Topkapi Palace

An amazing place to visit and an absolute must if you’re visiting Istanbul. I highly recommend to take your time to visit this place and not to hurry but to take a guided tour and not to plan anything more for this day, at least nothing too challenging. The palace is a gem of architecture and it tells a very interesting and long story of an Ottoman dynasty that ruled over Türkiye for over 6 centuries. It shows the secrets that had been hidden for many years.

This is a MUST place to visit when in Istanbul BUT DO NOT get tempted to buy the “skip the line tickets”. They are much more expensive and don’t really save much time. We entered the palace in one gate , went thru security only to find out that we had to leave the palace in order to find the company’s agent and get the voucher, wait for the guy, go thru security the again and wait for the whole group to gather and enter the palace together. This process was very long…. The palace itself is amazing! So much to see. It gets very busy so you get to wait on long lines to enter the different exhibits . It is better to get there as early as possible .

Divided into courts, kitchen and harem a visit to Topkapı Palace displays immaculate grounds and some of Istanbul’s most treasured artifacts. Found in Fatih Topkapı served as the Ottoman administrative center for nearly 400 years and was also the Sultans’ main residence following the conquest of Constantinople. Best accessed by buying online tickets to circumvent the line the palace displays artifacts from Muhammad and Moses plus several buildings full of ornate furniture. Plan to spend 2-3 hours depending on lines for busier areas.

This is a vast complex with loads of separate buildings. Would suggest focusing on the things you are really interested in. We did the Harem (a highlight, well worth buying the additional ticket for), the Treasury (jewells) and Armoury. Grounds were lovely and there is a great view of the Bosporus if you go to the far end of the site.

We purchased the ticket to the harem, too, with the free audio guide. What the don't tell you is, to get the audio you need to hand over ID, passport or driving licence will do!!!! Therefore, 1 guide for 6.. we found it pointless and wasn't used in the end! The gardens are in all large Courtyards as you go through the complex. All are stunning. However, the rooms are just empty brick rooms. The music room, for instance; a marker to say it was the music room but empty of anything. For all I know, it was a cupboard! The harem was a real disappointment.. nothing brick rooms, culminating in one room with meaningful furniture, the Sultans room. I would say, go into the first garden for free and you've seen it all. There is the Hagia Irine within the grounds. As an interest in Medieval history, I loved the Hagia and was the highlight in the Palace for me. However, like the rest of the Palace - empty! It's beautiful to me in its history, and I can imagine what it did look like, but as a religious site, it is neglected sadly.