European side · Fatih
Topkapı Palace
Four centuries of Ottoman rule on the point above the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.
Book tickets onlineHistory
Sultan Mehmed II had the palace built between 1460 and 1478, on the headland where the acropolis of the Byzantine city had stood. It began as gardens and pavilions inside a new circuit of walls, and every sultan after him added to it.
For about four hundred years it was at once the sultan’s home, the seat of government and a school for the empire’s administrators. The household was organised in four parts: the outer service departments, the Imperial Council, the inner palace school and the Harem, the private quarters of the dynasty.
By the 1840s the court needed more ceremonial space than the old palace could offer, and the family moved to the new Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856. On 3 April 1924 Topkapı opened as a museum — the first of the Republic. Since 2019 it has been administered by the National Palaces Administration.
What to see
The Imperial Gate and First Courtyard
The Bab-ı Hümayun opens onto the outer court, where Hagia Irene, one of the oldest buildings on the grounds, stands among the old service buildings of the mint and the bakery.
The Imperial Council
In the Second Courtyard, beneath the Tower of Justice, the domed council chamber where the grand vizier and the viziers met to govern the empire.
The Harem
A town of apartments, courtyards, baths and corridors that grew over centuries around the private life of the sultan and his family. It is ticketed separately from the main palace.
The Chamber of the Holy Relics
The Privy Chamber in the Third Courtyard keeps relics of the Prophet. Visitors, men and women alike, must be dressed for a sacred space to enter.
The Treasury
The pavilion of Mehmed II holds the imperial treasury collection of jewels, arms and objects of state.
The Fourth Courtyard
Terraced gardens and kiosks — the Baghdad and Revan kiosks and the gilded iftar canopy — with views across the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.
Book your Topkapı Palace tickets online
Choose your date, pay securely and receive your ticket by email within minutes. Our sister site is run by the same licensed agency that publishes this guide.
Go to online tickets- Skips the ticket-office queue. Everyone still passes the security check.
- Instant confirmation by email
- Entry booked for your chosen date
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your visit
- Checkout in English, Turkish, German and Spanish
Before you go
- The palace is closed on Tuesdays, unlike the other National Palaces sites, which close on Mondays or Wednesdays.
- Topkapı is not included in the National Palaces combined pass and is not sold on the operator’s e-ticket system. A ticket bought at the palace is valid only on the day it is bought.
- The Müzekart admits its holder to the main palace but not to the Harem or Hagia Irene.
- Allow two to three hours; more if you add the Harem.
- The nearest tram stops are Sultanahmet and Gülhane on the T1 line.
Questions
Can I buy a Topkapı ticket on the National Palaces website?
No. The operator’s e-ticket system does not sell Topkapı, and its combined pass states that Topkapı is excluded. Tickets are sold at the palace ticket office, and ahead of time through authorised resellers such as topkapipalacemuseum.org.
Which day is Topkapı closed?
Tuesday. The ticket office is open from 09:00 to 17:00 on the other days.
Is the Harem included?
The Harem and Hagia Irene are sold separately or in a combined ticket with the palace. Check what your ticket covers before you queue.