Topkapi Palace Museum
Open
Monday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Address
Cankurtaran, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey

Topkapi Palace Museum

Cankurtaran, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey

RATING (4.6)

Reviews

Fredrick Sylar
Fredrick Sylar
in the last week

This museum is so huge, you'd best visit as soon as it opens. Genuinely astounding designs, beautifully preserved and taken care of, it gives a true feeling of the time and era it was made in. If you were a Muslim or interested in Islamic History, do yourself a huge favour and visit the attraction containing belongings of the Prophet and his Caliphates (taking photos isn't allowed there). For me, it was one of the most breathtaking sites to behold and brought my eyes to tears.

Nu Vistic
Nu Vistic
3 weeks ago

Interesting, very busy, but almost none of what made the Sultans lives a home were available to see. The personal nature of the Sultans obscured by relics of decorum. Quite a few Sultans occupied the palace at one time or another. Still, the architecture was interesting, symmetrical, but not what I would consider beautiful. I had to keep reminding myself that the artifacts were made many hundreds of years ago before current technologies. Diamonds and gold were once valuable and unattainable by most everyone. Now diamonds are manufactured and sold for $2 a piece and gold and gold-like metals are plated onto everything. None of the palaces are older than about 500 years. Which makes them recent history. Still, the stories told about the Sultan's family lives are interesting. The kitchen impressive based on its lack of technology. The view of the ocean and river enviable. Guidepost.us

Abdul Abdali
Abdul Abdali
in the last week

An amazing experience that is indescribable. Many of the attractions in Istanbul are beautiful beyond imagination but very few are as fundamentally Ottoman as the Topkapi palace. I highly recommend visiting this beautiful pearl early in your trip and earlier in the morning as tour groups are numerous and it can become crowded. That being said, there are plenty of sites to see and do it at your own pace if possible. On my first visit, we had a tour guide. We very quickly got separated and never found her again. Which I am actually very glad for because we had the opportunity to explore at our own pace. They do have audio guides available for rent which you might consider.

Zakia Syifa
Zakia Syifa
in the last week

Queue could get really long (up to 30 mins queue), so spare sometime for that. Museum pass is a better deal if you are planning to visit a couple of museums in Istanbul/Turkey during your visit. However, some inside exhibits like Harem in this museum requires a separate ticket. For this museum, there is a free audio guide apps you can download and help to give you some context to what you are seeing. Audio guide by the museum is more complete, but it also requires extra bucks. As a big fan of museum, I find it very eye-opening to have audio guide, so it is worth it.

Patricia Tan
Patricia Tan
a week ago

Absolutely beautiful. The gardens were lovely to stroll in, I can’t imagine what they looked like at their peak. Fantastic views of the Bosphorus (when the skies are clear). Besides learning about the rich Ottoman culture (from the desserts they ate to the weapons they used), I found the design of the ceilings and walls fascinating. A combination of tiles with varied patterns and colours adjacent to each other makes the interior so much more striking. Worth a few visits :) Weekday late afternoon crowd was manageable.

Open
Monday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Address
Cankurtaran, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey