Ticket Hall

Topkapi Palace and Harem Tour (Small Group & Fast Track Entry)

4.8358 reviewsTopkapi Palace (Topkapi Sarayi)

  • 3 hours
  • Free cancellation up to 24h before
  • 6 languages
  • Instant confirmation

Highlights

Discover the Topkapi Palace on a guided tour with skip-the-line tickets. Learn about Ottoman history in the Palace and the life of Sultan's family in the harem. Discover how the complex of buildings, pavilions, and courtyards was a self-contained city, which most inhabitants rarely left. Explore the outer-terraced gardens and admire the view over the Golden Horn. Immerse yourself in the heart of the great Ottoman Empire. Stroll through the palace, and imagine the ruling Sultans who lived in its hundreds of rooms with their vast families and countless servants. Visit the harem, ruled by the Queen Mother who wielded domestic and political power. The harem housed hundreds of women and family members as well as hundreds of eunuchs, who performed a wide range of duties. Walk through the Harem is also the only way to see the very early, exceptionally-crafted Iznik tiles decorated with floral designs and verses from the Quran.

Inclusions

What's included

  • Entrance fees to Topkapi Palace
  • Professional Tour Guide
  • Entrance fees to Harem

What's not

  • Transfer
  • Food and Drinks

Itinerary

  1. Topkapi Palace Museum / Topkapı Sarayı More than just an Imperial Residence of Ottoman Sultans, it was the seat of the Supreme Executive and Judiciary Council for almost 400 years long. Topkapi Palace is a great monument of Oriental architecture which resembles the power of the Ottoman Empire.

    2 hAdmission included

  2. Visit the harem, ruled by the Queen Mother who wielded domestic and political power. The harem housed hundreds of women and family members as well as hundreds of eunuchs, who performed a wide range of duties. Take a moment to spot the cupboard doors inlaid with mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell. Walk through the Harem is also the only way to see the very early, exceptionally-crafted Iznik tiles decorated with floral designs and verses from the Quran.

    1 hAdmission included

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

4.8

  • 5281
  • 421
  • 32
  • 25
  • 15

Ratings come from 314 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

Meeting point
Meet your Tour Guide holding a sign with Tourmania logo
Pickup
Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
Ticket type
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group size
Up to 15 travellers
Operated by
Tourmania
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

How it compares in Istanbul

  • Its from-price is 14% below the median of the 530 city tours we list in Istanbul.
  • It is shorter than most of them.
  • By number of reviews it ranks 24 of 530.
  • The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Istanbul

Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus, with Byzantine and Ottoman monuments, busy bazaars and ferries crossing between continents.

The historic peninsula holds the greatest landmarks. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome face each other in Sultanahmet, the Basilica Cistern lies beneath the streets, and Topkapı Palace spreads across the hill above the Golden Horn. A short walk away, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar have traded for centuries, and Süleymaniye Mosque, built by the great Ottoman architect Sinan, crowns one of the city's seven hills.

Top-ranked sights in Istanbul: Dolmabahce Palace (Dolmabahce Sarayi), Bosphorus, Bosphorus Bridge (Bogazici Koprusu).

See all 3649 experiences in Istanbul

Special offers in Istanbul

Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.

Similar experiences

Hop-on hop-off in Istanbul

1 / 6

Three steps to add it

Plan with AIYour trip, day by day