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Topkapi Palace & Harem Guided Tour with Skip-the-Line Tickets

4.2
2.7K ratings
5/5
1.7K
4/5
405
3/5
117
2/5
167
1/5
285
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Spain
  • France
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  • Italy
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Germany
Guests from United States, United Kingdom, Spain and over 55 countries have loved this experience
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Gill Gallagher

Gill

4/5

Oct, 2024

I booked a combi tour Topkapi Palace and Cistern Basilica. The day before I received a WhatsApp message providing details of where to meet the guide and optional times to visit the Basilica which helped to plan our day. Our guide for the Palace did not have a strong voice so having to compete against other visitors and guides did make audio difficult. The guide at the Cistern Basilica did not stay with our small group very long and again it was difficult to hear what he was saying over other guides. The skip the queue concept proved to be invaluable though as all attractions had very long ticket and entry queues and we jumped the lot. In hindsight I would just pay for audio guide and not a physical person.
Jo Walsh

Jo

4/5

Oct, 2024

Skipping the queue was really handy and having the guide was great. Just to manage expectations he got us through the security areas and then told us a bit about the history of the palace and surrounds. That was great. He pointed out significant collections to go to but didn't take us there himself. That makes sense given it's only a one hour tour. It's a big complex and a lot to see. There were no audio headsets either so you really had to get close to listen which was a bit difficult in a big group.
Aakriti Saini

Aakriti

3/5

Oct, 2024

Our guide himself was amazing, no complaints. However we thought it was a guided tour of the palace but it ended up being a tour to the garden where he explained all the rooms and then left us after 45 mins to visit each attraction.
Brenda Mhic Ginneá

Brenda

3/5

Oct, 2024

I loved the building, the architecture, I would have liked to hear what the inscriptions said. I had hoped to see the harem, I'd been there long ago, and have forgotten it. The treasuru was excellent, that part was without a guide, but a guide could not have helped in the narrow corridors. I am so glad I went.
Peter Muller

Peter

3/5

Oct, 2024

The tour was fine. The moderate review is because of the poor meeting place (Topikapi Cafe). Our plan was to have breakfast there (between 9:00-10:00 am), as our tour would start at 10:00 am. However, there was no breakfast option. The staff told us to wait for 15 minutes, but after 15 minutes it turned out there was still no breakfast option. Moreover, the cappuccinos were obscenely expensive (7 euros per cup). I would do something about this, because it reflects on the tour.
View original review in Dutch
Pritesh Sheth

Pritesh

5/5

Oct, 2024

Overall it was quite informative and tour guide gave detailed explanation. I did not realize that the entrance ticket was not included in the tour, until the end.
Annette Stark

Annette

3/5

Oct, 2024

Our guide was for be but it was a very expensive place to visit & incredibly crowded. Definitely interesting & I'm glad we did it but the level of crowds really impacted the experience. Lots of parts we didn't see as the queues were horrendous.
Fulvio Zanolla

Fulvio

5/5

Oct, 2024

Among the greatest experiences I've ever witnessed! Nice contribute from the guide with helpful informations about the complex and insights!
fabio massimo magliocca

Fabio

3/5

Oct, 2024

The guide at St. Sophia was very hurried, there were other groups around us with whom the guides spent much more time giving more explanations. The Topkaki Palace guide fully met our expectations, he was nice, friendly and very professional
View original review in Italian
barry mordsley

Barry

4/5

Sep, 2024

it was clear and all went well-guide very clear-i appreciate he did not really act as a guide but as a person who helped to plan the visit
Juan Pablo Baserga

Juan

3/5

Sep, 2024

We booked the tour with a guide in Spanish and there were only English speaking guides. The solution they gave us was an audio guide that did not work very well.
View original review in Spanish
ZIKRY IDRAKI BIN KHAIRUL ANUAR

Zikry

3/5

Sep, 2024

Unclear instructions on where to collect the audio guide. Asked a security personnel inside on where to get them and by then it was not possible to get them. FYI, it's at the ticket office near the entrance. The audio probably makes up half the experience for those interested in history.
J.B. de Neve

J.b.

3/5

Sep, 2024

it was sad to see the Aya Sofia under mosque police, who were very unfriendly, even forbidding me sit down on my folding stick. The security the entrance had allowed it in.Sadder still that the most beautiful mozaics were for the most part covered No more restauration by Unesco because it is no longer a museum. However, a good guide and the Hagia Sofia still rises partly above the pettines of the day.
Anne Marie Klumb

Anne

3/5

Sep, 2024

The tour guide was the worst ever. He was brief and short couldn't remember what was to be said. He was talking with another tour person all the time and had no interest in having a pleasant experience. A waste of money and a bad experience on what could been an important part our trip as this castle is so important. We paid to get information and didn't have it.
Diyana Malakoti

Diyana

5/5

Aug, 2024

we did not know we had to meet outside the palace at the tour guide tent. Only realized this after entering the palace and had to return back outside. Lost about half hour this way. Otherwise a great experience. We ended up venturing off the tour and explore on our own just to be able to see everything in a decent time.
Diana Arlett Popescu

Diana

5/5

Aug, 2024

I booked a combo guided tour Hagia Sofia and Topkapi palace, few days before arrival. Booking was incredibly easy and the payment quickly. We was about to miss our trip because of a bunch of airplanes delayed, but finally we did it safely. First tour was to Hagia Sofia, at 10.00 am, with a great girl guide named Buse. On time, great organized, pleasant people. We was more than thankful for it. The second tour, with another guide, Denis, also a great guy, at Topkapi, 12.00 am, needed more than 2 hours. We definitely recommend headout in Turkey, easy to access and trustful!! Enjoy it!
Cláudia Margarida Cruz

Cláudia

3/5

Jul, 2024

The guide was excelent and it was a very good visit. The problem was wandering around 30 min searching for the cafe (meeting point) and hearing everyone say they did have no idea of what we were looking for. We lost the guide for 3 minutes and had to wait for 1h for the next visit
Amanda Hickling

Amanda

5/5

Jul, 2024

Really great place, lots to see. Was there for over 4 hours. Only needed to cover head, shoulders and knees when we went on the holy relics room, but worth going in.
Shreyash Dhavale

Shreyash

3/5

Jul, 2024

it was very well organized with good explanation about the palace. The group was just too big for one guide to handle. there were almost 30 people which is too much for the guide to handle. the guide let us enter in the harem section and then disappeared without saying good bye which is very unprofessional.
Alison Susans

Alison

5/5

Jul, 2024

It was really easy to find the meeting point and our guide was excellent! He gave just the right amount of information and answered any questions we had.
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