Dolmabahce Palace Guided Tour

Istanbul E-pass includes the Dolmabahce Palace Tour with an Entry Ticket (Skip the ticket line) and English speaking Professional Guide. For details, please check below or "Hours & Meeting."

The audio guide is also available in Russian, Spanish, Arabic, German, French, Italian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Greek, Dutch, Persian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hindi, and Urdu languages provided by the Istanbul E-pass live guide.

Dolmabahce Palace

It is one of the most impressive European-style palaces in Istanbul and stands on the side of the Bosphorus straight. With 285 rooms, this palace is one of the biggest in Turkey. The Balyan family constructed the palace between 1843-1856 within 13 years. After the opening of the palace, the Ottoman royal family started living there until the collapse of the Empire. After the royal family, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Turkish Republic founder, lived here until he died in 1938. From then on, the palace functions as a museum and hosts thousands of visitors during the year.

What is the opening time of Dolmabahce Palace?

It is open between 09:00-17:00 except for Mondays. The first garden of the palace is open every day. In the first garden of the Palace, you can see the clock tower and enjoy a beautiful meal in the cafeteria located on the Bosphorus side

How much do the Dolmabahce Palace tickets cost?

Dolmabahce Palace has two sections. You can purchase both tickets from the ticket department by cash or credit card. You don't have to make a separate reservation, but the palace has a daily visitor number. The management may close the palace to reach this daily number of visitors.

Dolmabahce Palace Entrance = 1050 TL

Istanbul E-pass includes an admission fee and a guided visit to the Dolmabahce Palace.

How to get to the Dolmabahce Palace?

From the old city hotels or Sultanahmet hotels; Take the tram (T1 line) to Kabatas station, the line's end. From Kabatas tram station, the Dolmabahce Palace is a 5-minute walk.
From the Taksim hotels; Take the funicular (F1 line) from Taksim Square to Kabatas. From Kabatas tram station, the Dolmabahce Palace is a 5-minute walk.

How much time is needed to visit the Dolmabahce Palace and what is the best time?

There are several rules to follow. Taking pictures or videos inside the palace, touching objects, or stepping on the original platform of the palace is prohibited. For these reasons, individual visits to the palace are not available. Every visitor visiting the palace has to use a headset system. During the visit, every visitor is observed for safety purposes. With these rules, the palace takes about 1.5 hours to visit. Travel agencies use their headset systems and this enables the tour inside the palace faster. The most suitable time to visit the palace would be early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The palace is busy, especially at noon.

The history of the Dolmabahce Palace

The Ottoman Sultans lived in Topkapi Palace for about 400 years. In the late 19th century, European rivals of the Ottoman Empire started building glorious palaces. As the Ottoman Empire lost significant power in the same century, Europe began calling the Empire the sick man of Europe. Sultan Abdulmecit wanted to show the Empire's power and the Sultan's glory one final time and gave Dolmabahce Palace's order in 1843. By 1856, it became the throne's main seat, and the Sultan moved from Topkapi Palace to there. Some of the ceremonial gatherings were still held in the Topkapi Palace, but the primary residence of the Sultan became the Dolmabahce Palace.

The new Palace had more of a European style, unlike the Topkapi Palace. There were 285 rooms, 46 saloons, 6 Turkish baths, and 68 toilets. 14 tons of gold were used in the ceiling decorations. French baccarat crystals, Murano glasses, and English crystals were used in the chandeliers.

As a visitor, you enter the palace from the ceremonial road. The first room of the palace is Medhal Hall. Meaning entrance, this was the first room every visitor would see in the palace. The people working in the palace and the head secretariat are also here in this first hall. After seeing this room, ambassadors in the 19th century would be using a crystal staircase to see the audience hall of the Sultan. The audience hall of the palace was the place where the Sultan would be used to meet with kings or ambassadors. In the same hall, there is also the second-largest chandelier of the Palace.

The highlight of the palace is Muayede Hall. Muay means celebration or gathering. The majority of the big celebrations of the royal family were held in this room. The biggest chandelier in the palace, which is nearly 4.5 tons in weight, is visible in this room. The biggest handmade carpet is also decorating the beautiful reception hall.

The harem of the palace has a separate entrance. This was the place where members of the royal family stayed. Similar to the Topkapi Palace, close family members of the Sultan had rooms inside the Harem. After the collapse of the Empire, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk stayed in this section of the palace.

Things to do near the palace

Near the Dolmabahce Palace, the Besiktas football stadium has a museum of Besiktas Football Club. If you are fascinated by football, you can see the oldest football club museum in Turkey.
You can use the funicular to Taksim Square from the palace and see Turkey's most famous street, Istiklal Street.
You can get to the Asian side by using the ferries just departing near the palace.

The final word

Built to let the world know the power of the Ottoman Empire one last time, Dolmabahce Palace is a showcase of magnificence. Although the Ottomans did not rule much after it was formed, it still tells a lot about the European style of architecture considered a marvel in that era. 
With Istanbul E-pass, you can enjoy an extensive tour with an English-speaking Professional Guide.