Istanbul Tours
Istanbul Topkapi Palace and Harem Small-Group Guided Tour
5

Istanbul Topkapi Palace and Harem Small-Group Guided Tour

By Walks In Istanbul - Tours
Recommended by 96% of travellers
96% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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Ages 0-99, max of 14 per group
Duration: 3h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: German, English
More


  • Skip-the-line tickets for Topkapi Palace
  • Skip-the-line tickets for the Harem
  • Expert local guides
  • Small group tour
  • Headsets to hear the guide better
  • Starting from Galata Port (If this option is selected)
  • Entry/Admission - Topkapı Palace
  • Entry/Admission - Topkapı Palace


Start:Multiple meeting point options.
  • Option 1
    Ersoy Bufe, Binbirdirek, At Meydanı Cd No:40, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
    We meet at Ersoy Bufe. This is a small food kiosk just by the side of the Hippodrome in Sultanahmet Square. It is across the German Fountain. Your guide will be in front of the Ersoy Bufe with a sign that says, “Walks in Europe.”
  • Option 2
    Galataport Clock Tower Square, Kılıçali Paşa, Gümrük Muhafaza Kısım Amirliği No:5, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
    We will meet at Galataport Clock Tower Square, next to the clock tower. Your guide will be holding a sign that says "Walks In Europe." Address: Kılıçali Paşa, Gümrük Muhafaza Kısım Amirliği No:5, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Near public transportation
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 51192P79

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Most travellers 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 travellers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 51192P79

    From
    ₹5,025.34
    per adult
    Select date and travellers

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    Itinerary
    • Pass by
      Sultanahmet District
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    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Walks In Istanbul - Tours
      439
      Istanbul, Türkiye
      Joined in January 2012
    • Howa Y
      0 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      Rude and unhelpful
      RUDE customer service. This tour left me in the rain even though I took a 90 mins cab to get to the meeting place in the rain. I would not recommend at all.
      Written 12 January 2025
    • AandA_7
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A fantastic tour of amazing sites!
      The tour surpassed our high expectations! Ahmet was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. He managed our time perfectly and dealt well with shepherding 15 people. We learned and saw so much and he set us up so that when the tour ended in the Topkapi Palace, we could choose wisely which parts we wanted to explore further.
      Written 10 January 2025
    • I4797DOjohnb
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Excellent historical overview - worth every penny
      We want on a three hour tour and it was extraordinary. Worth every penny. Our guide, Ismael Mert, was THE best guide we had in Turkey, and among the best guides we have had in all our world travels. He provided exactly the right amount of context for everything we saw, was patient with our questions, and kept us on schedule so that we could appreciate everything. He was extremely knowledgable about history. We did this tour on our first of three days in Istanbul, and it set us up for understanding so much while we were in town.
      Written 22 December 2024
    • mulacs2024
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great experience!
      Great experience from Kaan, he really knew his history and answered every question with detail. Really enjoyed the tour, and he even gave suggestions about general activities. Highly recommend!
      Written 10 December 2024
    • David J
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Guided tour Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace
      A very personalized tour, able to ask any questions about area and sights. Tour guide Ismail Mert was very friendly, knowledgeable and entertaining. Even though everything is close there is a lot of walking, but plenty of breaks. A very worthwhile experience.
      Written 3 December 2024
    • Renie E
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      History!
      Our guide was great! Kind, personable plus he offered to take photos of each couple/person at the end of the tour as we were leaving the Blue Mosque. His knowledge of the mosques, Hippodrome and Turkey was excellent and we would definitely book with him again!
      Written 29 November 2024
    • padman26
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Iconic monuments with a great guide.
      Our guide Mert from Walks in Europe was really excellent. He was so friendly and knowledgeable and loved his job. The tour became truly memorable because of the insights Mert gave us. Highly recommended,
      Written 21 November 2024
    • hilaryhZ8362ZI
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Excellent walking tour
      Mert (Ismail) was excellent. He was so knowledgeable and engaging with his tour group. Highly recommend the walking tour and the tour guide. Our group gave him the title of ‘The best guide’
      Written 12 November 2024
    • elizabethjE2520VX
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great tour of two beautiful mosques
      Mert was a great tour guide and we learned a lot about these two incredible mosques. Highly recommend as you would not learn all of this information without a guide (there are not any information signs that I saw in either location). In-ear audio devices made it easy to hear the information in these popular visiting sites. Good balance of a focus on the history with some humor sprinkled in.
      Written 11 November 2024
    • diarmobray
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Highly recommended
      What a worthwile experience. Our guide Buket (I hope I have her name right!) was do pleasant and knowledgeable. She not only was very informative about the Blue Nosque, the Hippodromemand the Hagia Sophia (the subject of our tour) but she was able to answer any questions about Instanbul and its history and her recommendations of other places to visit were all spot on. We went on this tour on the first of seven days we spent in Istanbul and went on a foo tour on the next day. We self guided for the rest of out visit to this wonderfil city but we would highly recommend taking a tour early in your visit, it is so helpful in getting to know how to make your way around. Thank you so uch, Buket!!
      Written 10 November 2024
    • wldtravels
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Walk from Cruise port to Old Town - or take the tram...it is easy either way
      Walking or Trams to (Old City) Istanbul from Cruise ship – it's about 1.5mi away. The shortest route to Old City (Haggia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Cistern, Topkopi Palace, Hippodrome, Spice Market) is to travel out of the port exit, along the pier/waterfront to the closest bridge. The port is newer and very modern. You can shop, eat and enjoy touring the area close to the port very easily, but it doesn't have the same feel and options as the Old Town tourist area if that is what you are interested in, and it doesn't have any of the major sites/attractions Istanbul is known for. Distance to the Old City is: - approximately 1mi from the ship to the bridge, then 1/2mi across the bridge...the Spice Market is across the street from the end of the bridge. The other attractions are up the hill. Be sure to cross the road at the first crosswalk to the left of the bridge after walking across the bridge. If you go any farther, the Palace walls, train station, and city park fences prevent you from being able to go anywhere into the city or into the Old City for another mile until you reach (and go back through) the park below the Palace. - You are able to buy tickets to each attraction on-site, but there seems to be a variety of Istanbul City Cards to enter various attractions that might be worth looking into...and can include a Bosphorus cruise and/or city transportation - if you are not inclined to walk across the bridge, trams run regularly across the bridge to/from the Spice Market area to the cruise port for much less than a cab (note – cab drivers seem to have trouble getting their meters to work when driving tourists, so the cost can be much more expensive to catch a cab from the Old City back to the cruise port). Also note: To enter the Blue Mosque and/or the Hagia Sophia you will need to: 1) have your knees and shoulders covered and 2) take your shoes off, so we recommend having a small bag to carry your shoes so you don't have to check them or worry about them wandering off on their own 3) females will need to have their head covered with a scarf. There are places in line that check for proper dress code. The Blue Mosque can provide a scarf for people who need one, which they collect it as you leave. The Hagia Sophia can sell you a one-time-use light scarf at the entrance to use during your visit, then keep. Both mosques were unique enough to enter. They are an integral part of Istanbul. Also, if you go to the Spice Market or Grand Bazaar, be sure to haggle for your goods. They may start at prices 2-3x what they expect you to pay. Don't be intimidated by the situation, simply figure out what you think you want and be willing to walk away to try somewhere else.
      Written 2 November 2024
    • brooke_rrc
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Educational and Beautiful
      This tour was very thorough in providing information about the history of Istanbul, the buildings and the people. I learned a lot and enjoyed my tour.
      Written 30 October 2024
    • 735sascham
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fantastic
      Fab tour- we got so much out of it! Avoided long ques and got so much insight making this a much richer experience than just walking through the sites. Take snacks - it is a long day! Emre was incredibly engaging - thank you for a fantastic day!
      Written 27 October 2024
    • MorganG315
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great insight into those incredible historic sites
      Such a good idea to book this tour, we would never have gleaned so much information going on our own. The tour guide was informative and friendly and as she had a microphone and we had audio guides we didn't miss a thing she said, one of the best tours we've been on. I'm sorry but can't exactly remember our guide's name but I think it's Gibran, art historian/tour guide. Well worth it.
      Written 24 October 2024
    • arunabhiram
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great experience
      This was an amazing tour and completely worth it. Our tour guide was really good, and did a fantastic job explaining the history of everything in both Aya Sofya and the blue mosque. She also gave insights on why certain things are done in a certain way in the Islamic religion. It was also very efficient and well worth the effort of doing this as a tour.
      Written 22 October 2024
    See all 439 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

    Popular mentions

    5.0
    5.0 of 5 bubbles53 reviews
    Excellent
    47
    Very good
    4
    Average
    1
    Poor
    0
    Terrible
    1

    alastair
    London, UK2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Although the tour seems expensive for simply looking round the museum, when you consider the exorbitant price of entry to the Palace it seems much more reasonable. Sabin our guide was at the departure point, early with the flag as described in the tour details easily visible. He is fluent in both German and English and a very experienced guide.
    They were five guests including us in our group,
    He had entry tickets on his mobile phone, which made avoiding any queue very easy. The museum is laid out in the various separate low rise buildings of the Palace. Where he was able to take us round the rooms he did so with ample time to look and take photos. Some rooms such as the treasury he was not allowed to accompany us, so he described the highlights and the history from the outside and gave us time to explore by ourselves. When we finished the tour with him after 2 1/2 hours or so we had time in the afternoon to look around areas again or explore the outside areas we hadn’t visited we were directed to the best viewpoints.
    We both had a fair bit of knowledge of the geography and history of Istanbul so some of what we were told was already known, but we still very much enjoyed the tour and felt that we seen the museum thoroughly. The small size of the group and the experienced commentary meant that this was certainly better than a couple of other tours we did in Istanbul with larger groups. We didn’t use the audio guide which can be obtained at the museum but experience of the Islamic art museum audio guide was that whilst well worth having it was rather academic and hard work to follow. All in all, we were very pleased we booked this tour.
    Written 7 February 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Az20sub18
    5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jul 2024 • Family
    Mert was an excellent guide on this walking tour. He was very informative and also humorous to keep us engaged and entertained with a group that was not very large which was a plus. Lots to see on this tour. Only wish we had time to discuss the holy relics but we went and checked that out on our own after the tour ended. Would recommend this tour to others especially if you go in the morning before the droves of larger tourist groups show up.
    Written 5 July 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Jennalee D
    San Jose, CA4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jul 2023
    This tour provide so much information about Topkapi palace and the guide will walk you through all 4 courtyards. Ensure you give yourself at least 3-4 hours for this tour plus your exploration afterwards through the smaller exhibits. The harem was our favorite part to see how the sultan lived and it was interesting to learn how outside of the harem there were more dormitories for government workers. The tour takes you through the a few smaller exhibits through the courtyards but provides you wonderful views of Istanbul on both the city and the strait side. I do recommend to those who take this, that after the tour you get to visit the holy relics (require women to wear head scarf) and crown jewels exhibits immediately after before it gets too crowded. Also Topkapi has a few cafes to grab a small bite to eat which is nice to do as you sit in one of the corridors thinking of how it must have been living/working in that beautiful palace.
    Written 14 August 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Lauren D
    Los Angeles, CA2,598 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sept 2024 • Couples
    Highly recommended. We would have missed so much fascinating information about Ottoman history and palace life if we had just gone by ourselves. Our guide, Murat, was absolutely wonderful and answered all of our detailed questions so openly and knowledgeably. His English fluency was as impressive as his depth of knowledge. He also knew how to navigate our small group around the big cruise ship tours. We didn't have time to see everything, but would have gone to the artifacts exhibits after the tour if we hadn't had 2:30 lunch plans. Expect it to take longer than 3 hours if you go in the middle of the day like we did. Our tour was supposed to be 11am-2pm but it went over, as we needed to wait for crowds to dissipate. To kill time, Murat added another nearby location to the tour before we entered Topkapi Palace. We would not have known about it and were glad to have learned about this little known place, which we were asked not to mention, as it is not normally included in this tour.
    Written 22 September 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Nijaz T
    Erie, PA6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jul 2023 • Family
    Great place to visit with a lot of history. great views of the sea, and you walk on the floors, and the walkways for the Ottomans sultans were in for many centuries..
    There is so many things to see with a lot of artifacts from ottoman era and museums great experience and definitely worth a visit when you’re in it is the Istanbul.
    Written 23 July 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Alastair T
    Bexhill-on-Sea, UK17 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Feb 2024 • Couples
    Enjoyable way to see the palace with experienced and pleasant guide who is fluent in both English and German. Not as expensive as it looks given the very high entry cost to the palace which is included.
    The guide is not allowed into the treasury and some other rooms but gives an introduction outside these. Guides through the bulk of the palace with plenty of time for photos and free time to explore or revisit at the end. We were a group of 6 including the guide. Well organised, meeting point very clear and easy. Would recommend.
    Written 12 February 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    kristinahensley559
    Nampa, ID175 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jun 2024 • Couples
    Great tour with Mert! Wow! This place is huge and there is so much to see. You definitely need a guide. Mert's an excellent guide and he gave us the history on everything we were seeing. Because I didn't do any prior research on my own, we would not have known what we were looking at. With the amount if rooms and items to see, you cannot read every description plaque. We took the morning tour as there were less people and it gave us time after the tour to look around on our own. The harem was very interesting, especially learning about how the girls are chosen for the Sultan. I had no idea! The tour was 3 hours and you definitely need all of that time. Book it! You will not be disappointed. Hopefully, you get Mert too. He has a great personality, great knowledge of Topkapi Palace, and his jokes aren't half bad too!
    Written 21 June 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    margarita
    6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We had an amazing experience on the guided tour of Topkapi Palace!

    The guide was incredibly knowledgeable and brought the history of the palace to life with engaging stories and fascinating details.

    It was worth every penny, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Istanbul!
    Written 9 January 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Alex H
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    May 2024 • Couples
    Murat was our guide for this tour of Topkapi Palace and the Harem. It's a 3 hours plus tour, but you will still need a few more hours to see everything. Murat was interesting to listen to, had loads of information on the site and ensured everyone could keep up with him. A really lovely day discovering the history and day to day workings of the Palace and Harem. Well worth going on.
    Written 31 May 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Chef B
    3 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dec 2021 • Family
    For those curious in world history and the life of royalty, I highly recommend this tour. Our guide, Guzin Sapmaz, had information on every section, item and room we visited. The tour combines architectural beauty and historical information to a high standard
    Written 7 December 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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    *Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

    Istanbul Topkapi Palace and Harem Small-Group Guided Tour provided by Walks In Istanbul - Tours

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