Dolmabahce Palace

Ottoman Imperial Palace Of 1856, Administered By The Directorate Of National Palaces; Not Within The UNESCO Historic Peninsula Inscription · Istanbul, Istanbul

By 1843 the Ottoman court had decided that Topkapi was medieval, and spent fourteen years and an enormous share of the treasury building this instead: six hundred metres of white marble facade along the Bosphorus, two hundred and eighty-five rooms, and an interior that answers Versailles rather than anything Ottoman. The Balyan family architects mixed baroque, rococo and neoclassical with Turkish plan-making, hung the ceremonial hall with a four-and-a-half-tonne Bohemian crystal chandelier, and built a staircase with crystal balusters. Fourteen tonnes of gold went on the ceilings. It was the imperial residence until 1922 and then the setting for the end of the story: Ataturk worked from it in his last years and died in a modest bedroom here on 10 November 1938 at five past nine, which is why so many clocks in the palace read 9:05. Visits are on a guided route, by timed ticket, with the crowd that implies.

Vishnezade Mahallesi, Dolmabahce Caddesi, Besiktas, Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkiye

Open most days with a weekly closing day that has traditionally been Monday - confirm. Timed entry with a fixed route; last admission well before closing. The Selamlik and the Harem have been sold as separate or combined tickets at different times. Queues form early and the daily visitor number is capped.

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