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Dolmabahce Palace vs Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace and Dolmabahce Palace are both praised by expert writers. Overall, Topkapi Palace scores significantly better than Dolmabahce Palace. Topkapi Palace has a TripExpert Score of 97 with endorsements from 9 sources like Time Out, Fodor's and Lonely Planet.
Dolmabahce Palace
Fodor's
Concierge
Lonely Planet
Let's Go
Michelin Guide
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Dolmabahce Besiktas Istanbul, Istanbul 34357, Turkey
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Fodor's
"The name Dolmabahçe means "filled-in garden," from the fact that Sultan Ahmet I (ruled 1603–17) had an imperial garden planted here on land reclaimed from the sea."
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Concierge
"Often overlooked by visitors, this is one of Istanbul's most lavish and extravagant attractions."
Lonely Planet
Top Choice
"These days it’s fashionable for architects and critics influenced by the less-is-more aesthetic of the Bauhaus masters to sneer at buildings such as Dolmabahçe."
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Let's Go
"It has 285 rooms, 68 toilets, 44 halls, and six hamams."
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Michelin Guide
2 Stars
"Generously deployed pomp and riches... provide a certain cohesion, in which it's possible to conjure up the decadent life of a sultan."
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Topkapi Palace
Fodor's
Concierge
Lonely Planet
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Babıhümayun Caddesi , Istanbul, Turkey
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Fodor's
"Few other royal residences match this hilltop compound when it comes to mystery, intrigue, and the lavish intricacies of court life."
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Concierge
"If you're stuck for time, limit yourself to the main palace and the harem, the most intimate and personal rooms used by the sultans and their many, many women."
i
Avoid going on weekends or during peak periods of the day so you miss the busloads of people who move in flocks around the grounds in a veritable babel of chattering languages.
Lonely Planet
Top Choice
"This opulent palace complex is the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world's royal residences put together."
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Let's Go
"The views are luxurious, the buildings overwhelmingly crafted, and the treasures outrageous. "
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Michelin Guide
3 Stars
"In the harem of Topkapi Palace visitors are plunged into a mythical Orient of a thousand and one treasures and as many fantasies."
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i
Visit the unmissable Treasury and its masterpiece: a 250kg solid gold throne encrusted with diamonds and emeralds.
