOICE: Divan Gaziantep (⭐ 8.1)
If you’re after a relaxing stay with top amenities, this is the best hotel in Gaziantep for you!
After a day of sightseeing you can relax in the indoor pool and spa, or get a massage at the wellness centre. Divan Gaziantep offers elegant rooms with free WiFi, air conditioning, flat-screen TVs and city views. There is also a generous and tasty buffet breakfast.
Photo courtesy of Hampton By Hilton Gaziantep via Booking.com
BEST MID-RANGE OPTION: Hampton By Hilton Gaziantep (⭐ 8.5)
Gaziantep’s many restaurants, shops and attractions are only 10-15 minutes walk from this lovely hotel which offers quiet and tastefully decorated rooms with a tea/coffee maker, a flat-screen TV, air conditioning and free Wi-Fi.
The buffet breakfast is tasty with plenty of options and there’s a fitness centre so you don’t have to feel guilty about overindulging on your trip.
Photo courtesy of Hotel Kaleli via Booking.com
TOP BUDGET PICK: Hotel Kaleli (⭐ 8.2)
This budget Gaziantep hotel offers modern, sparkling clean and bright ensuite rooms with flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi and air conditioning. The location is excellent - museums, restaurants and top sights are all just a few minutes walk away.
There is even a historical Turkish bath nearby if you fancy a scrub down. Gaziantep cheap hotels don’t get much better than this!
🙋♂️ The Best Gaziantep Tours
We think that Gaziantep is an easy city to visit independently. However if you prefer to explore Gaziantep on a tour with an experienced guide, there are some options that we would recommend.
If this is your first visit to Gaziantep, The Gaziantep City Highlights and Gastronomy Walking Tour is a great introduction to this wonderful city.
You’ll discover Gaziantep’s cuisine through a local’s eyes, including the dishes that are unique to the region (remember to make notes of where you might want to eat later!) and explore Gaziantep’s top attractions, including the famous Zeugma Mosaic Museum. Click here to book this tour .
For a longer and more in-depth tour of Gaziantep, check out this all-inclusive Private Guided Tour of Gaziantep City by Viator .
Beginning in Gaziantep’s famous covered bazaar, this 8-hour guided tour will take you around all of Gaziantep’s main sites including Gaziantep Castle, Gaziantep Museum of Archaeology and Zeugma Mosaic Museum. Over lunch you’ll also get the chance to taste Gaziantep’s delicious pistachio baklava.
As this tour is all inclusive, your hotel pick-up, entrance fees, lunch and bottled water are all included in the tour price. Click here to book this tour .
🚍 How to Get to Gaziantep
✈️ By Air
The fastest and easiest way to get to Gaziantep is to fly. Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airlines and Anadolu Jet offer multiple flights to Gaziantep Airport per day from Istanbul IST and SAW airports. Click here to search Gaziantep flights on WayAway.
A roundtrip flight from Istanbul to Gaziantep starts from as little as £44/$56. How amazing is that?
To get these super cheap flights to Gaziantep we’d recommend booking early and flying on low cost airlines like Pegasus or Anadolu Jet.
Flights from Istanbul to Gaziantep with Turkish Airlines are slightly pricier, starting from around £78/$100 for a return trip. The journey takes around 1 hour and 45 minutes.
🚌 By Bus
If a flight to Gaziantep is out of your budget or you’re looking for a more environmentally friendly way to travel, then consider taking a bus to Gaziantep.
We travelled around eastern Turkey for three months by bus and actually took the bus from Şanlıurfa to Gaziantep.
We still take buses across Turkey when we don’t want to fly: Turkey’s intercity bus network is extensive and the buses are clean and comfortable. You even get drinks and snacks!
A bus from Istanbul to Gaziantep Otogar (Gaziantep’s main bus station) takes around 17-19 hours. A one-way ticket costs around 1000-1300TL at the time of writing, though be aware that prices are fluctuating a lot due to the volatility of the Turkish Lira.
We'd recommend booking a bus ticket online through Busbud - the prices and companies are the same as what you would find at the bus station and much less hassle.
If you prefer to do things the old skool way you can also book a ticket in person when you get there - just be prepared for touts to ask you where you are going and try to convince you to book with their company!
There are tons of bus companies that operate services to Gaziantep from most provinces in Turkey. We prefer to travel with Kamil Koç or Metro Turizm.
🚘 Rent a Car
If you’re up for a road trip, then consider renting a car and driving to Gaziantep. Turkey is a great place to drive - the roads are fantastic, the scenery is beautiful and once you’ve escaped Istanbul, there isn’t crazy traffic!
Renting a car is also a great option if you are thinking about visiting other places in southeastern Turkey, like Mardin or Şanlıurfa. Many companies allow you to pick up a car in one city and drop it off somewhere else which is super convenient if you ask me!
It’s also surprisingly affordable in Turkey - for instance, you can rent a car for two weeks with Discover Cars and it starts from as little as £15/$19 per day.
The drive from Istanbul to Gaziantep takes around 13 hours. We’d recommend stopping in Cappadocia on the way.
🌸 Best Time to Visit Gaziantep
You can visit Gaziantep all year around - the attractions here aren’t seasonal so it really doesn’t matter when you visit. Our trip to Gaziantep was during winter and we had an incredible time!
If you’re looking for sunny and dry weather that isn’t too scorchio, then visiting Gaziantep in spring and early summer (April/May/June) or autumn (September/October) is probably best.
In July and August, the Gaziantep climate is eye-wateringly hot - temperatures can be as high as 37°C/99°F.
Winters are usually fairly mild with daytime temperatures varying between 8°C-11°C/46°F-52°F from December-February. We visited in December and had a week of warm, sunny days which was quite unusual!
👮♀️ Is Gaziantep Safe?
We found Gaziantep completely safe to visit.
During the height of the Syrian civil war, some countries such as the US Government’s State Department and the UK FCDO issued advice that said Gaziantep was unsafe to visit due to its proximity to the Syrian border. Gaziantep is around 60km from the border with Syria and around 100km from Aleppo.
There were also articles like this that didn’t help with Gaziantep’s image. Gone were the halcyon days when Gaziantep’s name was synonymous with golden, diabetes-inducing, sticky pastries. Suddenly the focus was on insurgent fighters, refugees, spies and terrorism. When I first suggested visiting Gaziantep back in 2015, even Vincent said, “Sash, I think it’s gone a bit more balaclava than baklava.”
Happily, a lot has changed in Antep, and travel advice from foreign governments largely reflects this: most countries now advise you not to travel to areas 10 km/6 miles from the Syrian border. And that doesn’t include Gaziantep! So go forth and eat your body’s weight in baklava.
Note: Always check your own country’s travel advice before making a trip and make sure that your travel insurance covers travel to this part of Turkey.
Having dinner at our Airbnb with our Syrian host Muhannad and another guest.
I’ve met a few people who have told me that they are too scared to visit Gaziantep because of the number of refugees who live there. The war caused an exodus of Syrian refugees into Turkey - approximately 3.6 million Syrians now live in Turkey, with just over 400,000 in Gaziantep.
You’ll now find Syrian falafel stalls, restaurants and merchants in the local bazaars. In our opinion, this has just added to the already very multicultural city which is also home to Turks and Kurds. And who doesn’t love a good falafel?
During our week in Gaziantep, we never felt unsafe. It felt the same as many other places we had visited in Turkey during our three months on the road. We spent our days walking around the city, just eating and exploring. We would also usually come home quite late at night and we never had any problems.
In our experience, Gaziantep locals are super friendly and very welcoming - we often had a glass of çay or two with someone whom we’d just met and who was curious about why we had come to their city.
All of this is mine!
In one baklava shop the owner invited me to come in and take photos behind the counter, so I could pretend it was all mine!
So in short, Gaziantep is completely safe to visit, unless you’re on a diet.
🧳 Is Gaziantep Worth Visiting?
100% yes. You can tell that we definitely think so, as we’ve written a whole Gaziantep travel guide!
We had such an amazing time in Gaziantep and would return in a heartbeat (in fact we are planning a trip soon).
The food is lip-smackingly good, it’s budget-friendly and there is a wide range of things to do in the city, from visiting fascinating museums and admiring gorgeous historical architecture to browsing the many bazaars and markets teeming with friendly locals.
Gaziantep was part of our massive three-month adventure around eastern Turkey. We think it's one of the best places to visit in Turkey and is a great addition to any Turkey itinerary - once you are in the country it’s just a short flight or long bus ride away.
It’s the perfect destination for foodies and curious travellers who want to get a bit off the beaten track.
So if you’re umming and ahhing about whether to visit Gaziantep, don’t delay any longer. Book your flights/bus tickets/private jet now. You won’t regret it!
Before you go, make sure to check out some of our other Istanbul and Turkey/Türkiye guides:
🏠 Best Areas to Stay in Istanbul: Coolest Neighbourhoods & Top Hotels
🌇 22 Best Hotels in Istanbul With a View
🗓 The Ultimate Turkey Itinerary 10 Days
✈️ How to Get From SAW Airport to Istanbul City Center
🇹🇷 The Best Places to Visit in Turkey
🌷 Visit the Istanbul Tulip Festival
🛫 How to Get from Istanbul Airport to the City Centre
🏔 Cappadocia in Winter: 7 Reasons to Visit + 16 Amazing Things to Do
🎄 Christmas in Istanbul: All You Need to Know for a Magical Stay
⛄ 9 Awesome Reasons to Spend Winter in Istanbul
🎪 18 Best Festivals in Istanbul
🍳 Best Breakfast in Istanbul - 16 Incredible Places to Try
✅ 12 Things You Need To Do in Istanbul
🍟 Best Vegan Fast Food in Istanbul
🥑 Where to Find the Best Vegan Turkish Breakfast in Istanbul
🍔 Off the Eaten Track: The Best Street Food in Istanbul
🥦 Vegan Istanbul: The Best Under-the-Radar Restaurants
Find more travel tips and useful information on Turkey here.
Looking for more travel inspiration? Click here to discover more of our favourite places around the world.
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