Photo: Ahmet Barış Işıtan (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Source Kırklareli is a city of nature and history in Thrace, with the forests of the Istranca (Yıldız) Mountains on the Bulgarian border, İğneada National Park, which protects Türkiye's largest longoz (floodplain) forests, Dupnisa, the only cave in Thrace open to tourism, Kıyıköy on the Black Sea coast, the 6th-century Little Hagia Sophia at Vize, and Mimar Sinan's Sokollu Complex and Hızırbey Arasta at Lüleburgaz. Kırklareli hardaliye, köfte and white cheese are all registered.
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11 places worth seeing in Kırklareli, from historic monuments to natural wonders, grouped by type. Open any of them on the map with a single click.
Photo: Sadrettin (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A way-station (menzil) complex at Lüleburgaz built by Mimar Sinan for Sokollu Mehmed Paşa in 1569–1570, made up of a mosque, madrasa, caravanserai, arasta and prayer dome.
View on mapA complex in the centre of Kırklareli, built by Köse Mihalzade Hızır Bey in 1383–1384 and made up of a mosque, hammam and arasta; the arasta is still used as a bazaar today.
View on mapAn ironworks and foundry ruin 3.8 km from Demirköy, regarded as one of the first Ottoman defence-industry facilities; locally it is known as the Fatih Foundry.
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Photo: Alicembasli (CC BY 4.0) · Source A castle on the acropolis of the ancient Thracian city of Bizye; its Byzantine-period walls and towers are still standing.
View on mapJust 3 km from Kırklareli, one of the settlement sites that best reflects the Neolithic cultures of Thrace.
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Photo: Vmenkov (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Source A building at Vize that was built as a basilica in the 6th century in the time of Justinian and converted into a mosque in the 15th century; its architecture is likened to Hagia Sophia and Hagia Irene in Istanbul. It was restored in 2007.
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Photo: Yabancı (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Source A single-domed mosque built by Mimar Sinan in the 16th century at Babaeski; it is one of the important examples of Sinan's work in Thrace.
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Photo: CeeGee (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A museum opened in 1993 in the former town hall, built in the late 19th century. With finds from the Aşağıpınar and Kanlıgeçit excavations, ethnographic items and a natural history section, it tells the story of the province.
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Photo: Ahmet Barış Işıtan (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Source A 3,155-hectare national park established in 2007 in the town of İğneada in Demirköy, on the Bulgarian border. With its floodplain (longoz) forests, lakes Mert and Saka, dunes and beaches, it is one of Türkiye's most special ecosystems.
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Photo: Ahmet Barış Işıtan (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Source A two-storey cave system with three entrances and a total length of 3,150 metres, near the village of Sarpdere in Demirköy; it is the only cave in Thrace opened to tourism. It consists of the Dry Cave (Kuru Mağara), the Maiden Cave (Kız Mağarası) and the Wet Cave (Sulu Mağara).
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Photo: Thafer (CC BY 3.0) · Source A historic coastal village in the Vize district, founded where the Pabuçdere and Kazandere streams flow into the Black Sea; it is known for its Byzantine walls, rock-cut monastery and natural beaches.
View on mapKırklareli lies in north-eastern Thrace, on the Bulgarian border and the Black Sea coast. The Istranca (Yıldız) Mountains covering the north of the province are home to one of the richest deciduous forests in Europe, while in the south stretch the broad farming plains of the Ergene basin. The Aşağıpınar mound, 3 km from the city, is one of the settlements that best reflects the Neolithic cultures of Thrace.
The city’s old name is Kırkkilise (Greek Saranta Ekklisies); it passed to the Ottomans in 1363 under Murad I. The mosque, hammam and arasta of the Hızırbey Complex (1383–1384) are among the first Ottoman building groups in the Balkans. The Sokollu Mehmed Paşa Complex at Lüleburgaz (1569–1570) is one of the outstanding examples of Mimar Sinan’s way-station complexes. Having changed hands in the Balkan Wars and the First World War, Kırklareli returned to Turkish rule in 1922 after the War of Independence. In the Republican period, migrants from the Balkans shaped the culture of the province markedly.
The province’s natural treasure is İğneada on the Bulgarian border, where floodplain forests (longoz), lakes, dunes and beaches are found together; İğneada Longoz Forests National Park was established in 2007. Dupnisa Cave and the Demirköy (Fatih) Foundry, one of the first Ottoman iron foundries, both at Demirköy, are also among the province’s distinctive stops.
Kırklareli shows features of transition between the Black Sea and continental climates: winters are cold and rainy, summers mild and hot. Averages for 1959–2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (provincial centre):
| Month | Avg. high | Avg. low | Rainfall | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.9 °C | 0.2 °C | 64 mm | 11 |
| February | 8.7 °C | 1.0 °C | 50 mm | 9 |
| March | 12.3 °C | 3.1 °C | 49 mm | 9 |
| April | 18.0 °C | 7.2 °C | 45 mm | 10 |
| May | 23.5 °C | 11.6 °C | 50 mm | 10 |
| June | 28.1 °C | 15.6 °C | 51 mm | 8 |
| July | 30.8 °C | 17.9 °C | 27 mm | 5 |
| August | 30.7 °C | 17.8 °C | 21 mm | 4 |
| September | 26.3 °C | 14.2 °C | 33 mm | 5 |
| October | 20.0 °C | 9.9 °C | 52 mm | 7 |
| November | 13.9 °C | 6.0 °C | 66 mm | 9 |
| December | 8.9 °C | 2.4 °C | 70 mm | 11 |
June to September is ideal for İğneada and Kıyıköy, and May to October for the forests and the cave. The longoz forests are at their most beautiful flooded in spring and in the colours of autumn. Hıdrellez (5–6 May) and the grape harvest in August are the liveliest times in the province.
By road: Kırklareli is about 210 km (2.5–3 hours) from Istanbul and about 60 km from Edirne; it is reached from the TEM motorway via Lüleburgaz or Babaeski. Demirköy and İğneada are reached from Kırklareli by a forest road; Kıyıköy is reached via Vize.
By train: The Istanbul–Edirne (Kapıkule) line passes through Lüleburgaz, Babaeski and Pehlivanköy.
By air: There is no airport in the province; the nearest airports are Tekirdağ Çorlu and Istanbul Airport.
Day 1 – The centre and Lüleburgaz: The Hızırbey Arasta and the Kırklareli Museum in Kırklareli; Kırklareli köfte and hardaliye for lunch. In the afternoon, the Sokollu Complex at Lüleburgaz and the Cedid Ali Paşa Mosque at Babaeski.
Day 2 – Istranca and İğneada: The Demirköy Foundry and Dupnisa Cave; then a walk in the longoz forests at İğneada and sunset on the beach.
Day 3 – Vize and Kıyıköy: The Little Hagia Sophia and castle at Vize; at Kıyıköy, the rock-cut monastery, the mouths of the Pabuçdere and Kazandere, and fish.
Kırklareli cuisine is a blend of Balkan migrant and Thracian cooking. Its symbol is Kırklareli hardaliye, a non-alcoholic fermented drink made with black grapes, mustard seed and sour-cherry leaves. Other delicacies with a registered geographical indication are Kırklareli köftesi (Kırklareli meatballs), Ahmetbey köftesi (Ahmetbey meatballs), brakana tatlısı (brakana dessert), Kırklareli beyaz peyniri (white cheese), Kırklareli eski kaşar peyniri (aged kaşar cheese), Kırklareli kıvırcık kuzu eti (Kıvırcık lamb), Kırklareli meşe balı (oak honey) and Babaeski sarımsağı (Babaeski garlic). Mussels and Black Sea fish are common at Kıyıköy, and pırasa böreği (leek börek) and kaçamak (cornmeal dish) in the Istranca villages.
Among Kırklareli’s traditional textiles, Poyralı dokuması (Poyralı weaving) has a registered geographical indication.
Kırklareli province has 8 districts. Explore the places to visit, local dishes and transport in each one.
Meatballs with a registered geographical indication.
Meatballs specific to the town of Ahmetbey in Lüleburgaz, with a registered geographical indication.
A dessert with a registered geographical indication.
A non-alcoholic fermented drink made with grapes and mustard seed.
The main stops are the İğneada Longoz Forests, Dupnisa Cave, the Demirköy Foundry, Kıyıköy, the Little Hagia Sophia and castle at Vize, and in Lüleburgaz the Sokollu Complex, the Hızırbey Arasta and the Kırklareli Museum.
It is a non-alcoholic fermented drink made with black grapes, crushed mustard seed and sour-cherry leaves; Kırklareli hardaliye has a registered geographical indication.
They are at İğneada in Kırklareli's Demirköy district, close to the Bulgarian border; the area was declared a national park in 2007.
Hardaliye, Kırklareli köfte, white cheese, aged kaşar, oak honey and İğneada.
June to September is best for the sea, and May to October for nature and the cave.
The information in this guide has been compiled from and checked against the sources below (last checked: 8 October 2026). If you spot an error, please let us know.