Best Team Building Activities in Istanbul
Audrey Heath · Updated 24 April 2022
Istanbul is not only a great destination for its historical sites, cuisine, and great activities, but it also offers many activities for team building. These fun team building activities not only foster the team spirit while increasing the morale but also will bond everyone having shared unique unforgettable experiences to be talked about even after years.
Let’s face it, we need to gather together in physical spaces after having to do virtual team building activities for months now.
We have compiled 10 great team building activities for you in Istanbul.
1. Lost in the Old City
Lost in the city is one of the outdoor team building activities, a very popular one and it consists of city quests, scavenger hunt and treasure hunt. Your team is divided into smaller teams and teams will be racing against the time, solving tasks by walking around the old city and surroundings, finding locations, getting creative with video and photo challenges and collecting items for around 2 hours.
There are usually 15 tasks to be finished and the group with the highest number of tasks finished will win the race. As they become united by a common purpose, it will fuel the team spirit and at the same time, they will be excited to finish the tasks in creative ways in the mysterious and magical parts of Istanbul.
It is a very special team building activity, garmented with fun and social aspects and also, it enables team members to be engaged with each other fostering team bonding. Teams and guests will have the chance to dive into the Sultanahmet and the Old City area in Istanbul, exploring Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and new traditional Turkish places to go for team building in İstanbul and recording their favorite moments, maybe with a pinch of the friendly challenge 🙂
Your team building experience can be customized by adding a new product or questions/tasks related to your meeting. It is also possible to give a prize to the winner group or all members to make activity more competitive and fun!
2. Cooking Class
As the name suggests itself, cooking classes are one of the indoor activities in Istanbul. It is designed to spend an enjoyable time and to get to know mesmerizing Turkish cuisine. Firstly, meals are cooked alongside professional chefs and everybody contributes and participates. Later, those meals are served and everyone enjoys them together.
This team building activity in Istanbul is a great way to explore delicious local flavors along with fellow friends and colleagues. You get to taste the authentic dishes at regular restaurants, and why not taste your self-made mouth-watering dishes. This is the best way to get to know your friends and colleagues and maybe, uncover the hidden chefs among you!
3 Dragon Boat
Dragon Boat is one of the best sports activities in Istanbul. It takes place in the glamorous Golden Horn or Maltepe. The group is seated on the two sides of the boat as 6-7 people and they compete against the other boats. It is one of the best activities in Istanbul for team building as it strongly requires group harmony, collective effort, and strength.
The group will have the chance to enjoy the breeze from the sea while paddling and it will certainly fuel the team spirit. Rowing in the calmness while the adrenaline for competition kicking, it is a not-to-miss event for not only international groups but also locals.
4. Bosphorus with Friends
Who doesn’t want to roam around in the cool waters of Bosphorus, relaxing and socializing with a cocktail at hand enjoying the breeze from the sea? By renting a yacht, you can get a tour only, 2 cocktails or you can have lunch or dinner on the yacht.
This activity is equally fun with friends and colleagues and in fact renting a boat and yacht is one of the favorite corporate team building events in Istanbul as it truly takes the steam off and increases the morale and mood. This could be an excellent activity after Lost in the Old City or Lost in the Bazaar to shake off all the excitement of the competition, have lunch at the Bosphorus or have a gala night and chill out.
5. Lost in the Bazaar
Grand Bazaar is one the most well-known parts of Istanbul with 66 streets and over 3000 shops and all visitors add this landmark to explore the magical paths and glamorous stores to their must-do Istanbul activities.
With this activity, after a short brief, you will have to chance to get lost in the mazes of the Bazaar and its surroundings while finishing up the tasks, racing against the time. You will be divided into smaller groups and you will try to have most tasks done in 2 hours. If it is possible to not get distracted by the mesmerizing stores, and feel the urge to shop immediately, you might actually win against the other competing group 😉 It is a great hunt team building activity for igniting the team spirit and having fun.
6. Sailing
Feeling the power of wind while gliding between waves is a unique experience where acting as a crew matters the most. You will certainly enjoy the breeze from the amazing Marmara Sea, and the breathtaking skyline. If you are lucky, you might even see a dolphin family on the way!
We’ll start from the marina at the Asian side of the Bosphorus with a half-day option day where we’ll sail to Princess Islands and return, and another full-day option with a nice tour of Princes’ Island included. All the equipment required training and briefing beforehand will be provided. This event will give you the opportunity to boost motivation and it is one of the best team building exercises. It’s an amazing experience to discover, right amid Istanbul.
7. Istanbul Food Tour
Who doesn’t want to savor the delicious authentic dishes while exploring the city? This tour will give you the chance to get to know the stories behind the local dishes and you will eat like a local! This culinary exploration will certainly appease your taste buds and it will unify you with your fellow friends while discovering hidden gems of Istanbul.
Also, exploring Turkish cuisine will show you the true hospitality of the Turkish people. From the most delicious kebabs to renowned mezes, a tour like this will never disappoint and with a variety of Turkish cuisine, it is almost certain that everyone will have a different favorite to pick.
8. Cocktail Workshop
This workshop takes approximately 2 hours with the company of a professional mixologist and you will enjoy three types of cocktails, made with gin, whiskey, or vodka. Getting to create your own cocktails is where you can get creative with maybe some inspiration from your teammates.
This event is a great way to discover differences in tastes and get to know your friends and colleagues. It might come as a surprise that your boss is into appletini 🙂 After the workshop, you will have a nonalcoholic drink mix as a gift. Plus, nothing beats the feeling of a self-made quality drink after a long day, right?
9. Turkish Bath
Well, when we talk about Turkey and events in Turkey it would be silly to miss an event including Turkish Bath. At this activity, you will have the access to one of the most beautiful and famous hamams in the Sultanahmet area.
This experience not only comes with access to hamam, but you will also have fun with bubbles, cleanse spiritually in the magical atmosphere while cleansing physically and have different spa and massage options at hand. Once you lay down on the very famous hot hamam stone, you will never want to leave as your muscles start to relax and release. It is definitely a memorable fun experience to share with friends.
10. Ebru – Paper Marbling Workshop
Ebru or Paper Marbling is an art form that is very unique in terms of the technique required since it is basically painting on the water. At this workshop, you will have the chance to see an artist create mesmerizing art pieces with only color pigments, water, and paper.
You make the most expressionist art pieces as you will have all your creative potential unlocked. It is a great way to connect with your friends and colleagues as you share this experience and get to keep the self-made art pieces you created together. Best souvenir to keep!
Are you ready to plan your next vacation filled with team building İstanbul activities?
Because organizing a team building activity in Istanbul is a fantastic way to make the most of your incentive trip!
Our team events will help to;
- building a sense of team spirit
- gain goal-oriented perspective
- make an evaluation that is centered on the individual and the organization
- determination of weak connections, as well as work on performance improvement
- develop a strategic and problem solving mindset with the creative games played
You can contact us to plan your corporate events and activities in Istanbul. We will receive a detailed brief from you regarding the number of guests (your employees and executives), the activities you want to take part in, and the places you visit (or our recommendations). Besides complementing your corporate visits to Istanbul, Oskar Tours can help you organize team building activities İstanbul, dinners, and workshops after your conference or company event.