Museum guide

Museums and ancient sites of Türkiye

Everything the Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists, grouped by region and province. Each page gives the opening hours, the closing day and what is worth seeing. Tickets for these are sold at the gate and on the official e-ticket system — not here.

Istanbul’s favourite four

The museums visitors book most — each with online tickets on its own site.

Topkapı Palace

The sultans’ palace on Sarayburnu: courtyards, the Imperial Council, the treasury and the terraces over the water. Dated entry, sold online on its own site.

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Basilica Cistern

Justinian’s great underground reservoir: 336 columns in still water and the two Medusa heads. Fast-track entry with a digital audio guide.

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Hagia Sophia

Justinian’s cathedral, the sultans’ mosque and a working mosque again today. The ticket admits you to the upper visitor gallery.

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Dolmabahçe Palace

A nineteenth-century palace on the water’s edge: the Selamlık, the Ceremonial Hall under its chandelier, the crystal staircase and the Harem.

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All museums

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358 museums