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Topkapi PalacevsDolmabahce 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.
Topkapi Palace
Fodor's
Concierge
Lonely Planet
Let's Go
Michelin Guide
Afar Magazine
Time Out
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
Independent Show All Reviews
Babıhümayun Caddesi , Istanbul, Turkey
From $0/night
Fodor's "Few other royal residences match this hilltop compound when it comes to mystery, intrigue, and the lavish intricacies of court life." Full review
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 PlanetTop choice
"This opulent palace complex is the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world's royal residences put together." Full review
Let's Go "The views are luxurious, the buildings overwhelmingly crafted, and the treasures outrageous. " Full review
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." Full review
i
Visit the unmissable Treasury and its masterpiece: a 250kg solid gold throne encrusted with diamonds and emeralds.
Afar Magazine "Topkapi Palace was where the Sultans lived for most of their 600 year rule over the Ottoman Empire." Full review
i
If you go, don't miss the exquisite collection of jewels in the Treasury.
Time Out "Its extensive rooms, chamber houses and fascinating objects, including the 86-carat Spoonmaker’s Diamond, make the museum a must-see... it is a also home to a rotating cast of temporary exhibitions." Full review
Travel + Leisure "Mehmet the Conqueror moved into Topkapi Palace—a complex of pavilions, kiosks, kitchens, barracks, and sleeping quarters arranged around a vast courtyard and set on the Seraglio peninsula—in 1453" Full review
i
Don't miss the spectacular view of the Bosporus and European Istanbul from the tip of the peninsula.
Travel + Leisure "Construction on Topkapi Palace began in 1453, when the Ottomans took Constantinople...the Harem requires an additional ticket, but it's worth it, with its magnificent blue-tiled walls and chambers."
Istanbul Travel Guide
August 16, 2021
Independent "This sprawling complex was the residence of the Ottoman sultans for around 400 years before the extravagant European-inspired Dolmabahçe Palace took over in the 19th century."
Dolmabahce Palace Fodor's Concierge Lonely Planet Let's Go Michelin Guide Afar Magazine
Frommer's
Dolmabahce Besiktas Istanbul, Istanbul 34357, Turkey
From $0/night
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." Full review
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." Full review
Let's Go "It has 285 rooms, 68 toilets, 44 halls, and six hamams." Full review
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." Full review
Afar Magazine "The Dolmabahçe (“dol-ma-bah-chey”) Palace is European through and through." Full review
Frommer's "The extravagant collection of objets d'art represents just a small percentage of items presented to the occupants of the palace over the years." Full review
