Palace and Harem entry with audio guide
The garden, the Selamlık and the Harem on one ticket valid all day on your date, with an audio guide device collected against a passport or ID card. Sold as fast-track for the ticket line.
See dates ↗
The palace
Why a morning at Dolmabahçe
A palace built to face Europe
Sultan Abdülmecid I had lived at Topkapı, a medieval palace that lacked the style, luxury and comfort of the European courts, and in 1843 work began on a modern replacement. The Balyan family of architects blended Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles with Ottoman planning, and the result is one long marble block on the water.
Gold, crystal and the strait
Fourteen tonnes of gold gild the ceilings, the Crystal Staircase is built of Baccarat crystal, and the Ceremonial Hall hangs a chandelier of 750 lamps under a dome 36 metres high. Beyond the windows lies the Bosphorus, the strait the whole palace was built to face.
One building, two eras
Six sultans lived here before the last caliph left in 1924, and the palace then passed to the Republic. Atatürk used it as a presidential residence and died here in 1938, and it opened to visitors as a museum palace in 1984. The rooms keep both stories.
In the palace
The palace in the order of its plan
Dolmabahçe is one long block in three parts: the Selamlık at one end for the state's business, the Harem at the other for family life, and the Ceremonial Hall between them. This board follows that plan.
The palace decides which rooms open and in what order you walk them, and that can change, so take the board as a plan of the building and not as a route to follow.
- Selamlık
The Medhal Hall and the state rooms
A visit begins in the Medhal Hall, where Boulle tables carry the tughra of Sultan Abdülmecid. The rooms facing the sea were used by the grand vizier and the state ministers, and the Selamlık is the wing where the public side of the empire was run.
- Staircase
The Crystal Staircase
The staircase has the shape of a double horseshoe and is built of Baccarat crystal, brass and mahogany. It is the palace's best-known piece of crystal, in a building that holds the most extensive collection of Bohemian and Baccarat chandeliers in the world.
- Ceremonial Hall
The Muayede Salonu
The Ceremonial Hall floor covers 2,000 square metres and its dome is 36 metres high. Its crystal chandelier has 750 lamps and weighs 4.5 tonnes, and a receipt found in 2006 showed that the sultan paid for it himself.
- Harem
The private apartments
The northern wing was the family's home, with eight interconnected apartments, each with a bathroom, and the sultan's own living quarters. It was kept apart from the outside world.
- 1938
The room where the clocks stopped
Atatürk died at 9:05 on the morning of 10 November 1938 in a bedroom in the former harem area. The palace clocks were stopped at that time, and the clock in that room still shows it.
How the ticket works
How the first ticket works
Three tickets open the same palace, and the details differ a little between them. These four points hold for the first card below.
- Three sections
- The ticket covers the palace garden, the Selamlık state rooms and the Harem section, so the interiors on this page are all included.
- Any time of the day
- It works all day on the date you choose, during opening hours, with no fixed entry slot. The last people are let in one hour before closing.
- Audio guide
- A free audio guide device is part of the ticket, in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Turkish and other languages. You leave a passport or ID card as a deposit and take it back when you return the device.
- The ticket line and the security line
- The ticket is sold as fast-track because a QR code sent by email replaces the wait at the ticket counter. Every visitor still goes through the security check, which can take a while in high season.
Dolmabahçe in pictures
The façade on the Bosphorus, the Ceremonial Hall, the Crystal Staircase, the gardens and the gates, the mosque and the ferries.
Four ways in
Four options side by side
| Ticket | What it gives you | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Palace and Harem entry with audio guide | The garden, the Selamlık and the Harem on one ticket valid all day on your date, with an audio guide device collected against a passport or ID card. Sold as fast-track for the ticket line. | A first visit that follows the palace's own rooms. |
| Palace and Harem entry from Istanbul E-pass | The same sections on a ticket valid on the date you pick, entered on your own with no meeting point, plus an audio guide in several languages. Strollers and large bags are not allowed. | Visitors who want to walk in alone and pick the date. |
| Palace and Harem entry with a downloadable audio guide | Entry to the palace and the Harem, with the audio guide delivered as a link to download beforehand because there is no Wi-Fi inside. The entry QR code arrives separately on the day. | Visitors comfortable with a phone-based audio guide. |
| Bosphorus sightseeing cruise | A 90-minute sightseeing sail with hourly departures and an optional audio guide on your phone. Its published highlights name the skyline and Galata Tower and not the palace. | A look at the shore from the water after a palace morning. |
Ways to see the palace
Book the palace, or the water below it
The first card opens the palace and Harem ticket this guide describes. The next two are palace entries from other providers, and the last is a sightseeing cruise on the Bosphorus.
Palace and Harem entry from Istanbul E-pass
The same sections on a ticket valid on the date you pick, entered on your own with no meeting point, plus an audio guide in several languages. Strollers and large bags are not allowed.
See dates ↗Palace and Harem entry with a downloadable audio guide
Entry to the palace and the Harem, with the audio guide delivered as a link to download beforehand because there is no Wi-Fi inside. The entry QR code arrives separately on the day.
See dates ↗Bosphorus sightseeing cruise
A 90-minute sightseeing sail with hourly departures and an optional audio guide on your phone. Its published highlights name the skyline and Galata Tower and not the palace.
See dates ↗Other things to do in Istanbul
Before you go
Before you go
Check the closing day
The palace has a weekly closing day and shuts on 1 January and on the first day of each Eid. The National Palaces website lists them, so check before you choose a date.
Pick the date
Every ticket works on the date you pick, during opening hours, with no fixed entry time. The last people are let in one hour before closing.
Look for your QR code
Entry codes arrive by email, a day before the visit or at once for a same-day booking. One ticket sends its entry code separately on the day, so check your spam folder.
Bring an ID
Carry a passport or an ID card, since the audio guide device is handed out against it. Children aged 0 to 6 enter free, and their passport must be shown.
Pack light
Oversize luggage, large bags, strollers and selfie sticks are not allowed on the Istanbul E-pass ticket, so leave them at your hotel if you can.
Allow for security
Every visitor passes a security check, which is separate from the ticket line and can take a while in high season and around religious holidays.
The palace, the way there and the strait: guides
The palace, the way there and the strait: guides
Getting there How to get to Dolmabahçe Palace
How to reach Dolmabahçe Palace in Beşiktaş: the T1 tram to Kabataş, the funicular from Taksim, ferries to Kabataş or Beşiktaş, and the last stretch.
Read the guide → History and highlights Dolmabahçe Palace history
The history of Dolmabahçe Palace, from a filled-in bay to the Republic: the sultan who built it, the Balyan architects, its cost and its best-known rooms.
Read the guide →FAQ
Before you plan the day
What does the palace ticket include?
The garden, the Selamlık state rooms and the Harem section, with a free audio guide device. Children aged 0 to 6 enter free.
Can I choose my time of day?
Yes. The ticket works all day on the date you pick, during opening hours, and the last people are let in one hour before closing.
Do I still queue?
The QR code replaces the wait at the ticket counter. Every visitor goes through the security check, which can take a while in high season and around religious holidays.
Is the palace open every day?
No. It has a weekly closing day, listed on the National Palaces website, and it closes on 1 January and on the first day of each Eid.
What ID do I need?
A passport or an ID card. The audio guide device is handed out against it, and you get it back when you return the device.
Can I bring a stroller or a large bag?
Oversize luggage, large bags, baby strollers and selfie sticks are not allowed on the Istanbul E-pass ticket. Check the booking page for your ticket.
How do the tickets arrive?
As QR codes by email, one day before the visit or at once for a same-day booking. One ticket sends its entry code separately on the day.
Where is the palace?
On the European shore of the Bosphorus in Istanbul's Beşiktaş district. The T1 tram and the funicular from Taksim both end at Kabataş, close to the palace.
Can I cancel a ticket?
Yes. Cancellation costs nothing up to 24 hours before the visit on each GetYourGuide ticket shown here.
Does this site belong to the palace?
No, it is an independent visitor guide. GetYourGuide takes the bookings, and a link to the palace's own website sits in the footer.
A sultan's palace of marble, gold and crystal, standing right on the Bosphorus.
Book your palace visit ↗The fare quoted is for one adult, in US dollars; the booking page converts it to your own currency.