This is a great example of Ottoman architecture not to be missed. I went in November so the crowds were not the problem, however a lot of the exhibitions were closed including the armor collection and the china exhibition. I still thoroughly enjoyed the self tour using Rick Steve's book Istanbul. more

Reading over the other reviews, yes, I agree, it can get crowded. But I only noticed this in the Treasury and the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle. There the crowds were suffocating, and furthermore, annoying. Elsewhere, it was manageable. Particularly the Harem. I think the extra fee chases many people away, which is a shame because it really is worth... more

I loved this place, there palace is divided into a number of areas including the kitchens, treasury, religious artifcates and the famous harem (which you have a pay more for getting around). This can be a long afternoon and walk around, so take water and maybe a snack, plus comfortable shoes. There are guides there, but it is worth doing... more

The size of the building and grounds were impressive however all contents had been stripped bare, therefore you had to use a lot of immagination on how it looked when in use. Had a few cushions,beds,drapes been in place it would have come alive. It had so much promise but we left feeling deflated. I would still recommend it however... more

Topkapi Palace was one of the first places we visited in Istanbul. This place is filled with a lot of Turkish history. It's a must see. Plan to spend a few hours there. more

Unless you are more aural than visual, no need to get the audioguide since much of it is re-hash of the signage and guidebook. You can get more info from guidebooks. We spent 3+ hours in the palace and it was not enough... more

Hmm ! My pencil is not enough to write for Topkapi Palace ! Thats excellent :) Especially you must go to " Harem ". I want to show you some part of Harem ; this video [url=http://www.tlinkpara.com/l/MTA5ODE=]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa3cve_abed-tiginy-ab3ed-tiginy_music[/url] First scenes from Harem . more

I had high expectations which were not met, so I was somewhat disappointed. The building and rooms were nice, but not that special, at least not to me. With respect to the items on display, I was much more impressed with the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. Nevertheless, I am glad I was able to visit Topkapi Palace, it just wasn't a... more

We visited the palace today and felt that the TL 20 entrance gee was reasonable (approx. USD$13 each). We did not visit the harem. We took the advisc of one of the contributors and tried to go early. It was about 10AM by the time we got there, even tough we were staying very close by, and the tours had... more