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Tekirdağ (pronounced TEH-keer-daa) is a city of 973,000 (2016 census) in European Turkey, on the northern shoreline of the Sea of Marmara. Tekirdağ is 132 km west of Istanbul, the biggest city of Turkey.

Governor's Office in downtown Tekirdağ Tekirdağ was first founded as "Byzanthe" by Thracians. The actual location of first Byzanthe was what is now Barbaros, a village 9 km southwest of Tekirdağ. It was then colonised by Greeks from the Aegean island of Samos. After the split of Roman Empire into two parts, Tekirdağ remained in Byzantine hands and in 14th century captured by Ottoman Turks who gave the city the name "Rodosçuk". Its name underwent several changes and took its current form in 1927, in the early years of Turkish Republic.

Although it is not the case with many languages today, Tekirdağ used to be called "Rodosto" in several European languages, after its Latin name used in Roman period, which itself is derived from "Rhaidestos", the Greek name of the city, long after it was renamed in Turkish. In fact, Tekirdağ is still called "Rodostó" in Hungarian.

This is the city where Hungarian prince and independence movement leader Francis II Rákóczi (also known as II. Rákóczi Ferenc in Hungarian) lived for fifteen years (between 1720 and 1735) while in exile and died. Together with him Kelemen Mikes, the writer of Letters from Turkey (Törökországi levelek in Hungarian), which is one of the milestones of Hungarian literature, lived in Tekirdağ until 1761, when he died.

Tekirdağ since 1923 has been a part of the Republic of Turkey. The city is the provincial capital of Tekirdağ Province, which is named after the city.

The city is surrounded by the Sea of Marmara on one side, and by sunflower and grain fields on the other. On the hillsides to the southwest, viniculture is an important activity.

Local climate is a curious mix of Mediterranean climate of the regions to the south and continental climate of the inland regions to the north, with the rain patterns resembling the Mediterranean climate, while temperature patterns are comparable to the continental one — moderately dry and hot summers (temperatures may rise to 35°C) and rainy, occasionally snowy, and cold winters (temperatures may drop to -8°C; however with the effect of relative humidity, it can even feel bitterly colder than that) in short. However unlike the typical Mediterranean climate, it can rain heavily even during the hottest month (August), although these showers do not last more than 20 minutes at most. Though it's also possible that you can encounter consecutive weeks without a single drop of rain.

Autumns are mild, long and very nice and it is the best time to swim. The sea is warm, just like the air and since the sea usually has heavy surf during the summer it is nevertheless very calm during September.

Rakoczi's House

Rakoczi's House, Barbaros Caddesi, Macar Sokak (on the first hill overlooking the sea; west of Museum of Archaeology, +90 282 263 85 77. Tu-Su 9AM-noon, 1PM-5PM. An 18th century Tekirdağ house in which Francis II Rakoczi lived while in exile. The house was restored in early 1980s almost totally the same as how it looked like when a Hungarian painter went to Tekirdağ and drew illustrations of the interior of house in 1906. The adjoining streets also housed a large Hungarian colony formed by people following Francis II Rakoczi, but unfortunately no evidence of their existence left today. While you are around, don't forget to check out the wooden 'Szekely Gate', carved in the traditional style of the Szekely, the tribe of Tekirdağ's Hungarian refugees. It was erected in front of Rakoczi's house in 2005.
Archaeology and Ethnography Museum, Barbaros Caddesi 1 (on the junction of Barbaros Caddesi and the lower end of Hüseyin Pehlivan Caddesi, that descenting street from the main street of downtown, +90 282 261 20 82. Tu-Su 9AM-5PM. The exhibition of this museum, which is situated in a building essentially built as the governor mansion in 1928, is mainly composed of the findings of the excavations of Perinthos and numerous tumulii in the region. The oldest objects in exhibition date back to 4500 BCE. Among the display is the mummified (and reconstructed) body of Thracian king Kersepleptes. His body complete with crown, clothes, and other remainings was excavated from a tumulus located about 12 km to Tekirdağ. Upstairs is dedicated to ethnography and there is a "traditional Tekirdağ room". The garden of the museum contains many sarcophagi from ancient times and many gravestones left by the city's once numerous Greek, Armenian and Latin populations. 2 TL.
Rüstem Paşa Mosque. Although little in terms of grandeur compared with his some other works, the mosque is a work of Sinan, probably the biggest architect of Ottoman Empire. It was built in 1553. Next to the mosque is bedesten or bazaar. Actually, a replica of a bazaar, which was constructed in 1980s. In its court, there is a nice open-air cafe.
Ertuğrul Neighbourhood Bazaar. This historical building is also called bedesten but the renovation works within hundreds of years has taken too much from its original appearance. It now houses herbalist shops. Near the Eski Mosque on the high street.
Traditional Houses of Tekirdağ. There are many 18th and 19th century houses in the city spared from the fury of the bulldozer and concrete-mania. Most of them are wooden, and some are built of stone or brick like traditional Mediterranean houses. However, even most of the left ones are in a near, or almost totally ruined state. If you'd like to take a glance at how Tekirdağ might look like, say a hundred years ago, you may have a walk in the streets of where these houses are grouped together. There are two main parts of the city they stand: On the hill overlooking the sea between otogar and the downtown; and the streets also overlooking the sea between Archeology and Ethnography Museum and Rakoczi Museum.

Statue of Kelemen Mikes located in the park

Namık Kemal's House, +90 282 262 91 28. Namık Kemal St 7 (behind the presidency of Namık Kemal University, the old building across the street from City Council - Belediye) - A replica of the house where Namık Kemal, a native of the city and considered one of the national poets of Turkey, was born. Houses "Local History Association" inside.
Rakoczi Fountain, Mumcu Çeşme Rd. Built by Rakoczi, this fountain contains Latin and Ottoman Turkish inscriptions and situated between two old plane trees (platanus spp) which might be planted by Francis II Rakoczi. Once in the middle of the vineyards surrounding the city, it is in the industrial zone of the city today, near the back gate of wine and raki factory.
Barış ve Özgürlük Parkı. A quite large parkland near the sea (near the otogar and the marina). The park contains statues of Namık Kemal and Francis II Rakoczi. There is also a statue of Kelemen Mikes, carved in wood in Hungarian style. There are plane trees (platanus spp) planted by Hungarian president and other notables of the time when the park was opened (1990s).

Rakoczi's House, Barbaros Caddesi, Macar Sokak (on the first hill overlooking the sea; west of Museum of Archaeology, +90 282 263 85 77. Tu-Su 9AM-noon, 1PM-5PM. An 18th century Tekirdağ house in which Francis II Rakoczi lived while in exile. The house was restored in early 1980s almost totally the same as how it looked like when a Hungarian painter went to Tekirdağ and drew illustrations of the interior of house in 1906. The adjoining streets also housed a large Hungarian colony formed by people following Francis II Rakoczi, but unfortunately no evidence of their existence left today. While you are around, don't forget to check out the wooden 'Szekely Gate', carved in the traditional style of the [[Szeklerland|Szekely]], the tribe of Tekirdağ's Hungarian refugees. It was erected in front of Rakoczi's house in 2005.

Archaeology and Ethnography Museum, Barbaros Caddesi 1 (on the junction of Barbaros Caddesi and the lower end of Hüseyin Pehlivan Caddesi, that descenting street from the main street of downtown, +90 282 261 20 82. Tu-Su 9AM-5PM. The exhibition of this museum, which is situated in a building essentially built as the governor mansion in 1928, is mainly composed of the findings of the excavations of Perinthos and numerous tumulii in the region. The oldest objects in exhibition date back to 4500 BCE. Among the display is the mummified (and reconstructed) body of Thracian king [[:wikipedia:Cersobleptes|Kersepleptes]]. His body complete with crown, clothes, and other remainings was excavated from a tumulus located about 12 km to Tekirdağ. Upstairs is dedicated to ethnography and there is a "traditional Tekirdağ room". The garden of the museum contains many sarcophagi from ancient times and many gravestones left by the city's once numerous Greek, Armenian and Latin populations. 2 TL.

Rüstem Paşa Mosque. Although little in terms of grandeur compared with his some other works, the mosque is a work of Sinan, probably the biggest architect of Ottoman Empire. It was built in 1553. Next to the mosque is bedesten or bazaar. Actually, a replica of a bazaar, which was constructed in 1980s. In its court, there is a nice open-air cafe.

Ertuğrul Neighbourhood Bazaar. This historical building is also called bedesten but the renovation works within hundreds of years has taken too much from its original appearance. It now houses herbalist shops. Near the Eski Mosque on the high street.

Traditional Houses of Tekirdağ. There are many 18th and 19th century houses in the city spared from the fury of the bulldozer and concrete-mania. Most of them are wooden, and some are built of stone or brick like traditional Mediterranean houses. However, even most of the left ones are in a near, or almost totally ruined state. If you'd like to take a glance at how Tekirdağ might look like, say a hundred years ago, you may have a walk in the streets of where these houses are grouped together. There are two main parts of the city they stand: On the hill overlooking the sea between otogar and the downtown; and the streets also overlooking the sea between Archeology and Ethnography Museum and Rakoczi Museum.

Namık Kemal's House, +90 282 262 91 28. Namık Kemal St 7 (behind the presidency of Namık Kemal University, the old building across the street from City Council - Belediye) - A replica of the house where Namık Kemal, a native of the city and considered one of the national poets of Turkey, was born. Houses "Local History Association" inside.

Rakoczi Fountain, Mumcu Çeşme Rd. Built by Rakoczi, this fountain contains Latin and Ottoman Turkish inscriptions and situated between two old plane trees (platanus spp) which might be planted by Francis II Rakoczi. Once in the middle of the vineyards surrounding the city, it is in the industrial zone of the city today, near the back gate of wine and raki factory.

Barış ve Özgürlük Parkı. A quite large parkland near the sea (near the otogar and the marina). The park contains statues of Namık Kemal and Francis II Rakoczi. There is also a statue of Kelemen Mikes, carved in wood in Hungarian style. There are plane trees (platanus spp) planted by Hungarian president and other notables of the time when the park was opened (1990s).

Hiking/Trekking – Mt Ganos to the southwest of the city offers beautiful trails through its forests and shrublands. Especially, the 20-km quite wide earth road on the side of the mountain through a pine and oak forest occasionally fragmanted by vineyards and the picturesque village of Yeniköy, starting from Kumbağ and leading to Uçmakdere, offers impressive views over the Sea of Marmara and Marmara Islands. It can be hiked without the need of a guide or a map as it is a very clearly obvious road, has water sources located in a reasonable distance away from each other (at 1st, 5th, and 11th kilometres on the first 12-km section between Kumbağ and Yeniköy, and a couple others at the dryer and less verdant 8-km section between Yeniköy and Uçmakdere; however you can make do with these sources unless at the peak of summer heat), and can be done reasonably in a day (though returning is problematic as Uçmakdere has very little public transportation and offers no accommodation apart from a campground). Note that the local military police (jandarma) in Kumbağ bars access to the road further than 3 km away from Kumbağ during some of the summer weekends, so better done during weekdays (or start very early in the morning, before the road is shut). If having a car at your disposal, and one that is at least compatible with non-surfaced roads (you won't need a 4x4, though), you can do the same route, too, as the road primarily is for vehicular traffic, however little traffic it may have.

Paragliding – Although not widely known, paragliding is also possible on the foothills of Mt Ganos. There is a take-off area near Yeniköy village (about 10 km away from Kumbağ, about 30 km to Tekirdağ) and a landing strip at the Ayvasıl beach, about halfway between the villages of Yeniköy and Uçmakdere. To go there, first, enter the Barbaros-Kumbağ road from Tekirdağ and after about 1 km you left Barbaros behind, follow Naip signs in the fork (to right, there is also a "paragliding area" sign there but only in Turkish), when you left Naip behind follow the left sides twice in the forks and you'll soon arrive at Yeniköy. Around there you'll see signs for both take-off and landing areas. Bring your equipment and food and drink with you as you're highly unlikely to find any once in Yeniköy.

Windsurfing – Tekirdağ's sea is usually very wavy and windy during summer, so it is a perfect place to windsurf.

There is a funfair next to the Barış ve Özgürlük Parkı at the east end of promenade. Not the biggest theme park in the world for sure, and neither it contains the most exciting rollercoaster, but it's still fun with its usual rides of ferris wheel, and gondola and the like.

There is a funfair next to the Barış ve Özgürlük Parkı at the east end of promenade. Not the biggest theme park in the world for sure, and neither it contains the most exciting rollercoaster, but it's still fun with its usual rides of ferris wheel, and gondola and the like.

ATMs are mostly located along Hükümet St, the high street of the downtown area. They are either on their own, or located outside the banks (on the exterior walls). There is no ATM in Kumbağ (many shops accept credit cards though).

Money exchange is possible at banks, exchange offices, and jewellery shops located mainly in high street (Hükümet St). Exchange offices are better, as they are not as crowded as the banks are, and also you can see the rates on the electronic boards they usually attach on their windows. Many shops accept only Turkish lira. In other places, accepted foreign currency is generally limited to euro or American dollars, and their rates are usually lower than exchange offices.

Karacakılavuz (pronounced ka-ra-DJA-ka-lah-vooz), a village about 20 km NW of Tekirdağ, produces handmade rugs, carpets, and handwoven bags. The village was settled by Yörük, or nomadic Turkic people from Anatolia after the Ottoman conquest of Thrace (14th century). The villagers still weave the symbols they retained from nomadic times on their handicraft. Karacakılavuz handicrafts can be seen and bought at Provincial Directorate for Culture, which is located in the historical, brown-coloured brick building at about right the midway between Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography and Rakoczi Museum. (Provincial Directorate for Culture (İl Kültür Müdürlüğü) – Barbaros St. 5, tel +90 282 262 60 12 or 261 88 28 fax +90 282 261 43 46)

In the industrial areas surrounding nearby Çorlu (about 40 km) are outlet stores and factory sale shops, many of which offer tax-free/VAT refundable shopping (for foreigners) for textile fabrics. They are cheaper than elsewhere not only because there is no tax added, but also because the sellers are also the producers. Don't forget to obtain the necessary papers you'll need to have to get the money you paid for the tax back when you're leaving Turkey.

You may also buy Tekirdağ raki or wine to bring back home. Tekirdağ raki can be bought at the sale shop of the raki factory (about 2 km west of city centre, on the highway to Keşan/Çanakkale) or any alcohol shop. Wine can also be bought from any alcohol shop too but it is better to buy it from factories scattered around Şarköy-Mürefte area.

Tekira, Hükümet Caddesi 304, Köprübaşı Mevkii (in the city centre, +90 282 260-11-22. 10AM-10PM daily. Tekira houses clothing and electronics stores, fast-food joints, and a large supermarket of Carrefour as well as a movie theater. Free car-park.
Maxi Alışveriş Merkezi, Değirmenaltı, +90 282 293-13-30. 10AM-10PM daily. Housing a large supermarket of Migros, this mall located at the eastern end of the city just next to the highway to Istanbul is good to grab a quick snack when driving to Istanbul. Free car-park.

Tekira, Hükümet Caddesi 304, Köprübaşı Mevkii (in the city centre, +90 282 260-11-22. 10AM-10PM daily. Tekira houses clothing and electronics stores, fast-food joints, and a large supermarket of Carrefour as well as a movie theater. Free car-park.

Maxi Alışveriş Merkezi, Değirmenaltı, +90 282 293-13-30. 10AM-10PM daily. Housing a large supermarket of Migros, this mall located at the eastern end of the city just next to the highway to [[Istanbul]] is good to grab a quick snack when driving to Istanbul. Free car-park.

Tekirdağ köftesi (meat-ball) is a famous local delicacy. There are even some people visiting the city from Istanbul at the weekends just to eat Tekirdağ köftesi. It is made of fatless meat and some spices added in (don't worry if you are not used to spices, the Tekirdağ köftesi is not heavily-spiced unlike the Mid-Eastern fashion). It's given a cylindirical shape and grilled.

Ozcanlar Restaurant, Hüseyin Pehlivan Cad. 5 (on the street descending to the Archaeology Museum, +90 282 261 29 76. Özcanlar is one of the favourite restaurants specialized in Tekirdağ köftesi. A portion, which is consisted of 10 meat-balls and hot sauce: 7-8 TL.

As Tekirdağ is a coastal city, it is possible round-the-year to taste the fresh fish. Fish restaurants are mainly scattered around the shoreline promenade. For seafood, you may try Yelken Kulüp (on the west end of shoreline promenade, tel +90 282 261 44 66) or İlhan Restaurant (next to Yelken Kulüp, tel +90 282 261 15 07). Some fish restaurants doesn't serve alcoholic beverages and state their position by locating big alkolsüz ("alcohol-free" in Turkish) signs above their entrances. It is almost certain that the fish restaurants without such a sign serves alcoholic drinks.

It is also easy to find restaurants offering "national" fast-food like kebab and döner. However, food in the cheap döner restaurants may be low-quality, but if you are more interested in getting your stomach full cheaply (some döner and tomato slices inside a half-bread sandwich costs 0.50-1.00 TL) rather than your appetite, they may be worth a visit.

There are also a few American-style fast food restaurants offering pizzas and hamburgers too. Don't expect to find McDonald's or Burger King (at least in downtown). The ones you will see are local brands.

Although traditional food in this part of Turkey is mainly dependent on vegetables with little or no meat added, they can be only found inside the households. If you are a vegetarian, you may try pizzerias (all of them have vegetarian pizzas on their menus).

It seems local desserts are of Balkan (Southeastern Europe) origin, as many towns and cities in western Turkey which are predominantly inhabited by descedants of people who immigrated from Balkans to Turkey during 19th and early 20th century take pride in being their "real" origin. Two most noteworthy are höşmerim, also called peynir helvası, which is made of cereals with some cheese dissolved and mixed in it (best to eat with some ice-cream added on top) and Hayrabolu tatlısı (also called Kemalpaşa tatlısı in some other places) which is soft, cookie-like dough rested in syrup.

The national Turkish desserts are readily available in any dessert shop.

Ozcanlar Restaurant, Hüseyin Pehlivan Cad. 5 (on the street descending to the Archaeology Museum, +90 282 261 29 76. Özcanlar is one of the favourite restaurants specialized in Tekirdağ köftesi. A portion, which is consisted of 10 meat-balls and hot sauce: 7-8 TL.

Tekirdağ raki — Connaisseurs say the best raki, Turkish national drink, is the one that is produced in Tekirdağ’s raki and wine factory (located about 2 km west of downtown). Although there are no signs on the bottles that guarantee it was produced in Tekirdağ, you can be pretty sure that any bottle you have bought in Tekirdağ is locally produced.
Wine — Hills to the southwest of Tekirdağ supply 40% of the annual wine production of Turkey. Even cheap ones deserves a try.
Cafés and tea-gardens — Tekirdağ has many cafés and tea-gardens, both indoors and outdoors. Some of them deserving a mention are as follows:
- Cezve Cafe, Eski Bedesten Sokak, 32 (on the second street to left when walking downhill on Hüseyin Pehlivan Caddesi towards the Archaeology Museum, +90 282 263-00-00. A cafe located in a renovated historical 3-storey wooden building. It's worth entering even just to take a look at how the interior of these local traditional buildings is like.
- Kahve Bahane, Atatürk Bulvarı (on the main coastal avenue, between otogar and Cumhuriyet Meydanı, the main square leading to the city centre, +90 282 262-67-50. A finely decorated cafe with an open-air section by the sidewalk.
- Liman Çay Bahçesi. It's easy to think of Tekirdağ as a little fishermen town rather than a city of 108,000 people while having a coffee in completely open-air Liman Çay Bahçesi (i.e. "Quay Tea-Garden") which commands a view of a part of the city as well as the fishermen's wharf next to which it's located. 1 TL for a glass of tea.
- Rıhtım. A cafe right at the waterfront lined with palm trees. Also has a smoking-free, fireplace-heated semi-open air section. This cafe also serves hubble bubble or nargile. Hot drinks from 1 TL, sandwiches from 2 TL.
Nightlife — While Tekirdağ is one of the cities with the highest alcohol consumption per capita in Turkey, there is no real nightlife in the city in a typical sense, only a few local pubs and discos are present. Discos are located in the first street running parallel to Atatürk Blvd (you can enter from Cumhuriyet Sq, the main entrance of downtown area from shoreline). The pubs on Şükran Sokak (also known as Sinemalar Sokağı) might be good places to observe the locals but these kinds of places traditionally tend to be men-only. Yelken Kulüp (on the west end of the shoreline promenade, tel +90 282 261 44 66) should also be mentioned as well. It has an indoor hall with a full view of the sea, and there is live music (generally local soft-rock cover bands) at some of the nights every week. 500 mL (roughly a pint) of beer costs 8 TL there.

Tekirdağ raki — Connaisseurs say the best raki, Turkish national drink, is the one that is produced in Tekirdağ’s raki and wine factory (located about 2 km west of downtown). Although there are no signs on the bottles that guarantee it was produced in Tekirdağ, you can be pretty sure that any bottle you have bought in Tekirdağ is locally produced.

Wine — Hills to the southwest of Tekirdağ supply 40% of the annual wine production of Turkey. Even cheap ones deserves a try.

Cafés and tea-gardens — Tekirdağ has many cafés and tea-gardens, both indoors and outdoors. Some of them deserving a mention are as follows:

Cezve Cafe, Eski Bedesten Sokak, 32 (on the second street to left when walking downhill on Hüseyin Pehlivan Caddesi towards the Archaeology Museum, +90 282 263-00-00. A cafe located in a renovated historical 3-storey wooden building. It's worth entering even just to take a look at how the interior of these local traditional buildings is like.
Kahve Bahane, Atatürk Bulvarı (on the main coastal avenue, between otogar and Cumhuriyet Meydanı, the main square leading to the city centre, +90 282 262-67-50. A finely decorated cafe with an open-air section by the sidewalk.
Liman Çay Bahçesi. It's easy to think of Tekirdağ as a little fishermen town rather than a city of 108,000 people while having a coffee in completely open-air Liman Çay Bahçesi (i.e. "Quay Tea-Garden") which commands a view of a part of the city as well as the fishermen's wharf next to which it's located. 1 TL for a glass of tea.
Rıhtım. A cafe right at the waterfront lined with palm trees. Also has a smoking-free, fireplace-heated semi-open air section. This cafe also serves hubble bubble or nargile. Hot drinks from 1 TL, sandwiches from 2 TL.

Cafés and tea-gardens — Tekirdağ has many cafés and tea-gardens, both indoors and outdoors. Some of them deserving a mention are as follows:

Cezve Cafe, Eski Bedesten Sokak, 32 (on the second street to left when walking downhill on Hüseyin Pehlivan Caddesi towards the Archaeology Museum, +90 282 263-00-00. A cafe located in a renovated historical 3-storey wooden building. It's worth entering even just to take a look at how the interior of these local traditional buildings is like.
Kahve Bahane, Atatürk Bulvarı (on the main coastal avenue, between otogar and Cumhuriyet Meydanı, the main square leading to the city centre, +90 282 262-67-50. A finely decorated cafe with an open-air section by the sidewalk.
Liman Çay Bahçesi. It's easy to think of Tekirdağ as a little fishermen town rather than a city of 108,000 people while having a coffee in completely open-air Liman Çay Bahçesi (i.e. "Quay Tea-Garden") which commands a view of a part of the city as well as the fishermen's wharf next to which it's located. 1 TL for a glass of tea.
Rıhtım. A cafe right at the waterfront lined with palm trees. Also has a smoking-free, fireplace-heated semi-open air section. This cafe also serves hubble bubble or nargile. Hot drinks from 1 TL, sandwiches from 2 TL.

Cafés and tea-gardens — Tekirdağ has many cafés and tea-gardens, both indoors and outdoors. Some of them deserving a mention are as follows:

Cezve Cafe, Eski Bedesten Sokak, 32 (on the second street to left when walking downhill on Hüseyin Pehlivan Caddesi towards the Archaeology Museum, +90 282 263-00-00. A cafe located in a renovated historical 3-storey wooden building. It's worth entering even just to take a look at how the interior of these local traditional buildings is like.
Kahve Bahane, Atatürk Bulvarı (on the main coastal avenue, between otogar and Cumhuriyet Meydanı, the main square leading to the city centre, +90 282 262-67-50. A finely decorated cafe with an open-air section by the sidewalk.
Liman Çay Bahçesi. It's easy to think of Tekirdağ as a little fishermen town rather than a city of 108,000 people while having a coffee in completely open-air Liman Çay Bahçesi (i.e. "Quay Tea-Garden") which commands a view of a part of the city as well as the fishermen's wharf next to which it's located. 1 TL for a glass of tea.
Rıhtım. A cafe right at the waterfront lined with palm trees. Also has a smoking-free, fireplace-heated semi-open air section. This cafe also serves hubble bubble or nargile. Hot drinks from 1 TL, sandwiches from 2 TL.

Cafés and tea-gardens — Tekirdağ has many cafés and tea-gardens, both indoors and outdoors. Some of them deserving a mention are as follows:

Cezve Cafe, Eski Bedesten Sokak, 32 (on the second street to left when walking downhill on Hüseyin Pehlivan Caddesi towards the Archaeology Museum, +90 282 263-00-00. A cafe located in a renovated historical 3-storey wooden building. It's worth entering even just to take a look at how the interior of these local traditional buildings is like.
Kahve Bahane, Atatürk Bulvarı (on the main coastal avenue, between otogar and Cumhuriyet Meydanı, the main square leading to the city centre, +90 282 262-67-50. A finely decorated cafe with an open-air section by the sidewalk.
Liman Çay Bahçesi. It's easy to think of Tekirdağ as a little fishermen town rather than a city of 108,000 people while having a coffee in completely open-air Liman Çay Bahçesi (i.e. "Quay Tea-Garden") which commands a view of a part of the city as well as the fishermen's wharf next to which it's located. 1 TL for a glass of tea.
Rıhtım. A cafe right at the waterfront lined with palm trees. Also has a smoking-free, fireplace-heated semi-open air section. This cafe also serves hubble bubble or nargile. Hot drinks from 1 TL, sandwiches from 2 TL.

Nightlife — While Tekirdağ is one of the cities with the highest alcohol consumption per capita in Turkey, there is no real nightlife in the city in a typical sense, only a few local pubs and discos are present. Discos are located in the first street running parallel to Atatürk Blvd (you can enter from Cumhuriyet Sq, the main entrance of downtown area from shoreline). The pubs on Şükran Sokak (also known as Sinemalar Sokağı) might be good places to observe the locals but these kinds of places traditionally tend to be men-only. Yelken Kulüp (on the west end of the shoreline promenade, tel +90 282 261 44 66) should also be mentioned as well. It has an indoor hall with a full view of the sea, and there is live music (generally local soft-rock cover bands) at some of the nights every week. 500 mL (roughly a pint) of beer costs 8 TL there.

Tourism information office (Turizm Danışma) – Shoreline promenade tel +90 282 261 16 98 fax +90 282 261 20 83

The website of the city council is available in Turkish and English).

The city's sole post office is on high street of downtown (Hükümet Caddesi). It is open between 8:30AM and 8:30PM. There is also a small post office in Kumbağ. It is open until 4:30PM. In both offices, it is possible to send letters and cards abroad (it might coast a little more in Kumbağ office and reaches its destination at least one day later than Tekirdağ office).

Telephone booths are pretty much everywhere in downtown area and on the shoreline. Telephone cards are available at the post office, newspaper/tobacco kiosks and Türk Telekom shops, in which it is also possible to make a call and then pay cash.

The area code of Tekirdağ (including its environs) is 282. When calling Tekirdağ from out of Turkey dial +90 282.

You can find many internet cafes in the streets leading to or parallel with the high street in the downtown area. If you cannot find, ask a local youngster. All of these internet cafes have speedy DSL connections (some even rival with the internet cafe at the next door by sticking ads which declare their DSL speed on their windows). An hourly connection at these cafes costs about 1.50 TL. Most also serve some soft drinks and snacks too.

Interland, Hüseyin Pehlivan Caddesi (in the lower end of Hüseyin Pehlivan Caddesi, that downhill street leading to Archaeology Museum, +90 282 264-22-34. Internet cafe with DSL connection in a central location.

Interland, Hüseyin Pehlivan Caddesi (in the lower end of Hüseyin Pehlivan Caddesi, that downhill street leading to Archaeology Museum, +90 282 264-22-34. Internet cafe with DSL connection in a central location.

Avoid Aydoğdu Quarter, which is predominantly inhabited by Roma people and recent immigrants from eastern parts of Turkey, especially at night. (It is already out-of-the-beaten-path anyway, not near the shoreline, not in the downtown, don't get yourself worried unnecessarily, no way you can mistakenly break into the Quarter while sightseeing). All in all, Tekirdağ is generally a very safe city.

National emergency number to call the police is 155.

Don't swim in the areas near the city center. Unfortunately there are both raw sewage discharged into the sea from several points and occasional chemical/oil pollution caused by commercial harbour activities (It is safe to swim in areas at least approximately 5 km away from the city center towards either direction).

In Tekirdağ, there is a somewhat serious air pollution/smog problem, particularly in the central parts of the city, between November and March, and especially during nights. This is mainly caused by coal combustion for heating. So asthma sufferers should take extra precaution during this time of the year, stay indoors or somewhere out of city centre at nights or avoid visiting at all in winter if possible. However, with the extension of the city-wide natural gas pipeline network, this problem will probably be solved substantially within one or two years, by winter 2009-2010.

National emergency number to call an ambulance is 112.

As a city which is slightly off-the-beaten path, you will encounter less English-speaking people. This is not to mean that nobody in Tekirdağ can speak English, but you may have to look for a little more than the usual in more tourism-oriented towns of western and southern Turkey. And you can also take it on the bright side: you will never come across with a tout in Tekirdağ.

All parts of Tekirdağ and surrounding region is well within the coverage area of all three cell phone line providers of Turkey. The only area without coverage is some parts of Mt Ganos with their disadvantaged geography (being far away from villages, and there are lots of deep valleys in the area which hinder cell phone waves).

There are two consulates in the city.

Bulgaria Honourary Consulate of Bulgaria, Turgut Mh., Rıhtım Caddesi 13/2 (access from Cumhuriyet Meydanı - the main square when entering the city centre, +90 282 261-94-87.
Hungary Honourary Consulate of Hungary, Orduevi Caddesi 21, Günaydın Apartmanı (on the street leading towards the coast from old bazaar - Bedesten, +90 282 263-03-13.

Bulgaria Honourary Consulate of Bulgaria, Turgut Mh., Rıhtım Caddesi 13/2 (access from Cumhuriyet Meydanı - the main square when entering the city centre, +90 282 261-94-87.

Hungary Honourary Consulate of Hungary, Orduevi Caddesi 21, Günaydın Apartmanı (on the street leading towards the coast from old bazaar - Bedesten, +90 282 263-03-13.

Kumbağ — A town 13 km southwest of Tekirdağ known for its long sandy beaches and somewhat-kitsch entertainment venues (bars, etc.) To the south of the town, over the cliffs starting right next to the shoreline is a pine forest. Inside the forest, there is a restaurant which overlooks the sea and an area with picnic facilities. The unpaved road running through the forest eventually reaches Yeniköy paragliding area (about 10 km away from Kumbağ) and Uçmakdere (see below; about 20 km away from Kumbağ)
Marmara Ereğlisi — A coastal town 40 km east of Tekirdağ, on the highway to Istanbul. This is the site of ancient Perinthos, some worn remnants of which lies around.
Şarköy – Mürefte – Uçmakdere area — This area is known for wines it produce. All along the main road running through this area, you'll see nice villages on the top of the hills, and between the villages everywhere is covered by olive-, and vineyards. This area also has many wine factories, some of which are very famous, and it is possible to winetaste in many of these factories. Two places which deserve a special interest are the Hora Lighthouse, which was built by the French in late 1800s in today's Hoşköy, and Uçmakdere village, which is located in a deep valley, and about 2 km away from the sea to escape pirate raids. The village is probably one of the best-conserved villages in its original shape in the region. There are also many remains (like fountains, or wineries) from Greeks apart from houses in the village too. Although the beach of the village is stony, the sea here is just as clean as it would be a thousand years ago. Behind the village is the Kartalbaşı summit, one of the highest summits (about 900 mt higher than sea elevation) of Mt Ganos (and also of Turkish Thrace) with an eagle-head shaped rock watching over deep, forested valleys below. This place was a sacred site in ancient times. You can reach Kartalbaşı summit from Uçmakdere (follow the trail starting behind the village) at about two and a half hours but before trying that, it may be wise to be in good condition since some parts of the trail is quite dangerous.

You can reach this area either by first taking the highway to Keşan (D110/E84) and then turning left (to D555) in the junction you'll come across about 40 km away from Tekirdağ (there is a Şarköy sign in that junction) or via the unpaved forest road winding around the foothills of Mt Ganos, starting from the hill behind Kumbağ.

Some travel companies in Istanbul offer winetasting trips in autumn or trekking tours to the aforementioned summit in anytime of the year in this region.

Marmara Island, the uninhabited northern side of which is almost always easily visible from Tekirdağ (except the most humid and the most misty/foggy days) and Avşa further south of the main island are connected to Tekirdağ by frequent ferries and make great excursions once you are done in the city. From the islands, you may head south to Erdek on Asian mainland to draw a half-circle around the Sea of Marmara, or to head further south to Izmir via Bandırma.

Here is a quick list of best spots to try hitching and how to get to them:

East (to Istanbul) - Take public minibus (navy blue) #2 from otogar, or yellow private minibus #1 from downtown. Get off at the stop in front of 'Maxi Centre' mall, there's a good spot after the crossroad with traffic lights.
West (to Keşan/Greece/Çanakkale/Aegean Turkey) - Take public minibus (navy blue) #1 from otogar or downtown, or dark yellow private minibus 'Altinova' from downtown. Get off the minibus in the highway on-ramp. Walk to the other side of the on-ramp. That's the best you can get. (Instead of paying for the public transport, you can also walk to this spot from city centre, it takes about one and a half to two hours on foot via a pleasant sidewalk with trees and lawns)
North (to Muratli/Edirne) – Take public minibus (navy blue) #10 from otogar or downtown. Get off the minibus as soon as it leaves the main street and turns right into a narrower road. That's a good place.
Southwest (to Kumbag) – This direction is hard to hitch (not hard to raise a thumb in itself but it's hard to succeed) and realistically it doesn't really worth it as the most far-away place you can get to on this road is Kumbag, which is only 13 km away from downtown Tekirdag and can be reached by minibuses in exchange of a few liras. If you have a lot of free time, and if your wallet is equivalently free of its load, however, you can try public minibus #1 or dark yellow private minibus 'Altinova', get off at the small bridge at the edge of the district (where you'll see a 'Welcome to Barbaros' sign, which proclaims that you are no more in the city of Tekirdag, but rather in a neighbouring town) and try your luck there.

East (to [[Istanbul]]) - Take public minibus (navy blue) #2 from otogar, or yellow private minibus #1 from downtown. Get off at the stop in front of 'Maxi Centre' mall, there's a good spot after the crossroad with traffic lights.

West (to [[Keşan]]/[[Greece]]/[[Çanakkale]]/[[Aegean Turkey]]) - Take public minibus (navy blue) #1 from otogar or downtown, or dark yellow private minibus 'Altinova' from downtown. Get off the minibus in the highway on-ramp. Walk to the other side of the on-ramp. That's the best you can get. (Instead of paying for the public transport, you can also walk to this spot from city centre, it takes about one and a half to two hours on foot via a pleasant sidewalk with trees and lawns)

North (to [[Muratli]]/[[Edirne]]) – Take public minibus (navy blue) #10 from otogar or downtown. Get off the minibus as soon as it leaves the main street and turns right into a narrower road. That's a good place.

Southwest (to [[Kumbag]]) – This direction is hard to hitch (not hard to raise a thumb in itself but it's hard to succeed) and realistically it doesn't really worth it as the most far-away place you can get to on this road is Kumbag, which is only 13 km away from downtown Tekirdag and can be reached by minibuses in exchange of a few liras. If you have a lot of free time, and if your wallet is equivalently free of its load, however, you can try public minibus #1 or dark yellow private minibus 'Altinova', get off at the small bridge at the edge of the district (where you'll see a 'Welcome to Barbaros' sign, which proclaims that you are no more in the city of Tekirdag, but rather in a neighbouring town) and try your luck there.

[[Kumbağ]] — A town 13 km southwest of Tekirdağ known for its long sandy beaches and somewhat-kitsch entertainment venues (bars, etc.) To the south of the town, over the cliffs starting right next to the shoreline is a pine forest. Inside the forest, there is a restaurant which overlooks the sea and an area with picnic facilities. The unpaved road running through the forest eventually reaches Yeniköy paragliding area (about 10 km away from Kumbağ) and Uçmakdere (see below; about 20 km away from Kumbağ)

[[Marmara Ereğlisi]] — A coastal town 40 km east of Tekirdağ, on the highway to Istanbul. This is the site of ancient Perinthos, some worn remnants of which lies around.

[[Şarköy District|Şarköy – Mürefte – Uçmakdere]] area — This area is known for wines it produce. All along the main road running through this area, you'll see nice villages on the top of the hills, and between the villages everywhere is covered by olive-, and vineyards. This area also has many wine factories, some of which are very famous, and it is possible to winetaste in many of these factories. Two places which deserve a special interest are the Hora Lighthouse, which was built by the French in late 1800s in today's [[Hoşköy]], and Uçmakdere village, which is located in a deep valley, and about 2 km away from the sea to escape pirate raids. The village is probably one of the best-conserved villages in its original shape in the region. There are also many remains (like fountains, or wineries) from Greeks apart from houses in the village too. Although the beach of the village is stony, the sea here is just as clean as it would be a thousand years ago. Behind the village is the Kartalbaşı summit, one of the highest summits (about 900 mt higher than sea elevation) of Mt Ganos (and also of [[Eastern Thrace|Turkish Thrace]]) with an eagle-head shaped rock watching over deep, forested valleys below. This place was a sacred site in ancient times. You can reach Kartalbaşı summit from Uçmakdere (follow the trail starting behind the village) at about two and a half hours but before trying that, it may be wise to be in good condition since some parts of the trail is quite dangerous.