The palace the Ottoman court actually lived in, including the Harem, with a private guide who can spend the time where your interest is.
Tour highlights
The Harem, the private quarters of the court, and the politics that ran out of them
The Spoonmaker's Diamond, 86 carats, in the palace treasury
Hagia Irene, the oldest church in the city and the only one never turned into a mosque
The Valide Sultan's rooms, tiled and gilded, where the sultan's mother held court
The terrace in the fourth court, looking over the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn
How succession really worked between Ottoman brothers, told without the television version
Where the eunuchs and concubines were brought from, and what their lives were like
Skip the ticket line, with both tickets, palace and Harem, in the price
Topkapı was never one building. It is a walled town of four courts, with a treasury, a barracks, kitchens and the Harem, where the sultan’s family lived and where a good deal of imperial politics was settled. The Ottoman court ran an empire from here for some four hundred years.
This is a private tour with a licensed local guide, for your group only. Tickets to the palace and the Harem are held in advance so you walk past the queue, and the route is yours. If you want an hour in the treasury and ten minutes in the kitchens, that is what happens. Your guide tells the palace as a story: the wars and the treaties, the fights over the throne, where the concubines were brought from and how they were treated, what the eunuchs actually did, and what the mother queen could do that a vizier could not.
It runs about three and a half hours and finishes at the palace exit, so you can stay on in the courts and the gardens afterwards.
The plan
How the palace worked as a seat of government, not just a home.
The private quarters, the politics inside them and the women who ran much of it.
What the empire kept, and why.
The terrace over the Bosphorus where the sultans ended their day.
The order can change with the weather, the traffic and how busy a site is on the day. Your guide will tell you.
What it costs
The more of you there are, the less it works out at. Find your number in the table.
| Group size | Per person | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | €200 | €200 |
| 2 people | €135 | €270 |
| 3 people | €120 | €360 |
| 4 people | €110 | €440 |
| 5 people | €105 | €525 |
| 6 people | €100 | €600 |
| 7 to 10 people | €90 | €630 to €900 |
| 11 people | €85 | €935 |
| 12 people | €84 | €1,008 |
| 13 people | €83 | €1,079 |
| 14 people | €82 | €1,148 |
| 15 people | €79 | €1,185 |
| 16 to 25 people | €75 | €1,200 to €1,875 |
Up to 25 people. A larger group can be arranged as two private groups.
Where we meet
At the palace gate, or your hotel if it is central. Agreed when we confirm the booking.
Before you book
Worth two minutes before you book, so nothing on the day is a surprise.
Cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the start time and you are refunded in full. Inside 24 hours we cannot refund. Tell us as early as you can and we will move your date rather than lose you.
Tours run in rain and in heat. If conditions make a tour unsafe we cancel it ourselves and refund you in full, or move you to another date, whichever you prefer.
One of the best tours of a 14 day visit Our experience honestly couldn't have been better! Omer guided us through Topkapi Palace, the Harem, the Eunuch's quarters, and Hagia Irene. As history buffs, we were completely drawn in by how much he knew and the way he shared it. He didn't just list facts, he told stories, added context and details, and made everything so much more interesting. His sense of humor and easygoing personality made the whole tour even more enjoyable. We could tell Omer is someone who genuinely loves what he does. We loved everything about Topkapi Palace and felt this tour was worth every penny.
Beautiful palace This was my first time visiting Topkapi palace. I had been to Istanbul 6 times and have always wanted to see this place. Our guide Omer was very knowledgeable and an amazing guide! Thank you for showing us this beautiful palace!
A window into the everyday world of the Ottoman sultans Omer, the guide, shared lots of fascinating knowledge about the Topkapi palace and the world of the Sultans and the Ottoman Empire. The tour provides a window into the everyday world of the sultans' household. Was really worthwhile.
Been with us
Wherever you prefer. A review is worth more to the next person than anything we can write about ourselves.
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