Small-Group Topkapi Palace and Harem Tour with Tickets
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Istanbul, Turkey
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace was the seat of Ottoman power. Save time and skip the line for the palace and the Harem on this small group tour. Learn about the history of Topkapi Palace from your guide, and visit the imperial kitchens, the relics room, the royal courts, and the landscaped gardens. Admire the intricate tilework of the Harem and soak in views of the Bosphorus Strait from the palace.
- Skip the long lines in Topkapi Palace and the Harem
- Learn about Ottoman history from a guide
- Admire views of the Bosphorus from the palace
- Visit each part of the palace with a small group
What's Included
- Skip-the-line tickets for Topkapi Palace
- Skip-the-line tickets for the Harem
- Expert local guide with in-depth knowledge of Ottoman history
- Small-group walking tour for a more personal experience
- Headsets for clear audio throughout the visit
- Starting from Galata Port (If this option is selected)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
Type to search
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Sultanahmet District
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
TopkapI Palace
1 hour 45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
TopkapI Palace
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Istanbul notoriously has bad traffic. Give more time to get to the meeting point than you may have planned
- Topkapi Palace is a vast complex with multiple sections open for visit. During our tour, we'll visit the most magnificent masterpieces. However, if you wish to explore all sections at your leisure, we recommend booking a morning tour and allocating the afternoon to explore the Palace grounds.
- Tickets are timed and expire within 5 to 10 minutes.
- Please be advised that it is not possible to join the tour after it has commenced.
- Tips/gratuities (for your guide) are always appreciated.
- Please note that the 'Starting from Galata Port' option is available only for cruise guests.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 287 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Had a great tour with Sabih. He was very patient and very keen to explain everything about the Ottoman empire. This was really a highlight in my stzy in Istanbul. Thank you for the great experience.
I had a great time in this palace! Would gravely recommend to visit this place! Our tour guide was awesome!
Emre Tan is a fantastic tour guide. Personable, adaptable and with a great grasp of his subject matter. Flawless English. High recommend for anyone looking for a guide of historic sights in Istanbul.
We were a small group of 6 & started our tour at 9am
We really enjoyed exploring the palace with our guide, we missed all the crowds & learned so much about life as the Emperor & all the people around him. Our guide told us great stories of what life was like for the residents of the palace.
Umut was an excellent guide and provided a comprehensive education about the Topkapi Palace. I would highly recommend this tour with its inclusion of all skip the line tickets.
Furkan is an amazing tour guide and historian. He doesn’t shy away from the details so we felt we fortunate to have him as our guide for Topkapi Palace and Harem Tour.
We had a fantastic time with Umut as our guide. Good pace and clear explanations. Great job on explaining the intricacies of the palace. Would recommend
Great tour of palace and harem.. well paced and knowledgeable guide. Good to be able to stay in palace after and explore more
Murat does an outstanding job. His English is excellent. Very knowledgeable. We booked the tour during a cruise stop at Istanbul. Murat went out of his way to make sure we found our way to the tram station to get back to our shop on time.
Elif was an excellent guide who did a great job leading our small group through Topkapi Palace. She had great knowledge, balanced with presentation, and I'd highly recommend her. She also provided us with a list of recommendations for other parts of Istanbul that proved really valuable in the following days as we explored different areas on our own.
Highly recommended in order to get the most of out of the visit to Topkapı. Our guide Furkan was very capable organized and knowledgeable
Good activity, the guide Furkan was very good. We saw a lot, get information to understabd beter the life in Topkapi.
Elif is a top notch guide. She was very knowledgeable, personable, witty and engaging. We learned so much and her style provided us with a memorable experience.
Mr. Sabhi was knowledgeable, great sense of humor, very organized and fun to listen to. He made sure to go over some info even for the parts we explored by ourselves. Truly a memorable experience. We can’t wait to come back once the Sulran’s room and Sultana’s room are opened to public after renovations. Thank you.
Our guide was knowledgeable and made her commentary interesting and amusing. She was punctual and made sure of our comfort during the tour.
It was a great experience especially for my mother who is 76 and walks with a cane. Kaan, our guide, gave us a very good tour and was patient with us and answered our million questions.
Great communication pre-tour. guide “F” was great, very knowledgeable and story teller. Highly recommend - “F” broke down other areas to visit on your own if desired.
Paid over $100 for tickets to the Topkis Palace in Istanbul. Could never find the tour operator. The tour operator does NOT take phone calls, would not put us in touch with the tour guide. Called Viator and they are no help whatsoever. Strongly recommend do not use this travel company, walking in Europe and do not use Viator
Wonderful tour of Topkapi our whole family enjoyed. First, all the skip-the-line aspects are wonderful, but our guide MERT was FANTASTIC!! He was so friendly and knowledgeable and gave just the right amount of information. We learned exactly what we needed to appreciate the history and culture of Topkapi without it being too much. He was also very good at answering questions from the group. We are a family of three but the total on our small group tour was 7 people which is great size. Mert made sure we saw all the highlights, gave great talks along the way, and made sure we knew we could stay longer and linger in the palace past our time with him. I hope Walks in Istanbul reads this review to see what a wonderful tour guide Mert is! Highly recommend this tour and this company!
We arrived on a VERY busy 5-day holiday weekend and it seemed that the entire Turkish population had descended on Istanbul. Came to Topkapi the day before and the entrance lines were insane. As it looked like we would have to wait hours to get in any of the major sights we decided to book this tour for the next morning. Excellent decision!!
Our guide, Kaan, was informative and took us through all the main sights, just managing to avoid the throngs of people that were entering just behind us. Topkapi should not be missed when in Istanbul!!
This tour was listed as a small group. Our group had 17 people. This does not seem like a lot until you enter the labyrinth that is the palace. Our tour guide was very interesting. However he spent a lot of time keeping people from getting lost. One member of our group was lost for 30 minutes. That took away from our experience. We were behind and I did not have time to see the jewels, one of my main reasons for going. What I saw was amazing and I did enjoy it. In the future I will book a private tour because 17 people trying to twist and turn through the palace was too much of a trial on a warm afternoon.
Sabih was so informative; the history behind the Palace and Harem area could be presented in so many different ways and he used historical fact and contextualized it very well, teaching us much about both Turkish history and Ottoman Empire in a friendly and engaging way. Most importantly he was present without being bossy, completely available and simultaneously allowing us to do independent sightseeing and learning. Spending hours with a professional guide you actually like is priceless.
The palace was fabulous and our guide, Murat, was incredible. He was very informative and friendly and he achieved the right pace with the group. I would highly recommend this tour.
The palace is huge - more like a little city really- so if you don’t do a tour you will have a hard time understanding all the spaces and focusing on the extra good stuff. Our tour guide was excellent. He shared so much history in an engaging manner, and took us to major areas of interest. He was also great at pointing out areas we could circle back to on our own if we were interested after the tour. I highly recommend this tour to make the most out of your visit. Allow 3 hours minimum.
Meet was an excellent tour guide. He was knowledgeable, courteous and kind; answering all of my questions. He told many interesting stories and tails making history come alive. He also knew how time our entrances and exits to make the most of our time.
Our guide Melissa was excellent. The amount of walking was about 4.5 miles just the right amount. She had great energy & was very knowledgeable
The Harem area was my favorite & her knowledge of what life was really like in them was super helpful in understanding their life
It was a super tour
Very interesting to get inside the palace and learn about sultans and their practices. Our guide (Mert) was pleasant and informative.
Thorough introduction to the palace and harem. Guide was very knowledgeable and adept at beating the crowds.
Best tour guide ever and best tour… 3 hours of easily paced explanations by a real pro ( name begins with an S , apologies ). He organized the tour perfectly so that the expanse of the palace was not overwhelming and a lot could be learned!
Kaan was an excellent guide for this tour. Our group would have preferred to spend less time in the harem and more time exploring some of the other exhibitions within the palace, but overall a nice tour and the views from various spots were breathtaking.
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