If you spend time in Istanbul you end up back in the ancient past. Once you've seen too many…read moreOttoman era mosques and Roman era ruins, it's time to see a very unique collection of modern and contemporary art in a most artistic 21st century building, itself a work of art. Impressive sculptures in front, awesome view of the Bosphorus from the terrace and one of the more affordable admission prices in town. Fear no Art.

Located in the cruise ship port, this is a super modern museum with lots to see…read more I enjoyed the photography exhibition best. The upper and lower terraces have amazing views and worth every penny. Two floors of viewing. Sculpture. Painting. Mixed media. Photography. Textiles. The works on display and well done although by the time we finished my head hurt. Not too expensive and well positioned to get those cruise dollars.

This is a must-see in Istanbul!…read more LOCATION It's in a different area than the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia so it takes a bit of a tram ride, but it's worth it. TIMING We were not prepared for the sheer size of this palace. Holy COW. We came midday with a few other things to do in the area, and could have left much more time to go slower but still very much enjoyed spending ~2 hours here. This palace is soooo huge, and they have different areas throughout the buildings with exhibitions and displays. See as many as you can! I recommend starting on the right side and working back and around from there. ATTRACTIONS Most of the attraction is the sheer magnificence of the interior decor and design in the palace: chandeliers, stunning rooms and spaces, and lots of art. NO PICS?!? The biggest bummer and reason for docking a star: NO PHOTOS?! You're telling me you're gonna show me the most magnificent castle and I can't take a pic?! That was a huge bummer. You can be sneaky but they do have guards everywhere. What's the harm in a little no-flash memory of the space? AMENITIES They have a cafe and a restaurant onsite, as well as restrooms and some gardens with benches to relax. You'll need it from walking around the massive palace!

A top sight in Istanbul. I liked the walk through that you do through the main building. There…read moreare no photos allowed but it's a huge palace like something you would see in Europe. Outside there are some beautiful views of the coast and city and lovely gardens to walk through. I bought my tickets that day it wasn't too long in the morning. Like any other place, you have to go through security and another line for tickets and then another to enter. It was my favorite place to visit. In the spring the tulips were nice.

One of the most amazing places I've ever seen, let me start with the negatives so you're prepared…read more Even in the off season, it's crowded. Part of the crowd are guided tours, quite the nuisance and do not fall prey to the multitude of charlatans aggressively touting their personal guide services. What you need instead is a little personal research using Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, or National Geographic tour guides. Be prepared for the steep admission charge, and remember this is a must see, and an expensive place to maintain, it's in constant restoration. That may interfere with good PICs that show the majesty of the place, but certainly doesn't subtract from the historic experience. This was the third church built in the same location, it is the archetype of Byzantine Architecture, built by famed mathematicians Anthemios and Isidoros as ordered by Emperor Justinianos in 532 to 537. That was very fast in those days, and impossible today, renovations will take twice as long. It survived sacking and looting by the Fourth Crusade and being converted to a mosque by the Ottomans. In fact, ruing the reign of Murad III, architect Sinan added buttresses and Islamic artistic touches that reinforced the structure to endure earthquakes. It's one of the many UNESCO World Heritage sites in Turkey, it is a museum and a mosque. The breathtaking and dizzying dome reads: "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. His light is like a niche in which there is a lamp, the lamp is in a crystal, the crystal is like a shining star, lit from (the oil of) a blessed olive tree, (located) neither to the east nor the west, whose oil would almost glow, even without being touched by fire." (Nur, 24/35) The work of Kazasker Mustafa Izzet Efendi,calligrapher during the reign of Sultan Abdulmejid. Dress appropriately and respectfully, it's still a mosque.

This is an Orthodox Church that convert to mosque. This may be happen during Ottoman era in 1453…read more This history site is classified as museum and it is classified as Ayasofya Cami. You need a ticket to visit for non Muslim visitors. You can buy the combo ticket with Hagia Sophia museum or building visit along. Price is not cheap. The interior can spot some mosaic tile with orthodox figures. The ticket only allows second floor visit. The wall is kind of cover up with huge platt. You won't see the wall painting. However you can see how big is the dome. Visit take you one hours.

This endearing little art museum has a small entrance fee that is worth it to see the famous…read more"Tortoise Trainer" by Osman Hamdi Bey. You'll see copies of it all over Turkey, but this is where the original hangs. It's a unique and peculiar collection of art, some contemporary, some modern, a little classic, and an exhibit of weights and measures. Nice gift shop. Their coffee shop is also worth a visit on its own. Not far from the Pera Palace Hotel, so you can combine a visit to this museum with High Tea in Agatha Christie's old haunt.

Pera muzeum is located behind Odakule. It's a little art museum, the thing I liked the most about…read morethis place is they bring so many different exhibitions from all the fields of art like modern, classic , traditional etc. Also they have tiny little cafe in entrance.

This museum is located behind Topkapi Palace so if you are going there, you might as well come…read morehere. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the other museums and features artifacts from nearly all periods and civilizations in history. The history of coinage, archaeological artifacts, and Greek statutes, this museum is a must see. I would suggest going early in the morning to beat any crowds.

I would also consider this a must-see in Istanbul, it's quite a collection of artifacts across the…read morelong history of what is now Turkiye and what was the Ottoman Empire. The descriptions are in Turkish and English, you really don't need a guide, so ignore them around the entrance. I can tell from the YELP reviews over time and from the new appearance of many of the rooms that there's been quite a bit of improvement over time. This started out as a sarcophagi museum but expanded, the collection still seems to be expanding. It was nice to visit here after having seen Ephesus, Bergama, and Sagalassos; and I would very much like to return to Turkey to visit some of the many other Greek and Roman sites. There are two other must-see museums in Istanbul, Topkapi Palace and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art. Topkapi is much more expensive than the other two, we only realized too late to get the museum pass that will really save you money if you're going to visit these and other museums. Allow at least 3-4 hours here, and bring some cat treats to make friends with the felines in front.

Really great museum with great exhibits. My favorite was the chain that was run across the Golden…read moreHorn in an effort to hold off the invading Ottomans in 1453. Not to be missed is the military concert at 3pm in the auditorium.

Over the years, I've been to many military museums…read more This one is quite big and holds a ton of information and pieces. But so is overwhelming, it seems unorganized. I know it's not, but there's really no flow to it. There literally rooms after rooms fills with great historical pieces. But they are in no particular order. Rooms that hold only hand guns, only long rifles and etc. so much. I wish they told a chronological story. Put the pieces in order of the history of the Turkish and prior empires. Tell me and show me what was used and why from BC to present day Turkey. A map would be great also. The rooms wind down different hallways and up stairs. It's possible to miss an area if you're not paying attention. If wish to visit, I recommend going in the morning. I arrived around two in the afternoon, I don't think I was a third of the way through the exhibits when told it was closing and to make my way back to the entrance. Outside there is a fabulous park with a few planes and artillery pieces to check out. Currently 2021, you need to show ID and Covid vaccine card at the gate to enter the property. Not only is it a museum, it still houses some military offices.

This is a most interesting museum, and it was surprisingly busy and crowded. Your experience will…read morebe more meaningful by a thousand fold if you know at least a little of the story that it is drawn from and if you rent the audio headset. Although I only read about 42 pages of the book it parallels and is taken from, I knew enough of the backstory to understand the elements displayed. Some visitors may have seen the serialized episodes on tv. Without this knowledge, you'll just be looking at display cases of vintage things. I loved seeing the collected period artifacts from 1940s Istanbul, learning a little of the city's history. The clever ways the artifacts are displayed, the often interesting stories behind them, the thoughtful and careful presentation add to the richness of the experience . Allow at least an hour, maybe 2, especially if you've rented a headset and you prone to look closely. There are also videos playing on the walls and a small gift shop. This is a small museum, with creaky floors, where sound travels, people sometimes (loudly) discuss what they're viewing, and the headset volume doesn't increase, and the voice on the headset is soft, making hearing and understanding challenging. Seeing/experiencing this will be nearly a pilgrimage for those who enjoyed the book, but also for those who enjoy unusual museums and experiences.

I loved it. Organ Pamuk's mission to have a museum to the small personal artifacts that make up our…read morememories woven into the fabrics of our lives. Holy on a personal level and meaningless unless it is explained. The audio tour, 5 lira, does an excellent job explaining what each exhibit means to the author and the character in the book.

One of my favorite things we did! Definitely worth seeing. Take your time! It's also nice and cool…read moredown there so it's a nice break from the sun.

Friends that had recently traveled to Istanbul told us to skip the Hagia Sophia but definitely…read morevisit the cistern. Off season, but still popular and busy. We decided to pay an extra 30€ and go with a private tour guide - money well spent. The entire tour took about 40 minutes and the Medusas were the highlight for me.

Underneath Istanbul are many ancient cisterns to help store water thousands of years ago. This one…read moreis an alternative to the Basilica Cistern and cheaper to get in. Go inside and purchase tickets. It's around $25, but much cheaper for locals. (As it should be.) Walk down the stairs to the dark space where a light show plays for around 10 minutes. It's a unique experience but worth it only once in my opinion. It is wild to think this cistern was lost for years before rediscovered.

It's okay, unless you're easily impressed with light shows (which honestly could be better here)…read more The cistern is very small and there's not much to do for more than 15 mins. For the money, go to the Basilica Cistern aka Yerebatan Sarnici.

If you want a unique cultural experience, buy tickets to see the Whirling Dervishes perform at the…read moreGalata Lodge. It's a historic building that puts on performances every day. Go early so you actually get a seat with a good view. The performance lasts more than an hour and it's interesting, but if you have a hard time sitting still like me, you'll get tired of it after ten minutes. Pro tip: If you are bored of this performance, try to pick one guy and focus on them to see if they make any funny facial expressions as they whirl around.