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Topkapi Palace

Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul, Turkey
Description: The Topkapi Palace (also known as the Topaki Sarayi) served as the palace and residence of the Ottoman Sultans for almost 400 years - from 1465-1856 - of their 624 year reign. This complex of four courts and many smaller...Read More
  • #1 most popular
    thing to do in Istanbul
  • Avg. User Rating:
    4 out of 5 stars

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Topkapi Palace Reviews

Have you visited the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul? We're always looking for more Topkapi Palace reviews and photos. Contribute yours today.
Best of IgoUgo

Topkapi - Istanbul's Top Museum (Pt.2)

  • 5 out of 5 stars by koshkha from Northampton, United Kingdom
  • June 5, 2025
Quote: On this occasion we didn't see the Harem partly because we'd been before, loved it but not felt the need to see it again, and partly because we were being a bit mean. If the tickets had been sold alongside the main palace tickets, I think I'd... Read the full Topkapi Palace review

From journal Istanbul in May - Part 3

Best of IgoUgo

Topkapi - Istanbul's Top Museum (Pt.1)

  • 5 out of 5 stars by koshkha from Northampton, United Kingdom
  • June 5, 2025
Quote: For me Istanbul has a 'Big Five' of world class attractions. There are two spectacular mosques – the Sultanahmet (or Blue Mosque) and the Suleymaniye - there's the mega-fabulous church-turned-mosque-turned museum called the Hagia Sophia (or Aya... Read the full Topkapi Palace review

From journal Istanbul in May - Part 3

Best of IgoUgo

A Palace fit for a Sultan.

  • 5 out of 5 stars by garymarsh6 from Gravesend, United Kingdom
  • July 7, 2025
Quote: The Topkapi Palace.The Topkapi palace was the home to the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire for over four hundred years from the 15th century to the middle of the 19th century. Construction of the original palace was started in 1459 and the sultan took... Read the full Topkapi Palace review

From journal A Turkish delight. 1

Best of IgoUgo

Topkapi Palace

  • 4 out of 5 stars by Jctravel1983 from Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
  • December 7, 2025
Quote: IntroductionYou're in Istanbul and then you have to see some famous places. On our list was the Topkapi Palace. I have seen a long ago the exciting movie Topkapi and I wanted to see this museum. I remember from the movie it’s a thrilling chase of... Read the full Topkapi Palace review

From journal Going to Istanbul!

Best of IgoUgo

No Concubines... But Great Nonetheless

  • 5 out of 5 stars by TianjinPaul from Rotherham, United Kingdom
  • July 7, 2025
Quote: I want to begin this review by registering my disappointment at the lack of authentic concubines, or even any ladies dressed in reproduction costumes, in Topkapi Palace's Imperial Harem. However, even taking this glaring omission into account, the... Read the full Topkapi Palace review

From journal Istanbul Sights

The Harem Hierarchy in Topkapi Palace

  • 5 out of 5 stars by almighty from Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
  • May 8, 2025
Quote: The bottom rung of the harem ladder was occupied by the cariye, or odalisque, a concubine of the lowest rank. These women were taken from their families as girls of 12 or 13, variously captured in war, kidnapped, or even bought as slaves. They came... Read the full Topkapi Palace review
Best of IgoUgo

Do you Want to See John The Baptist's Arm?

  • 5 out of 5 stars by catsholiday from ashbourne, United Kingdom
  • March 23, 2025
Quote: TOPKAPI PALACE:We planned to get to the Palace as it opened in order to avoid the crowds so we headed on turning left out of our hotel towards Gulhane Parki and then on up the drive towards the Palace entrance. The tickets were 20Turkish Lira for... Read the full Topkapi Palace review

From journal A short week in Istanbul

Best of IgoUgo

Absolute Luxury: The Topkapi Palace

  • 5 out of 5 stars by Liam Hetherington from Manchester, United Kingdom
  • October 27, 2025
Quote: The Topkapi Sarayi occupies the most easterly point of Sultanahmet. To the south is the Sea of Marmara, to the east the Bosphorus, to the north the Golden Horn. This creates some quite heavenly fresh breezes around this pleasant wooded area, and it... Read the full Topkapi Palace review

From journal Holy of Holies

Topkapi Palace is Breathtaking

  • 5 out of 5 stars by NiceGinna from Evanston, Illinois
  • March 12, 2025
Quote: Topkapi Palace, the home of the sultans from the 15th to the 19th centuries, is a large compound; its most impressive area is the harem where the women and children lived, including the concubines. Here one finds intricate tile work, dazzling... Read the full Topkapi Palace review

From journal A Cruise to Turkey, Croatia, and Greece and the Islands

Best of IgoUgo

Topkapi Palace

  • 4 out of 5 stars by barbara from Atlanta, Georgia
  • August 27, 2025
Quote: Topkapi Palace was the home to sultans for hundreds of years. It is an expansive structure that is a must-see for any visitor to Istanbul. Yet...I was also disappointed by it. But let me get to that later. You approach the palace via the first... Read the full Topkapi Palace review

From journal Turkey with Teenager