Guided Tours

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

Topkapi Palace Courtyard with ornate arches and lush greenery in Istanbul, Turkey.

Guide explaining Topkapi Palace history to tourists in Istanbul courtyard.

Duration

1 hr - 3 days

Open today

09:00am - 06:00pm

Free cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience

Audio guide

Enhance your experience with multilingual audio guide

Guided tour

Instant confirmation

Mobile ticket

Relish an insightful tour of the Topkapi Palace and its harem with exclusive fast track tickets. Get a chance to see all of its rooms, galleries, and gardens, and learn the story of the harem firsthand from an expert historian guide!

Explore the home and headquarters of the Ottoman Empire during the 15th and 16th centuries.

Avoid the long queues and get easy entry into Topkapi Palace with skip-the-line tickets.

With an English-speaking historian guide by your side, delve into the rich history and culture of the Topkapi Palace.

Discover one of Istanbul’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites and explore its expansive museum collection along with the Harem section.

Learn more about the sights you see from an immersive audio guide.

1-hour tour of Topkapi Palace

Skip-the-line entry

All-area access including Harem

Expert English-speaking historian guide

Audio guide

2-hour Historian Guide (Optional)

You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

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Guests from United States, United Kingdom, Spain and over 44 countries have loved this experience
Janeen
Apr, 2025Verified booking
5/5
Our guide Daphne was awesome! She knew her history of the Palace, she had a Gsoh to, loved the 1 hour tour with her😊
Adil
May, 2025Verified booking
5/5
Quickly came in without queues, the guide was good very clearly tells everything, half a day were in the palace
Radu
Jun, 2025Verified booking
5/5
An enjoyable experience all round. The Topkapi Palace with its harem and beautiful gardens, beautiful view of the Bosphorus and outstanding collections. A pleasant time of the day with a guide who provided the necessary information, superlative appreciation.
Savitha
Jun, 2025Verified booking
3/5
This tour did not meet my expectations. We were taken to the three courtyards, given a bried description and allowed to skip the lines to the harem. That's it. The guide, Muhammed, told us to wait afte scanning us in to the Harem so he can give us the audio guide link - we waited for about 10 mins. He was a no show. He had left after scanning us in! So there we were - no audio guide, and no way to go back to scan the QR code for the audio guide. A totla waste of money and time. Do not recommend this particualr tour.
Rachel
May, 2025Verified booking
4/5
We got in quickly to the Palace. Nice Guide with good English. He was was with us for just over an hour. They leave you at the entrance to the Hareem and leave you to see the collections & Hareem on your own. This suited me and the info boards were good - all in English. Also you can download an audio tour too.

The Topkapi Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that served as the headquarters of the Ottoman Empire during the 15th and 16th centuries. The palace complex houses hundreds of chambers, rooms, and gardens, and the most important ones are accessible to the public. Your ticket includes a fast track admission into the historic attraction, saving you nearly 2 hours of time With an expert historian guide by your side, you can learn some of the greatest secrets of the Ottomans.

The tour will begin at the Topkapi cafe/Meeting Pub OUTSIDE Topkapi Palace. You will hear engrossing tales as you pass through each of the famous gates and learn surprising facts and details of legendary figures.

The final stop is at the Imperial Harem, where your guide will entertain you with some more legends and myths about the attraction. By the end of the tour, you will have had a much better understanding of Ottoman history!

Topkapi Palace

Monday	09:00am - 06:00pm	last entry 05:00pm
Tuesday	Closed
Wednesday	09:00am - 06:00pm	last entry 05:00pm
Thursday	09:00am - 06:00pm	last entry 05:00pm
Friday	09:00am - 06:00pm	last entry 05:00pm
Saturday	09:00am - 06:00pm	last entry 05:00pm
Sunday	09:00am - 06:00pm	last entry 05:00pm

Important Information

Don't forget to carry your camera with you.

Wear comfortable footwear as there is a moderate amount of walking involved.

While the ticket ensures that you skip the entry lines, you cannot avoid the security lines. This can take up to 30 minutes during peak season.

Audio App for IOS & Android is available in English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish & Turkish.

Children will be asked to present their valid passports at the entrance of the museums in order to validate their age.

Please note that this attraction cannot be accessed directly by presenting the digital Pass at the museum. You need to enter with the tour guide.

It is mandatory for guests to use a headset during the tour. For this reason, be sure to bring your ID card with you when you come to the Topkapi Palace Tour. ID cards will be taken during the use of the headset and will be returned at the end of the tour.

Your voucher will be emailed to you shortly

Please display the voucher on your mobile phone along with a valid photo ID at the meeting point

If you have purchased reduced-price tickets, please carry a valid photo ID for verification

Please ensure that you arrive at least 15 minutes in advance to avoid any delays

Meeting Point

Meet your Istanbul Welcome Card Tour Guide at the "Topkapi Cafe / Meeting Pub" OUTSIDE Topkapi Palace, across the Carpet Museum.

Please note you cannot go directly to the Topkapi Palace. Meet your guide at the meeting point, who will then take you to the palace

Get Directions to the Meeting Point