Hi,
Does anybody know the website where I can purchase combined tickets for the Topkapı Palace + Hagia Irene + Harem? I'm looking at the official website but they're only showing prices but not the actual link to buy tickets.
I don't intend on buying the 5-day Istanbul museum pass.
Thank you,
Antonette
Someone else might be better able to answer, but I've been twice (once in July and once in January) and didn't prebook - I just bought them at the ticket window on site. It wasn't much of a queue.
PS - we loved the Dolmabahçe Palace as well - definitely worth it.
I don't see a place to buy Topkapi tickets on the official website, either. https://www.millisaraylar.gov.tr/Lokasyon/2/Topkapi-Palace. You can try again, at other hours of the day, to see whether that changes things.
Like Simon, I just showed up and bought my ticket at the site. There was a bit of a line, but nothing really significant. And I know I didn't show up super-early.
For me there wasn't much to see in Hagia Irene. The Palace is huge and can take a full day. It's too bad the tickets are good for just one day, so you have to cram everything into that one day. However, it would be a real administrative challenge to extend the validity and be sure the tickets were not shared.
Hello! I just read the answers that you were given to your question and I would like to continue your question with a farther question. First of all, thank you for the official website of the palaces, very helpful. But the prices they are giving for the entrances do not include a guide, I can only imagine, as they are much cheaper than the ones I saw on several websites. Can anyone suggest if a private guided tour is necessary and if yes, are there any official guides on the Palaces? Thank you!
I was quite satisfied with the audio guide available on site. I spent nearly the entire day at the Palace. I doubt the tours you've seen advertised last that long. They'd have really bugged me because I'd have felt I was being dragged through the place. Your level of interest (including interest in taking photos) may be very different from mine--and I think it's hard to know in advance how much time you'll want to spend at a huge sight like that.
As a solo traveler not willing to lay the price of a private tour whose focus and timing I can control, I prefer the flexibility of an audio guide in this type of situation.
"Can anyone suggest if a private guided tour is necessary"
Personally I'd say not necessary - but that's just my personal opinion.
I have the book in front of me & Rick mentions purchasing at Hagia Irene to avoid lines at Topkapi. Doesn't mention an online option.
Does anyone know if you can buy the tickets in advance for the next day? For any of the places?
Not for Topkai Palace i believe, but you can for many of the other places (ie Dolmabahçe Palace, Yıldız Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace) on the official site:
https://www.millisaraylar.gov.tr/Bilet
The question would be why? The advance tickets are not for any set day or time slot, so you're effectively just paying in advance - you're not reserving a spot. Personally I would just buy on arrival.
