Museums and galleries in Istanbul

Museums and galleries in Istanbul

1. 
   SeeHistoric siteHistorical Peninsula

   Hagia Sophia

   Aya Sofya

   The third and grandest of the churches on this site, completed in 537 AD. The 30-m diameter dome covers what was for over 1000 years the largest enclosed space in the world, only surpassed in 1520 by Seville cathedral. It used "pendentive" architecture to throw the dome's weight onto four stout pillars, a design that inspired many Eastern Orthodox churches and Ottoman mosques. It became a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453, remaining so until 1931. It was then a museum until 2020 when it was again proclaimed a mosque. That means you must work around prayer times and dress appropriately. Very cheap disposable headscarves are available for purchase outside the building.

   24 hours·Adult €25 · Heritage listed · Wheelchair accessible
2. 
   SeeHistoric churchHistorical Peninsula

   Kariye Mosque

   Chora Church

   Chora means countryside, and when built as a monastery in the 4th century it stood outside the Constantine walls; a century later, it was incorporated into the Theodosian walls. It was rebuilt in the 11th century then wrecked by an earthquake, so the structure and fabulous mosaics you see now are from the 14th century. When the church was converted to a mosque in 1500 the mosaics were plastered over, and only restored in 1958 when it became a museum. In 2020 it was again proclaimed a mosque but here (unlike Fethiye Mosque) they saw the sense and tourist income of preserving the mosaics. About 15 minutes before prayer times, visitors are sent out and (if they have kept their ticket) can come back around half an hour later through the main entrance. Those who attend prayer are sent out after prayer; they cannot stay to visit and can only access the parts of the chora that lead to the prayer room.

   Sat-Thu 09:00-18:00·Free for Turkish citizens, 20€ for everyone else · Heritage listed · Wheelchair accessible
3. 
   SeeCity gateEuropean Bosphorus

   Dolmabahce Palace

   Dolmabahçe Sarayı

   This lavish palace with 285 rooms and 43 halls was the admin centre for the Ottoman Empire in its last 60 years. The palace government block (Selamlık) includes the Imperial Mabeyn (State Apartments) and Muayede Hall (Ceremonial Hall), while the Imperial Harem was the sultan's private quarters. Also here are the Painting Gallery, Music Museum, Clock Museum and Museum of Palace Collections. Free audio guide in several languages available by the ticket office. No photography inside, no backpacks but you can leave them in the cloakroom. Allow 3 hours to see everything.

   Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00·Foreigners pay 1200 TL for Selamlık + Harem + Painting Museum, Domestic Visitors 170 TL, Müzeumkart not accepted · Wheelchair accessible
4. 
   SeeMuseumAsian Bosphorus

   Beylerbeyi Palace

   Beylerbeyi Sarayı

   Bling palace-cum-summer house in mid-19th-century Ottoman style. Notable for its reception hall, bathing pavilion, and second floor restroom with spectacular Bosphorus view. Visit by guided tour only, these start every half-hour.

   Tue-Sun 09:00-16:00·60 TL
5. 
   SeeAttractionEuropean Bosphorus

   Yıldız Palace

   Yıldız Sarayı

   A vast complex of former imperial Ottoman pavilions and villas in Istanbul, Turkey, built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was used as a residence by the Sultan and his court in the late 19th century.

   08:00–19:00 during summer, and till 17:00 during winter·Free
6. 
   SeeAttractionAsian Bosphorus

   Maiden's Tower

   Kız Kulesi

   One of the icons of the city is also called the Leander's Tower, on a Bosphorus islet off Salacak. The local myth ascribes its name to a princess, whose father wanted to protect her in this offshore tower from a prophecy that she would be killed by a snakebite on her birthday, but the snake found its way inside a basket of fruits — ironically a birthday present from her father — and you've probably already guessed the rest of the story. In actual timeline, it served as a defensive structure (there was a wall connecting it to the Asian mainland, and the Byzantines used to stretch a chain from here to the European mainland across the mouth of the Bosphorus to shut it to adversary shipping in times of conflict, but they didn't during the final Ottoman siege in 1453), as a customs and quarantine station, as a lighthouse, as a warehouse of various sorts of goods, and as a high-end restaurant before the last restoration finished in 2023 dedicated it as a museum. There is a light show viewable from the mainland every day at 21:00.

   Daily 09:00-20:00·€27 + 50 TL boat trip
7. 
   SeeMuseumGalata

   Museum of Innocence

   Masumiyet Müzesi

   Opened in 2012, this museum is unique and a must-see when you are in the Beyoğlu area. It was created by Turkish Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk alongside a novel of the same name. It tells the love story of the two main characters from the novel, and represents life in Istanbul during the late 1970s to early 1980s, as it exhibits thousands of objects from that era.

   Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, Thu 10:00-21:00·40 TL, 30 TL students, free admission on presentation of the novel
8. 
   SeeMuseumHistorical Peninsula

   Palace of the Porphyrogenitus

   Tekfur Sarayı

   The Byzantines built several great palaces in Constantinople and this is the only one to survive almost intact. It's from the late 13th century, in typical alternating marble and red-brick rows, and was an imperial residence: Porphyrogenitus means "born to the purple" indicating the heir to the crown. Yet it was merely an annex or pavilion within the much greater Palace of Blachernae, of which nothing else remains. It's set within the north end of the Theodosian Walls and was much bashed during the Ottoman capture. Later it was variously a menagerie, brothel, pottery, poorhouse and bottle works, then fell derelict in the 20th century. In 2021 it re-opened as a museum.

   Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00·Adult 300 TL
9. 
   SeeMuseumGalata

   Miniaturk

   It was built in 2001 and is the first miniature park in Istanbul (the world's largest miniature park in respect to its model area). The park hosts icons of many cultures and civilizations. Models vary from the Hagia Sophia to Galata Tower, from Safranbolu Houses to the Sumela Monastery in Trabzon, from Qubbat As-Sakhrah to the ruins of Mount Nemrut. In addition, some works that have not survived into the present, such as the Temple of Artemis, the Halicarnassus Mausoleum and Ajyad Castle, were recreated. All former Ottoman Empire in one place.

   Daily 09:00-18:00·250 TL; concession for domestic visitors · Wheelchair accessible
10. 
    SeeAttractionHistorical Peninsula

    Fatih Mosque

    The original mosque was built between 1463-1470 by the Greek architect Atik Sinan, by order of Sultan Mehmet II the Conqueror, on the site of the former Church of the Holy Apostles, which had served as Byzantine Imperial burial place for a thousand years. The grand complex with eight medreses, a library, hospital, hospice, caravanserai, market, hamam, primary school and public soup kitchen was smashed again and again by earthquakes, and the present building is from 1771 to a different design. The interior is lavish, and outside is the ornate tomb of Mehmet II and his wife Gülbahar Hatun.

    Free
11. 
    SeeMuseumGalata

    Pera Museum

    Pera Müzesi

    A private museum with a large painting collection and archaeological collections of measurement units and tools used in Asia Minor since antiquity and faiences of Kütahya.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-19:00, Sun 12:00-18:00·20 TL, concession 10 TL, free on Fridays 18:00–22:00, students free on Wednesdays
12. 
    SeeArt museumGalata

    İstanbul Modern

    A nice, organized museum with contemporary installations. It may be seen as overpriced given its small size. It also has a simple cafe.

    Tue-Thu Sat Sun 10:00-18:00, Fri to 20:00·350 TL, concessions for students and domestic visitors
13. 
    SeeMuseumHistorical Peninsula

    Fethiye Mosque

    Pammakaristos Church

    The Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos ("All-Blessed Mother of God") was built between the 11th and 12th centuries. The parekklesion or side-chapel was added maybe 1300, with rich mosaics. The main building became a mosque in 1591, named for Sultan Murad III's conquest (fetih, hence Fethiye) of Georgia and Azerbaijan: the interior was opened up, but the chapel was undisturbed and in modern times became a museum. In 2020 the entire building was proclaimed a mosque, and every scrap of Byzantine artistry was covered up, so now there's nothing worth seeing.

    Free
14. 
    SeeHistory museumHistorical Peninsula

    Theodosius Cistern

    Şerefiye Sarnıcı

    This was rediscovered in 2010 when an overlying building was demolished. It was built circa 430 AD to store water brought in by Valens Aqueduct. It's smaller than the better-known Basilica Cistern, but better lit, more atmospheric and less touristy.

    Daily 09:00-19:00·Adult 650 TL · Entry 650TRY
15. 
    BuyHistorical Peninsula

    Grand Bazaar

    Kapalı Çarşı

    Vast historic covered bazaar with over 4400 shops. These are organized around their wares, so the silver jewellers are clustered together, shoe shops are together in another alley, and so on. Prices are double those elsewhere and locals don't shop here, but it's an atmospheric place with a vast selection, and some of the antique dealers have genuinely rare stock.

    Mon-Sat 09:00-19:00·Limited wheelchair access · Heritage listed
16. 
    SeeHistory museumHistorical Peninsula

    Topkapı Palace

    The imperial enclave of the Ottoman emperors for four centuries. Lavishly decorated, with exhibitions of fine craftmanship and four courts of increasing grandeur. The second court has the Harem and the State Treasury, housing a weaponry display. On the right, towards the Bosphorus, there is the kitchen exhibition, also with a collection of coffee cups throughout the centuries. The third court has the Imperial Treasury on the right (also with a great view over the Bosphorus) and a collection of Islamic and Christian relics on the left. The views from the Fourth Court over the Bosphorus are spectacular. Reckon on spending several hours here and bring water as the museum kiosk is overpriced. The museum kiosk is in the kitchen section, on the right-hand side of the second court. Toilets can also be found there, towards the beginning of the second court. These have a shorter line than those in the second court, towards the third court.

    Wed-Mon 09:00-17:00·Adult 2750 TL (combi for Palace, Harem and Hagia Irene) · Limited wheelchair access · Built 1545
17. 
    SeeMuseumGalata

    The Jewish Museum of Turkey

    A former synagogue, the museum's exhibit details how the cultures mixed with and influenced each other in the past 500+ years since the Spanish expulsion.

    Mon-Thu 10:00-16:00, Fri 10:00-13:00, Sun 10:00-14:00
18. 
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    Rahmi M. Koç Industrial Museum

    Sanayi Müzesi

    This is an industry museum showcasing the evolution of machines. Many transport related items including a submarine, classic cars, railway carriages, an out-of-service Bosphorus ferry and a Douglas DC-3 aircraft (possible to board) are on display, among others. Also houses a typical Istanbul streetscape with its shops and all as how it would look in the past.

    Tue-Fr 09:30-17:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-19:00·600 TL (July 2024, about €17); concessions for students and domestic visitors · Wheelchair accessible
19. 
    SeeHistory museumHistorical Peninsula

    Museum of Archaeology

    İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri

    Turkey was slow to protect its antiquities and to display them properly, but in 1867 Sultan Abdülaziz toured the museums of Paris, London and Vienna and saw what was needed. The main collection is in a grand neo-classical building of 1891, with two annexes for ancient art and Islamic art. Exhibits include Sumerian tablets, pieces of the wall of Babylon, Roman statues, and the Alexander Sarcophagus. There are very detailed historical explanations in both Turkish and English. There is also quite an accurate exhibition about the historical layers and epochs of the city of Troy. If you are passionate about history, you can spend many hours here, so bring a supply of water and food (the museum café is quite expensive). In the summer, on Saturdays and Sundays, they have concerts in the courtyard.

    Daily 09:00-17:30. The Tiled Kiosk and the Museum of Oriental Art are closed as of October 2025·Adult €15. Beware of the ticket office staff adding the audio guide to the ticket price without asking if you want it. It's not compulsory and you don't need it. Check the bill before paying!
20. 
    SeeHistory museumEuropean Bosphorus

    Rumeli Fortress

    Rumeli Hisarı

    Built in first half of the 15th century, this is the large medieval castle under the Second Bosphorus Bridge. Its former name Boğazkesen (Turkish)/Laimokopia (Greek) means both "strait-blocker" and "throat-cutter" in both languages and denotes the reason of its building—to shut the supply routes from the Black Sea in the north into the slowly falling apart Byzantine Empire through the Bosphorus. Rumeli, literally "the Roman land", was the name of the European half of the Ottoman Empire, and as is usual with some other structures and villages along the Bosphorus, used as a prefix to differentiate Rumeli Hisarı from its counterpart in the Asian Side, the much smaller Anadolu Hisarı just across the Bosphorus.

    09:00-17:00 (closed Mon)·130 TL (about €4.25)
21. 
    SeeMuseumNew City

    Atatürk Museum

    Atatürk Müzesi

    A historic 3-storey house, easily distinguishable among the modern apartment buildings thanks to its brightly coloured and gracefully decorated exterior. This is where the future founder of the Turkish Republic, Kemal Atatürk rented in 1919 while staying in Istanbul before setting sail to Samsun on the Black Sea coast to start the Turkish War of Independence. Hosts Atatürk-related paraphernalia and photos.

    Mon-Wed Fri Sat 09:00-16:00·Free · Free entry · Wi-Fi
22. 
    SeeHistoric siteEuropean Bosphorus

    Ortaköy

    A neighbourhood on the bank of Bosphorus with the Ortaköy Mosque—the baroque mosque under the Bosphorus Bridge, combination of which are one of the most iconic images of Istanbul. This artsy neighbourhood is filled with nice cafes, some of which offer kumpir—a baked potato with various fillings such as mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, sweetcorn, sausage slices, carrots, mushrooms, Russian salad among others—which the neighbourhood is well-known for, and a perfect view crowded and fun. The way from Beşiktaş takes around 25 minutes on foot and is along an avenue shaded by huge plane trees, though the usually-heavy traffic may take some of its peacefulness away.
23. 
    SeeRailway museumHistorical Peninsula

    Istanbul Railway Museum

    İstanbul Demiryolu Müzesi

    Housed in the Europe-side railway terminus of 1890, this exhibits Ottoman and modern Turkish railway history. The Orient Express came and went from here, with passengers for further east transferring to ferries then the Asia-side terminus of Haydarpaşa, for trains to Crimea, Baghdad and Damascus.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, last entry 16:40·Free · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible
24. 
    SeeHistory museumEuropean Bosphorus

    Linden Palace

    Ihlamur Kasrı

    A 19th-century neo-Baroque manor built as an imperial summer retreat in a valley, named after the linden grove in its grounds.

    Free
25. 
    SeeMuseumNew City

    Military Museum

    Askeri Müze

    Among the exhibition of this museum are five thousand pieces from the Ottoman era through WWII, with the most prominent piece possibly being the huge chain that the Byzantines stretched across the mouth of the Golden Horn to keep out the Sultan's navy in 1453 during the siege of Constantinople. In the yard of the museum, the Janissary Band (Mehter Takımı), the world’s oldest military band gives concerts of march music in traditional uniforms each afternoon, at 15:00.

    Wed-Sun 09:00-17:00
26. 
    SeeMuseumKadıköy

    Toy Museum

    Oyuncak Müzesi

    Historic collection of 2000 toys, the oldest are a French-made violin from 1817 and a US-made doll from 1820. Exhibits are museum pieces not interactive.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00·Adult 420 TL, conc or child 360 TL
27. 
    SeeHistoric siteEuropean Bosphorus

    Arnavutköy

    The neighbourhood of Arnavutköy (literally "Albanian village", paying homage to its founders in the 16th century) features impressive yalıs, multiple-storey wooden mansions lining the waterfront, and all bearing significant artwork on their facades. Beware there are two areas called Arnavutköy - the other is the site of the new airport, away northwest of the city.
28. 
    SeeArt galleryNew City

    Nişantaşı

    A neighbourhood east of Şişli known for its Art Nouveau apartment buildings, the ground floors of many of which are upmarket restaurants, cafes, pubs, and garment stores lining the sidewalks. Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, well-known Turkish novelist, is a lifelong resident of the neighbourhood which formed the background of several of his novels.
29. 
    SeeArt museumEuropean Bosphorus

    Sakıp Sabancı Museum

    Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi

    Museum with a rich collection of calligraphy and paintings. It also hosts temporary exhibitions of works by some world-class artists such as Pablo Picasso from time to time.

    Tue Thu Fri Sun 10:00-18:00; Wed Sat 10:00-22:00·10 TL (3 TL students)
30. 
    SeeHistory museumAsian Bosphorus

    Küçüksu Palace

    Küçüksu Kasrı

    If you are already in the area, it's worth considering to visit this waterside neo-Baroque manor, built in the 19th century for the countryside and hunting excursions of the Ottoman dynasty. The area, where the Göksu River flows into the Bosphorus, was known as "the Sweet Waters of Asia" by the pioneer European travellers of the epoch (as opposed to "the Sweet Waters of Europe", another contemporary elite recreational area on the other side of the city, where the Kağıthane and Alibeyköy Rivers empty into the Golden Horn).

    Closed · opens 9 am
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    SeeMuseumGalata

    Adam Mickiewicz Museum

    A historic house museum dedicated to the life of Adam Mickiewicz, renowned Polish poet. This is where he lived while in Turkey from September 1855 to 26 November 1855, when he died of illness.

    Daily 09:00-19:00·Free
32. 
    SeeMuseumHistorical Peninsula

    Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam

    İslam Bilim ve Teknoloji Tarihi Müzesi

    Museum in a restored building that was the stables for Topkapı Palace. It exhibits various instruments for astronomy, clocks, pumps, weaponry, a steam-powered döner spit, and so on developed in Islamic realms down the centuries, but these are modern repro, and explanations of their context are skimpy. Islamic science and technology preceded that of Europe, as they insist, but they get the tone wrong, as if that was the triumphal culmination rather than the springboard for further advance.

    Daily 09:00-17:30·Adult €10
33. 
    SeeMuseumKadıköy

    Müze Gazhane

    A cultural centre converted from a late 19th century town gas plant. It includes a climate museum, a museum of cartoon and humour, theatre stages, art galleries and exhibition space, and a restaurant/cafe.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00·Free entry
34. 
    SeeMuseumGalata

    Orhan Kemal Museum

    Tiny house museum on the life of Turkish novelist Orhan Kemal (1914–1970).

    Mon-Fri 10:00-19:00·10 TL, students 5 TL · Free entry
35. 
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    Galata Convent of Whirling Dervishes

    Galata Mevlevihanesi

    A ritual dancing hall of the mystical Mevlevi order, the followers of the teachings of Mewlānā Rumi. The quiet and peaceful garden is a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of Beyoğlu. The oldest Mevlevi lodge in Istanbul, the convent was started in 1491, when the surrounding area was, hard to believe today but, pure wilderness beyond the city walls of Galata, although the current building dates back to 1855, as the older versions succumbed to repairs, rebuildings, and fires. However, the lodge was shut down in the early years of the republic (in 1925) along with all other 'reactionary' movements in Turkey, and the building has been serving as a museum dedicated to the Mevlevi order since 2010. Downstairs is a series of rooms dealing with the daily life of an average dervish, with informational signs in Turkish and English about the history of Islam and the Mevlevi order (also notice the original wooden pillars that support the building on this floor). On the upper floor is a dancing hall, a perfect example of 19th century Ottoman Baroque. Pre-Covid, this was where the sema whirling ceremonies were held every weekend evenings (admission by an extra ticket costing around 100 TL); check if they resumed. On the third floor is a display of various traditional Turkish/Islamic arts, including paper marbling (ebru), and calligraphy. After exiting the building, check out the small graveyard (or the "silent house" as the sign at its entrance says) on one side of the building, shaded by a number of hackberry trees, which Ottomans favoured to plant in the yards of mosques and graves to sign holiness. Here, the carved fez, or the basket of flowers in case of women, perched upon the highly detailed marble gravestone indicates the occupant's rank in the dervish hierarchy. At one corner of the necropolis is the grave of İbrahim Müteferrika, a converted Hungarian who was the first to start automated publishing in Ottoman Turkish in the 18th century, and served as the translato

    Tue-Sun 09:00-20:00 (last entry at 19:00)·150 TL · Limited wheelchair access
36. 
    SeeGalata

    Aynalıkavak Pavilion

    Aynalıkavak Kasrı

    Started in 1613 by the Ottoman sultan Ahmet I (r. 1603–1617, who also had the Blue Mosque in the Old City built), and extensively renovated by the art-loving Selim III (r. 1789–1807), this sole building, which itself has the distinction of being the only intact structure that dates back to the rule of Ahmet III (r. 1703–1730), set inside a beautiful garden of pools and mature cedar and magnolia trees is the only remaining part of what was once the fourth largest palatial complex in Istanbul, extending all the way to the banks of the Golden Horn (which is now occupied by the derelict buildings of the closed shipyard, which also block part of the view towards the shore). According to the local rumour, its name (which in Turkish means "mirrored poplar") derives from the now absent mirrors gifted by Venice to the palace that were presumably "as tall as the poplars" (aynalar kavak). The highly decorative and colourful interior includes several rooms of original furnitures fit for a sultan, some of which are covered with nacre, and walls embellished with Ottoman poems praising the palace and Selim III. Downstairs is a small museum dedicated to music, which exhibit some of the instruments (violins, ouds, and kamanchehs) and gramophone records owned by Fatma Gevheri Sultana (1904–1980), the granddaughter of Abdülaziz I (r. 1861–1876). While you are outside, also check out the old main entrance (now closed) towards the Golden Horn, topped by a dome. Worth the half hour spent there.

    09:00-17:00 (Closed Mon); you have to join the guided tours starting every 30 minutes in the high-season, and you may have all the place to yourself and the guide in winter·90 TL; concessions for students and domestic visitors
37. 
    SeeGolden Horn

    Santral İstanbul

    Energy Museum

    A contemporary art museum in a building converted from an old power plant: 1914-built and coal-fired, this was the oldest in Istanbul and the Ottoman Empire. Part of the plant was kept in almost exact original condition and now serves as the "Energy Museum".

    Daily 08:30-17:00·Free, guided tours 35 TL
38. 
    SeeWestern Suburbs

    Aviation Museum

    Hava Kuvvetleri Müzesi

    A military-based museum with various warplanes, helicopters, and weapons used by Turkish Air Force, and also civilian air transport and examples of Turkish aeronautics from Ottoman era onward.

    Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00·200 TL; discount for domestic visitors
39. 
    SeeAttractionEuropean Bosphorus

    Yusuf Ziya Mansion

    Perili Köşk

    It houses the headquarters of Borusan Holding and the Borusan Contemporary art museum. The popular nickname of the mansion, Perili Köşk (meaning the "Haunted Mansion") refers to its construction remaining partially unfinished for a long period (its second and third floors remained empty for decades.)

    Daily 10:00-19:00·₺350 (general)
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    SeeMuseumHistorical Peninsula

    Panorama 1453 History Museum

    This is a circular indoor space enclosed by a 3D depiction of the Ottomans breaching the Walls of Constantinople on 29 May 1453, with sound effects. It's over-priced, unhistorical and tourist-trappy.

    Daily 08:00-18:30·Adult 650 TL

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Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Istanbul (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Place data from Overture Maps.