Updated Date : 28.03.2024
Istanbul Museum Pass
Recently, Turkeys Ministry of Culture and Tourism is offering a lot of different options for travelers to make their visits easier. One of the best options for travelers is, without a doubt Istanbul Museum Pass. But what is Istanbul Museum Pass, and what are the primary advantages of having the pass? Here are some basics of how the Istanbul Museum Pass works and what basic benefits it has.
View All Istanbul E-pass Attractions
First of all, if you have some time visiting museums in Istanbul, it is logical to buy the pass. The places that Istanbul Museum Pass includes are Topkapi Palace Museum, Topkapi Palace Harem Section, Hagia Irine Museum, Archeological Museums of Istanbul, Great Palace Mosaic Museum, Turkish and Islamic Art Museum, Islamic Science and Technology Museum, Galata Tower, Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum and Rumeli Fortress Museum.
The majority of the museums in Istanbul are controlled by the ministry of culture and tourism of Turkey. The Istanbul Museum Pass offers travelers a direct entrance to the museums controlled by the government ministry. This means no extra delay for the entry on the line for buying the tickets. Even if you don't want to enter all of the places mentioned above, you can still use the advantage of cutting the ticket line. This still gives the traveler the comfort of not waiting in line. What's more, the price of the museum tickets becomes cheaper if you buy the pass.
You can buy the card from most of the museums mentioned above, but the best location will be the Archeological Museums of Istanbul. You need to enter the ticket line to buy the card if you want to buy it from the museums. Another idea is buying it online and just taking the card from the ticket booths with the confirmation.
The price for the Museum Pass Istanbul for five days is 2500 TL. The pass will become active after the first usage and will be available to use for five days.
The comparison between Istanbul Museum Pass and Istanbul E-pass is listed below;
|
Attractions in Istanbul |
Istanbul Museum Pass |
Istanbul E-pass |
|
Hagia Sophia |
X |
Guided Tour Included |
|
Topkapi Palace Museum (Skip the ticket line) |
Included |
Guided Tour Included |
|
Topkapi Palace Harem (Skip the ticket line) |
Included |
X |
|
Hagia Irene (Skip the ticket line) |
Included |
Guided Tour Included |
|
Archeological Museum (Skip the ticket line) |
Included |
Included |
|
Mosaic Museum (Skip the ticket line) |
Included |
Included |
|
Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum (Skip the ticket line) |
Included |
Included |
|
Islamic Science Museum (Skip the ticket line) |
Included |
Included |
|
Galata Tower (Skip the ticket line) |
Included |
Included |
|
Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum (Skip the ticket line) |
Included |
Included |
|
Rumeli Fortress Museum (Skip the ticket line) |
Included |
Included |
|
Maiden´s Tower Entrance with Roundtrip Boat Transfer and Audio Guide |
X |
Included |
|
Discover the Pottery Making Experience |
X |
Included |
|
Golden Horn & Bosphorus Cruise |
X |
Included |
|
Private Bosphorus Yacht Tour (2 Hours) |
X |
Included |
|
Hagia Sophia History and Experience Museum Entrance |
X |
Included |
|
Turkish Coffee Workshop | Making on Sand |
X |
Included |
|
Mosaic Lamp Workshop | Traditional Turkish Art |
X |
Included |
|
Miniaturk Park Istanbul Tour |
X |
Included |
|
Pierre Loti Hill with Cable Car Tour |
X |
Included |
|
Eyup Sultan Mosque Tour |
X |
Included |
|
Turkish Rug Making Experience - Unveiling the Timeless Artistry |
X |
Included |
|
Sultan Suleyman Hammam (Turkish Bath) |
X |
Included |
|
Tulip Museum Istanbul |
X |
Included |
|
Andy Warhol- Pop Art Istanbul Exhibition |
X |
Included |
|
Suleymaniye Mosque Audio Guide Tour |
X |
Audio Guide |
|
E-Sim Internet Data in Turkey (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Dirilis Ertugrul, Kurulus Osman Film Studio Tour |
X |
Included |
|
Antik Cisterna Entrance |
X |
Included |
|
Rustem Pasha Mosque Tour |
X |
Guided Tour Included |
|
Ortakoy Mosque and District |
X |
Audio Guide |
|
Balat & Fener District |
X |
Audio Guide |
|
Hire a Private Tour Guide (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Eastern Black Sea Tours |
X |
Included |
|
Catalhoyuk Archeological Site Tours From Istanbul |
X |
Included |
|
Catalhoyuk and Mevlana Rumi Tour 2 Days 1 Night from Istanbul by Plane |
X |
Included |
|
Dolmabahce Palace Museum (Skip the ticket line) |
X |
Guided Tour Included |
|
Basilica Cistern (Skip the ticket line) |
X |
Guided Tour Included |
|
Serefiye Cistern |
X |
X |
|
Grand Bazaar |
X |
Guided Tour Included |
|
Blue Mosque |
X |
Guided Tour Included |
|
Bosphorus Cruise |
X |
Included w Audio Guide |
|
Hop on Hop Off Cruise |
X |
Included |
|
Dinner and Cruise w Turkish Shows |
X |
Included |
|
Princes Islands Tour with Lunch (2 Islands) |
X |
Included |
|
Princes Island Boat Trip from Eminounu Port |
X |
Included |
|
Princes Island Boat Trip from Kabatas Port |
X |
Included |
|
Madame Tussauds Istanbul |
X |
Included |
|
Sealife Aquarium Istanbul |
X |
Included |
|
Legoland Discovery Center Istanbul |
X |
Included |
|
Istanbul Aquarium |
X |
Included |
|
Customer Support (Whatsapp) |
X |
Included |
|
Museum Of Illusion Istiklal |
X |
Included |
|
Museum Of Illusion Anatolia |
X |
Included |
|
Whirling Dervishes Ceremony |
X |
Included |
|
Airport Transfer Roundtrip (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Istanbul Airport Shuttle (One-way) |
X |
Included |
|
Bursa City Day Trip Tour |
X |
Included |
|
Sapanca Lake Masukiye Daily Tour |
X |
Included |
|
Sile & Agva Daily Tour from Istanbul |
X |
Included |
|
Covid-19 PCR Test (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Cappadocia Tour From Istanbul (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Gallipoli Daily Tour (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Troy Daily Tour (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Sapphire Observation Deck |
X |
Included |
|
Jungle Istanbul |
X |
Included |
|
Safari Istanbul |
X |
Included |
|
Dungeon Istanbul |
X |
Included |
|
Toy Museum Balat Istanbul |
X |
Included |
|
4D Skyride Simulation |
X |
Included |
|
Twizy Tour (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Western Turkey Tour (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Ephesus & Pamukkale Tour 2 Days 1 Night (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Ephesus & Virgin Mary House Tour daily tour (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Pamukkale Tour Daily (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Istanbul Cinema Museum |
X |
Audio Guide Included |
|
Unlimited Mobile Wifi - Portable Device (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Tourist Sim Card (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Istanbul Transportation Card Unlimited (Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Spice Bazaar |
X |
Guided Tour Included |
|
Hair Transplant (20% Discounted) |
X |
Included |
|
Dental Treatment (20% Discounted) |
X |
Included |
View Istanbul E-pass Prices
Here is some information about the places that are included in the Istanbul Museum Pass.
Topkapi Palace Museum
If you like the stories of royal families and treasuries, this would be the place to see. You can learn about the Ottoman royal family and how they ruled one-third of the world from this beautiful palace. Don't miss the Holy Relics Hall and the fantastic view of the Bosphorus at the end of the palace in the fourth garden.
Topkapi Palace Harem
Harem is where the Sultan spends his private life with the other members of the royal family. As the word Harem means confidential or secret, this is the section that we don't have many records about the history of itself. Most probably the highest decoration of the palace, including the best tiles, carpets, mother of pearl, and the rest was used in this section of the palace. Don't miss the room of the queen mother with its decoration details.
Hagia Irene Museum
Originally built as a church, Hagia Irene Museum had lots of different functions in history. Going back to Constantine the Great, it served as a church, arsenal, army garrison, and storage for archeological finds in Turkey. Here the place not to miss is the atrium (entrance) which is the only example from the Roman Era in Istanbul.
Archeological Museums of Istanbul
One of the oldest and the largest museums of Istanbul is the Istanbul Archeological Museums. With its three different buildings, the museums give the complete onology of Istanbul and Turkey. The most important things to see in the museums are the oldest peace treaty globally, Kadesh, through the ages Istanbul section, Roman Emperors' sarcophaguses, and the Roman and Greek sculptures.
Great Palace Mosaic Museum
One of the rare places you can still see the Great Roman Palace in Istanbul is the Mosaic Museum. You can see the mythological stories alongside scenes from the daily life of Romans in Istanbul. You can also understand the Roman Palace's size that was standing once after you see this museum. This fantastic attraction is also included in the Istanbul museum pass. Great Palace Mosaic Musem is temporarily closed.
Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
This museum is a must for travelers who want to understand Islam and the arts that Islam brought to the world, starting from its foundation. The museum is in a palace from the 15th century, and you can see how the art was integrated into a religion within centuries with onological order. Don't miss the original seats of the Hippodrome, which is on the first floor of the museum.
Islamic Science and Technology Museum
Located in the famous Gulhane Park, these museums give travelers the chance to learn about Muslim scientists' inventions in history. The first world maps, mechanical clocks, medical inventions, and compasses are among the items you see in this museum.
Galata Tower
Galata Tower is one of the most iconic monuments of Istanbul. The main function of the tower was watching the Bosphorus and keeping it safe from the enemies. Later on, it had lots of other purposes and started functioning as a museum with the Republic. The tower gives you one of the best views of the entire Istanbul. With an Istanbul E-pass, it is possible to skip the ticket line at Galata Tower.
Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum
Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum is one of Mevlevi lodges' headquarters in Turkey and the oldest institution in Istanbul from 1481. Mevlevi lodges served as a school for those who wanted to understand the great scholar of Islam, Mevlana Jelluddin-I Rumi. Today, the building functions as a museum that shows most Sufi orders, costumes, philosophy, and rituals. Istanbul museum pass covers this attraction. Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum is temporarily closed.
Rumeli Fortress Museum
Rumeli Fortress is the biggest fortress in the Bosphorus from the 15th century. It was built for securing the Bosphorus from the enemy and the base for a garrison ships back in Ottoman times. Today it serves as a museum that you can see the cannons used in the past and fascinating views of the Bosphorus. Rumeli Fortress Museum is partially closed.
Alternatives of Istanbul Museum Pass
Istanbul Museum Pass has another alternative recently. Istanbul E-pass is offering all the benefits of the Istanbul Museum Pass plus several other museums and venues. It also provides many different services and highlights of Istanbul, such as Bosphorus Cruises, guided museum tours, Aquarium visits, Illusion Museum visits, and airport transfers.
The Istanbul E-pass is easy to buy from the website, and its price starts from 129 Euros.
Having a pass saves you from ticket lines at every place you visit. It saves time and lets you worry less and enjoy more. Istanbul Museum Pass is undoubtedly a treat, but Istanbul E-Pass offers added benefits.