Topkapi Palace (Topkapi Sarayi) Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience Topkapi Palace. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Best of Istanbul 1, 2 or 3-Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour

• Bosphorus Yacht Cruise With Live Guide & Asian Side Stop

• Istanbul E-Pass: Top Istanbul Attractions With Skip the Ticket Line

• Enjoy Istanbul's Bosphorus: 2-Hour Daytime, Sunset & Night Cruises

• Bosphorus Explorer: 2-Hour Cruise Throughout the Day

Tickets to the Topkapi Palace complex start from 2,750 liras for adults and people aged 6 and older. Tourists can also gain entry to the palace, as well as other Istanbul attractions, with various sightseeing passes, such as the Istanbul Museumpass E-Card and Istanbul E-Pass, which start from €105.

Yes, it's worth including Topkapi Palace in your sightseeing of Istanbul, as it's one of the city's most important historical sites. Not only can you learn about the Ottoman sultans here, on your own or with a guided tour, but you can also see the Imperial Treasury's impressive collection and the ancient Hagia Irene church.

Per one customer who booked the Best of Istanbul 1, 2 or 3-Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour, "We all loved our visit to Topkapi with its stunning views of the Bosphorus. Ozan was a wonderfully knowledgeable guide and generous with his time."

No, you can visit Topkapi Palace without a tour if you'd prefer to explore at your own pace. Touring with a guide may offer additional insight into history. An audio guide is available for download if you want to learn about the palace's history and what you see there.

Yes, you can buy Topkapi tickets up to one year in advance to secure your preferred day and time. These advance tickets, whether for the palace or the palace and harem combined, are skip-the-line tickets, allowing you to save time by bypassing the line for the ticket office.

A standard tour of Topkapi Palace with a guide takes around one hour. A guided tour of Topkapi Palace and the harem lasts roughly 1.5 hours. This does not include time spent waiting in line, as palace tours generally come with skip-the-line tickets organized by your guide.

It's complicated. There is no dress code to visit Topkapi Palace in general. However, you must wear conservative dress when visiting the Sacred Relics Department. Visitors should dress with covered knees and shoulders for this section, meaning no shorts, skirts, or sleeveless shirts.

There are tons of fun things to do when you're done visiting Topkapi Palace. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions in Istanbul:

• Hagia Sophia

• Bosphorus

• Blue Mosque

• Basilica Cistern

• Hippodrome

View Viator's guide to all the best attractions in Istanbul.