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Travel bucket list idea:

Last updated: 24 June, 2023
Expert travel writer: Dana Facaros

In 1453, Mehmet the Conqueror found the old Byzantine Great Palace uninhabitable, so he built a new one – the opulent Topkapi Palace – which set the style and remained the seat of power for centuries.

Other more flamboyant Sultans followed suit, no expense spared, in building their own palaces and monuments. The result was a legacy of 11 extravagant palaces, reaching a dizzying level of crystal chandelier splendour in the Dolmabahce Palace. Some of the palaces are summer houses and mansions, one (the Ciragan Palace) is now a 5-star hotel, but many are retained as museums.

Recommendations

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Beylerbeyi Palace

Istanbul , Marmara Region, Turkey

Waterfront palace flanked by trees on a sunny day

Built in 1865 by Sultan Abdulaziz (1830–1876) as a summer residence and to entertain guests, this stunning palace offers a fascinating insight into the grandeur of the Ottoman Empire and the decadent lifestyles of its sultans.

Adult price: £3

Best for ages 18+

Dolmabahce Palace

Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey

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Bucket List Experience
Exterior view of grand, waterfront palace on a sunny day

An extraordinarily opulent 19th-century palace that blends Ottoman architecture with Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles.

Adult price: £9

Best for ages 18+

Kucuksu Palace

Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey

Rectangular waterfront palace with gate leading directly onto water

On the lesser-explored Asian side of Istanbul, this petite palace, built in 1857, served as a hunting lodge and summer retreat for Sultan Abdulmecid I. Inside, it’s lavishly furnished with crystal chandeliers, marble fireplaces and Persian rugs. It’s open to the public as a museum.

Adult price: £1

Best for ages 18+

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More details >

Tekfur Palace

Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey

Ruins of former palace

One of the city’s oldest and best-preserved Byzantine palaces, the Tekfur Palace aka ‘Palace of the Porphyrogenitus’ was built during the 12th century as a royal residence for the Byzantine emperors. It now lies abandoned, with ruins for visitors to explore.

Adult price: £2

Best for ages 18+

Website >
More details >

Topkapi Palace

Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey

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Bucket List Experience
Palace building on a sunny day with trees in foreground

The 15th and-16th century home of the Ottoman Sultans, this magnificently decadent palace is a perfectly preserved time capsule of life at the top in this most exotic of empires.

Adult price: £17

Best for ages 18+

Logistics

Price from: £2
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 8+
When: All year around

Who to go with: organised tours

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Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Topkapi Palace and Harem guided tour with skip-the-line tickets

Istanbul

Topkapi Palace and Harem guided tour with skip-the-line tickets
Discover the history and myths of Ottoman Istanbul with a small-group guided tour Get priority admission tickets and avoid long lines with an expert guide Witness the Harem with your own eyes, the private quarters and home of the Sultans. See the Holy Relics, Imperial Kitchens, Royal Court, and the terraced gardens with tulips. Admire incredible views of the Bosphorus as you look out over the city Get tips from your guide at the end of the tour about what to see next

Price: €67

Min age: 0

Rating 4.64 / 5 [79 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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2 Continents Tour incl. Beylerbeyi Palace [full-day]

Istanbul

2 Continents Tour incl. Beylerbeyi Palace [full-day]
Travel by boat and discover the sights from the Bosphorus. Visit the Beylerbeyi Palace. Enjoy your coffee on Camlica Hill, which has a perfect view of the Bosphorus. For more than 1500 years Istanbul was the capital of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. With one arm reaching out to Asia and the other to Europe, İstanbul is the only city in the world built on two continents. 

Price: €150

Min age: 0

Rating 5 / 5 [8 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Topkapi Palace & Surroundings Private Tour With Locals

Istanbul

Topkapi Palace & Surroundings Private Tour With Locals
There's plenty to see inside and outside of the Topkapi Palace. And with a skip the line ticket, you're set to enjoy this attraction to the max. So, don't wait long to enter this attraction - there's no time to lose with this private skip the line tour! Your local guide will leave no details behind. Check out Topkapi library, Topkapi harem, plus the many treasures that can only be found in this worldwide-known attraction. With a local guide by your side, you get the ins and outs, answers to your Topkapi Palace questions, and a different and personalized perspective of the attraction. Withlocals Skip the Line Private Tour™ is one of Withlocals' signature tours available in major cities worldwide. We work with passionate local guides who earn a fair fee. We support local economies by only offering local products and preventing over-tourism with only small non-intrusive groups. Our tours are carbon-neutral and away from the standard tourist routes.

Price: €103

Min age: 0

Rating 4.33 / 5 [6 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Destination guides

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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Istanbul

Marmara Region, Turkey

Large illuminated mosque at night with sea in background

Exotic, inexhaustible and dynamic – East meets West head-on in this mesmerising city metropolis, famed for its extraordinarily rich history, superb food and shopping, and mind-blowingly magnificent, over-sized mosques.