Skip the Line Tickets

Topkapi Palace attracts millions of visitors every year, owing to long waiting lines at the entrance to buy tickets. The Topkapi Palace Skip-the-Line tickets allow you to save the time you’d rather spend in the lines. You can simply display your mobile voucher and gain entry access, giving you a lot more time to spend exploring the palace. 

Topkapi Palace Tickets: Skip the Line

Skip the Line Guided Tour of Topkapi Palace

Guided Tour Tickets

Topkapi Palace is a massive attraction that has many stories and secrets to uncover. With a guided tour ticket, you can ensure that you discover the rich history and culture of the palace. Also, you will only be allowed access into the Imperial Harem when accompanied by an expert guide. You will also get access to free audio-guides available in multiple languages. 

Topkapi Palace Tickets with Highlights Tour

VIP Tickets

With a VIP ticket, not only will you be able to skip waiting lines but also get priority access to Topkapi Palace. This will include a 90-minute tour along with access to the Imperial Harem. An expert English-speaking guide will give you a low down on the role Topkapi Palace played in Istanbul’s history. There is also an immersive audio-guide available on a free mobile app. 

Topkapi Palace VIP Tickets with Audio Guide

Ottoman Imperial Palace

Shortly after his conquest of Constantinople (the olden name of Istanbul) in 1453, Mehmed the Conqueror started building the first level of the palace. He also lived here until his death in 1481. Sultans stayed at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul until the nineteenth century. After a huge fire that devastated the royal kitchens in 1574, Sultan Selim II entrusted Mimar Sinan with restoring the damaged section of the palace. The Topkapi Palace remained an Ottoman stronghold throughout this period.

First Court

The first courtyard, also known as the First Court, is the palace’s largest and sole public space. Throughout the reign of the Ottoman Empire, the Imperial gates were opened to anyone unarmed. The wide expanse of the courtyard was perfect for celebrations and parades, and it was probably the busiest of the palace's squares.

Second Court

The Salutation Gate opens up to the Second Court of Topkapi Palace. Known as the Divan Square, the Second Court used to be the administrative center. This area would only be opened to the members of the court and other formal visitors. In the Domed Chamber, also known as Council Hall, members of the Council met many times a week to deliberate imperial concerns.

Harem

The harem was really the sultan’s family’s dwelling quarters, and it was rigorously partitioned by gender. In the 16th Century, Murat III got apartments built here, which eventually became the sultan’s palace as well. The harem, like the remainder of the palace, was constantly refurbished and expanded to meet growing demands. The outcome today is a complex plan with a variety of architectural influences.

Third Court

The Felicity Gate, with its canopied entrance, opens to the Third Court, or innermost square, which accommodated the Sultan’s private home and the internal imperial school. The sultan, his family, his staff, and the infrequent authorized guest were the only ones who could enter. Visitors to the Sultan were limited to the Audience Chamber and were required to conform to a strict protocol.

Imperial Treasury

Situated at the eastern end of the court, the Topkapi Treasury includes priceless riches like silver, gold, emeralds, jades, rubies, pearls and diamond-encrusted artifacts. The Treasury was built in 1460 while Mehmed the Conqueror reigned and was originally used as a reception hall. The jewel-encrusted Sword of Süleyman the Magnificent and the remarkable Throne of Ahmed I, studded with mother-of-pearl and fashioned by Sedefkar Mehmed Agha, builder of the Blue Mosque, are also worth seeing.

Fourth Court

The third courtyard connects to the Fourth Court, which features tiered lawns and pavilions. It is home to the Baghdad Pavilion, Circumcision Chamber, and Yerevan Pavilion, all of which are ornamented lavishly. The charming gilt-bronze Iftar Pergola, where sultans often broke their fasts if Ramadan occurred in the summertime, is one of the most distinctive features in the fourth courtyard.

European Porcelains

The palace cooks and confectionaries, which currently house the imperial porcelain exhibit, as well as the External Treasury, were all located in the second courtyard. The porcelain collection demonstrates the empire’s global reach, with items acquired from Europe, as well as China and Japan. Celadon from China was treasured as dinnerware because it was thought that if the food served in it was poisoned, it would change color.

Arms and Weapons

The Royal Arms were also kept in the External Treasury. The artifacts in the collections, like other objects at the Topkapi Palace Museum, were either made by workshops on the Sultan’s orders, acquired at markets, received as presents from visiting diplomats, or accumulated from conquered people.