Istanbul Workshops 2026: Mosaic Lamp, Perfume, Coffee, Cooking Compared

Short version: on 24 September 2026 we recorded the 24 workshops on GetYourGuide’s Istanbul workshops and classes page. A mosaic lamp workshop costs $24 to $28, perfume making $25 to $29, a Turkish coffee workshop $5 to $30, craft classes $20 to $38, and cooking classes $37 to $167. 17 of the 24 show a crossed-out “original” price, so compare current prices. Before you book a lamp workshop anywhere else, check that the lamp is included: one Grand Bazaar workshop charges €15 extra to keep it.

Mosaic lamps

The Istanbul classic. You glue coloured glass pieces onto a glass globe, let it set, then assemble the lamp and take it home packed.

The two big ones are within a few dollars of each other and both rated 4.9 by thousands of people; pick by location and time slot. The Ottoman inn workshop is in a 400-year-old han, which is half the appeal.

Check that you keep the lamp. A Grand Bazaar workshop sold on Airbnb charges €10 for the class and says to “buy the lamp for an extra 15 Euros or leave it there”. The Ottoman inn listing on GetYourGuide describes packing your lamp to take home; read the inclusions of any offer before paying.

Flying home with it. The lamps are glass. Carry it in your cabin bag in the packaging you are given, and check the plug: some lamp workshops include a US adapter, so ask for the one you need.

Perfume making

Two hours with a perfumer, choosing from a palette of oils, leaving with your own bottle. The highest-rated category on the page.

The Bosphorus-view workshop is rated 5.0 by about 4,500 people, the most reviews of any workshop on the page.

Turkish coffee

From a 30-minute sand-brewed coffee demo to a two-hour class with fortune reading from the grounds.

The $5 sand-coffee session is a short stop, not a class. For the full version, the two coffee-and-fortune workshops are two hours.

Traditional crafts

Stained glass, tile painting, rug weaving, leather and ebru paper marbling. Smaller groups and fewer reviews than the lamp and perfume workshops.

The Galata ebru listing shows 15 minutes as its length, which looks like a short demonstration rather than a class; read the listing before booking.

Cooking classes

The most expensive category because the meal is the point.

The home cooking classes with a local ($110 to $167) are small groups with the meal included. The Turkish delight workshop ($37) and the simit and breakfast class ($59) are shorter and cheaper.

How to choose

• A souvenir you will use: mosaic lamp or perfume, both about $25 to $29.
• Short on time: sand-brewed Turkish coffee, from $5.
• A smaller mosaic project: the candle holder, $23, two hours.
• A proper meal, cooked with a local: home cooking, $110 to $167.
• Every case: ignore the crossed-out price, and check that what you make is yours to keep.

Building a day around it? The workshops near the Blue Mosque sit next to Hagia Sophia (is it open now?), and a historic hamam or a sunset cruise finishes the day.

Source: Nomad Istanbul, "Istanbul workshops compared" (checked 24 September 2026). https://nomadistanbul.com/kb/istanbul-workshops/

Notes

Prices are the “from” prices per person GetYourGuide showed on 24 September 2026, in US dollars; you may see your own currency and a different figure. Ratings and review counts are from the same day. Workshop names in the tables are affiliate links: if you book through them we get a small commission and you pay the same price. Corrections to hello@nomadistanbul.com.