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Grand BazaarvsTopkapi Palace
Grand Bazaar and Topkapi Palace are both rated highly by expert writers. On balance, Topkapi Palace scores slightly higher than Grand Bazaar. Topkapi Palace comes in at #1 in Istanbul with praise from 9 reviews including Lonely Planet, Fodor's and Afar Magazine.
Grand Bazaar
Fodor's
Frommer's
Lonely Planet
Travel + Leisure
Michelin Guide
Afar Magazine
Time Out
Grand Bazaar Istanbul Turkey
From $0/night
Fodor's "Take a deep breath and plunge into this maze of 65 winding, covered streets crammed with 4,000 tiny shops, cafés, restaurants, mosques, and courtyards." Full review
Frommer's "The mother of all tourist traps, the Grand or Covered Bazaar is a vivid illustration of all that's gone wrong with the free market." Full review
Lonely PlanetTop choice
"This labyrinthine and chaotic bazaar is the heart of the Old City and has been so for centuries. No visit to İstanbul would be complete without a stop here." Full review
Travel + Leisure "This massive, dazzling, and cacophonous covered market is the ur-bazaar of the Orient; if you’ve envisioned what it will be like, prepare to have your expectations exceeded." Full review
Michelin Guide 2 Stars
"The Grand Bazaar is a joyful, feverish universe that can overwhelm and unsettle with its thousands of shops and workshops, caravanserais, warehouses, restaurants, fountains, banks and mosque." Full review
Afar Magazine "Soon after conquering Constantinople and defeating the Byzantines in 1453, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II commissioned the beginnings of the Grand Bazaar to reinvigorate trade to the city." Full review
Time Out "Among the world's oldest and largest covered markets, the Grand Bazaar features thousands of shops spread across dozens of streets." Full review
i
If you're planning on making purchases, be sure to put your bargaining hat on and show no mercy.
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
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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." 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."
