Istanbul Archaeological Museum

With over a hundred thousand pieces and 4,000+ years of history The Istanbul Archaeological Museum spreads across three buildings including the Museum of the Ancient Orient and Tiled Pavilion. Easily accessed near Topkapı Palace guests will find everything from jewels and weapons to sarcophagi from the Royal Necropolis of Sidon. Currently under renovation, though the Archaeology Museum and Tiled Pavilion are currently accessible, expect to spend 2-3 hours here to garner a good understanding of ancient history up through the Ottoman Empire.

I have visited many archaeological museums but this one ranks in the top 3. Stunning collection, beautifully laid out and lit. Nice details in English. The garden is also wonderful. Sadly The Museum of Ancient Orient was closed due to renovations. So many beautiful things to see.

So many amazing ancient sculptures and art pieces. Civilizations across thousands of years represented in well preserved exhibits.

! Never a dull moment. Lots of interesting information and archeology has never been more enlightening than what this museum has shown it to be. Start with the outdoor display if the weather is good. Take it slowly and enjoy the display of friezes, statues and sarcophagi etc. The indoor display is massive. Two storeys and many halls — from statues to pottery & ceramics and gold coins. Extremely educational. I learn a lot from the 4 to 5 hours that I spend at the museum. The only reason for some of us to leave the museum is its closing time! Ticket is only 100 lira — under-priced in my view!

Istanbul is an amazing city with spans both Europe and Asia and has one of the most diverse populations (16.5 mil) of any city I have visited. The museum is on the European side and houses amazing sculpture and every day living items. I spent about an hour there (arrived 10:15)and the crowds were small. We stayed on the Asian side at the Hilton of the Bosporus Straits which was about 4 miles to the ancient city and the ride took 2 1/2 hours thru horrendous traffic. It was like a ballet how the taxis, private vehicles and pedestrians all merged. No horns, cars were mostly new without damage and drivers accommodatingly aggressive but letting traffic flow. I would never recommend renting a car and trying to negotiate thru the city. Streets are mostly not well marked, no parking and slow. I would highly recommend getting a tour guide and driver for any touring the sights. Your concierge at the hotel or word of mouth is the best way to find a guide. All “approved” guides have to pass tests and are licensed by the city. The first day we would not have found a ride (4 miles) back to the Hilton, taxi drivers just refused to take us back across the city or they would just ignore you. Our guide literally argued with a driver and threatened to turn him in if a did not take us as passengers. The Blue Mosque has a very long line for entry as is at first intimidating but the way they clear the mosque and reload tourist makes the line move faster than one would expect. There was also renovation with about 1/2 of the mosque covered inside by tarps. If you have seen other mosques and the tile work, you might consider some of the smaller mosques and take pictures from outside the Blue Mosque which are pretty impressive. Your guide can help here. The best and oldest bath is also difficult to find as it is marked by a small 1’ x 3’ sign on the side by the entrance. Even with a map it is hard to get your bearings. Definitely do miss the cistern in the old city as it is unlike the other sites and not generally open to the public. Most places take credit cards but a couple hundred $ in local currency (not euros) is advisable. The spice bazaar and Grand Bazaar is impressive but mostly the same items and very crowded. The locals were very friendly, mostly spoke the local dialects with little english and the restaurants with roof top dining were amazing. Unlike any major city I have ever visited because of the diversity, we never felt unsafe and travelled without hassles, of course we did not walk around the city late at night.