İstanbul Archaeology Museum
Standing out in Istanbul’s architectural landscape, the Istanbul Archaeology Museum houses an extraordinary collection. Spanning from the Balkans to Africa and from Anatolia to Iran, thousands of artifacts from dozens of civilizations are on display.
Located in Istanbul’s Fatih district and regarded as one of the city’s most important museum compounds, it was founded by the archaeologist and museum director Osman Hamdi Bey. Designed as the first institution in Türkiye conceived specifically as a museum, the compound comprises three distinct sections: the Archaeology Museum, the Tiled Kiosk, and the Museum of the Ancient Orient. Following a recent comprehensive restoration and structural reinforcement project, the museum now welcomes history lovers with a far more modern presentation.
Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
The last remaining museum from the Ottoman Empire, this is the first Turkish museum to house both Turkish and Islamic Arts. The decision made to establish this museum was due to the looting of important monuments from mosques, masjids, dervish lodges and tombs. The museum, originally in Süleymaniye İmaret building, later found its current home in May 1983, when the collection was moved to the former palace of Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha, in the Fatih district. In the museum, the precious works of Umayyads, seljuks, Abbasids, Safvids and the Turkish and Islamic communities are on display. In the museum, you’ll find a collection of 15,000 hand-written volumes, carpets, ceramics, wood carvings and metalwork in its seven sections–Wood Works, Ceramics and Glass, Metal Art, Ethnography, Stone Art, Carpets, and Calligraphy. The Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum is an incredible place that documents the rich Islamic heritage of the region.
Galata Mevlevi Lodge
In 1491, Divane Mehmet Dede established the Galata Mevlevi Lodge (Galata Mevlevihanesi), the first Mevlevi lodge in İstanbul. In spite of the natural disasters which have struck the area over the centuries, it still stands today. It’s undoubtedly one of the most important pieces from the Ottoman era still standing in the Beyoğlu district underwent significant repairs in 2007 and it wasn’t until November the 21st of 2011 that it once again opened its doors to visitors. Now looking more like a contemporary museum, the Mevlevi lodge is spread across three floors. As you walk in, you’re greeted by the large area in which the whirling ceremonies take place. This room is beautifully decorated in walnut wood, with incredible calligraphy inscriptions along the walls and ceiling. Be sure to take a look at the Dervish rooms on the second floor too while you’re at the lodge. You’ll also find religious items, Matbah’ı Şerif, traditional garments and holograms of the Whirling Dervishes displayed there, so it’s not to be missed. On the top floor, there are further examples of the arts of calligraphy, marbling and engraving. Visit the Galata Mevlevi Lodge over the weekend and you’ll get to see the incredible whirling performances which make this sect so unique.
Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam
The Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam is the first museum of its kind in Türkiye. Here you’ll find models and mock-ups alongside 570 instruments created between the ninth and sixteenth centuries by Muslim scientists. The Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam, split over two floors, covers an area of 3,500 square meters, you’ll also find items used in the fields of astronomy, physics, chemistry, mathematics, geography and optics on display. Among its most interesting pieces are a map of the world drawn by Muhammad al-Idrisi, minute scales designed by Abdurrahman el-Hazini and a mechanical clock created by Taqi ad-Din Muhammad ibn Ma’ruf. In this unique museum of Islamic civilization in İstanbul you will also find the İbn-i Sina Botanical Garden in the museum’s garden.
Sakıp Sabancı Museum
A cultural asset on the İstanbul art scene, Sakıp Sabancı Museum, holds regular exhibitions and boasts a unique collection. Since 2002, the Sakıp Sabancı Museum (Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi) has been a private arts museum on the shores of the Bosphorus in one of the oldest neighborhoods of the city, Emirgan. The historical building that houses the museum was commissioned by the family of the khedive of Egypt in 1927, and because of the horse sculpture in front of it, it was known as the Horse Kiosk (Atlı Köşk). After 1966, the building served as the home of Turkish businessman Sakıp Sabancı. In 1998, it was gifted to the Sakıp Sabancı University with Sakıp Sabancı’s collection and turned into a museum. The museum’s permanent collection houses a manuscript of the Holy Quran, with furniture and pieces from famous Turkish artists such as Osman Hamdi Bey and Fikret Mualla. The museum is also well-known for the quality of its temporary exhibits, recently holding ones devoted to the works of Picasso, Monet, Anish Kapoor, Salvador Dalí and Miró to name a few. We recommend that you take a walk around the museum, as there are breathtaking views; afterwards take a rest in the museum restaurant.
İstanbul Naval Museum
The İstanbul Naval Museum is considered to be one of the most important museums in the world thanks to its rich collection and display of maritime history ranging from Ottoman times to present day. Located at the heart of the city, the İstanbul Naval Museum is in Beşiktaş’s main square, right next to the tomb of Ottoman admiral Barbarossa Hayreddin Paşa. The permanent collection, which has over 20.000 pieces, is displayed both in the museum’s two buildings and in its garden. Various items from Ottoman ships and boats are on display, including tools and furniture as well as models and mock-ups of the originals. The walls are full of pictures depicting important events in maritime history as well as parts from Atatürk’s private yacht. Banners, cannons and weapons are displayed on the top floor as well as naval outfits. This massive museum covers an area of 1,500 square meters. In the most spacious hall, the boats of the palace are on display.
İstanbul Toy Museum
The İstanbul Toy Museum (İstanbul Oyuncak Müzesi) opened its doors on National Children’s Day in T, April 23rd of 2005, and it features the personal toy collection of the poet Sunay Akın. Since 1990, Akın has traveled the world visiting antique dealers to build his collection. For 20 years he collected this historical set of toys and placed them in a mansion in the Göztepe neighborhood. These toys give a sense of life and the world during different eras in the most entertaining way possible, and the museum itself was expertly designed by artist Ayhan Doğan. The museum is one of the first of its kind in Europe as well as Türkiye, and now other toy museums have cropped up in other Turkish cities too. The toys exhibited in the museum are a great way to learn about world history as well. Space toys, for example, reflect mankind’s struggle to reach the moon. You can learn about the industrial revolution and its importance in modern civilization through the various forms of trains on display. There are also Charlie Chaplin toys for those who want to indulge in a little bit of nostalgia. There’s everything you can think of, from simple cars to action heroes, soldiers on the battlefield to dolls and dolls’ houses. The oldest toy in the museum is a toy violin, made in France, from 1817. In November of 2012, the İstanbul Toy Museum hosted the TOYCO meeting (European Union of Toy and Children Museums) and made İstanbul the “capital of toy museums”.
Rahmi Koç Museum
The Rahmi Koç Museum sheds light on the history of industry with the slogan “Mirror of the Industrial Heritage,” and houses Türkiye’s first industrial collection of transport, aviation, scientific instruments, machines, models and toys. The Rahmi M. Koç Museum has one of the richest collections of any museum in either İstanbul or Türkiye and is located in the historical Lengerhane building and the Hasköy Dockyard. The rich collection is dedicated to Atatürk, and there’s even a section with his outfits and furniture. In the sections dedicated to road travel, seafaring and aviation, you’ll find everything from classic cars to horse-pulled trams, from famous ships to jets, and all the most important parts of the history of transportation. In the living history section, you’ll find examples of moving figurines from the history of pharmacy, watchmaking and toy making. A part of the collection can be seen in the open area between Hasköy Avenue and the Golden Horn. If you like cars, are interested in airplanes and the history of industry, prepare to be dazzled by this great collection.
Pera Museum
Brought to life through the transformation of the former Bristol Hotel, Pera Museum is home to the rich Orientalist Painting Collection of the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation. The museum’s greatest draw, without question, is the first version of “Tortoise Trainer,” painted by Osman Hamdi Bey in 1906. Unlike its later version at the İş Bankası Museum, this original features five tortoises. After seeing it, you can also explore the Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics and the Anatolian Weights and Measures collections. On Friday evenings, as part of “Long Friday,” the museum stays open late.
Türkiye İş Bankası Painting and Sculpture Museum
Opened following the restoration of the historic Baudouy Apartment, one of Beyoğlu’s memory landmarks, the museum stands out on the city’s art route not only for its architecture but also for the exceptional masterpiece it houses. The permanent collection includes the second version of Osman Hamdi Bey’s iconic “The Tortoise Trainer,” painted in 1907. Unlike the first version at the Pera Museum, this composition features six tortoises, a plaque bearing the name “Muhammad” hanging on the wall, and a green jug placed by the window. Carrying the artist’s handwritten note “affectionately dedicated to Münir Pasha,” this version holds a more personal story. Transporting visitors into the atmosphere of Pera in the early 1900s, the museum presents some of the most distinguished examples of Turkish painting.
📍 Route tip: Two museums, one route
These two museums stand like twin treasures, back-to-back in Beyoğlu. While the Türkiye İş Bankası Painting and Sculpture Museum is located on İstiklal Avenue, the Pera Museum faces Meşrutiyet Avenue just behind it. Using the Odakule passage, you can move between the two with a walk of only three minutes, giving yourself the chance to see, on the same day, these two monumental works in which Osman Hamdi Bey explored the same subject, comparing the one-year gap between them and their subtle details.
Basilica Cistern
One of the most enigmatic structures of the Historic Peninsula, the Basilica Cistern reopened in 2022 after an extensive restoration and quickly became one of the city’s most popular stops. No longer just a historic cistern, it now offers the atmosphere of a living museum, enhanced by light installations and works of art. Columns rising from the water and the famed Medusa heads, brought to life through a specially designed lighting system, create a mesmerizing experience. It is one of the stops that should be at the very top of your list during a Sultanahmet visit.
İstanbul Modern
One of the most important stops on Istanbul’s cultural and artistic map, Istanbul Modern reopened in 2023 on the historic Karaköy waterfront in a new building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano. Blending industrial aesthetics with transparent elegance, the structure brings the shimmer of the Bosphorus and the scent of the sea into its exhibition spaces, weaving art and the city together seamlessly. Alongside modern art collections featuring leading examples from Türkiye and around the world, the museum offers a photography gallery, an extensive library, and a cinema, creating a truly holistic art experience. The most enchanting finale of this experience awaits on the roof; the viewing terrace overlooks where the Golden Horn meets the Bosphorus, with its reflective pool reflecting the sky at your feet, promising an unforgettable panorama of the Historic Peninsula.
Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum
Located right next to Istanbul Modern, the Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum, affiliated with Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, was established through the transformation of the Antrepo 5 building. It houses the most comprehensive collection of Turkish painting and sculpture from the late Ottoman period to the present day, featuring works by masters ranging from Osman Hamdi Bey to Fikret Mualla.
Yapı Kredi Museum
Located within the landmark building on Galatasaray Square, the Yapı Kredi Museum presents a long-established collection dating back to 1953 through a modern display. Shaped by the cultural and artistic vision of Yapı Kredi Bank’s founder, Kâzım Taşkent, the museum is organized into two main sections: numismatics and ethnography.
The coin collection, comprising more than 55,000 pieces, is among the world’s most distinguished private collections, thanks to its chronological integrity. Through electrum, gold, silver, and copper coins on display, you can trace 2,600 years of economic and political history from Athens to Pergamon and from Rome to Istanbul. The ethnography section, meanwhile, features tombaks, silverware, and pocket watches, along with a dedicated area showcasing the personal belongings of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Beykoz Glass and Crystal Museum
Named after one of the Ottoman era’s most important factories, the “Beykoz Glass and Crystal Imperial Factory,” the Beykoz Glass and Crystal Museum feels like a hidden jewel nestled among Beykoz’s centuries-old trees. The museum building was brought to life through the National Palaces’ restoration of a historic stable, constructed in the 19th century by Abraham Pasha, chief steward to the Egyptian Khedive Ismail Pasha. This grand U-shaped stone structure now houses 1,480 of the finest examples of Turkish and European glass art.
The museum captivates not only with its 12 themed interior sections but also with its exterior atmosphere. Set within a 360-decare woodland, the garden functions almost as a botanical museum in its own right, featuring 117 tree species Abraham Pasha brought from around the world. For those who wish to experience art and nature side by side, it offers a truly singular escape.
Sadberk Hanım Museum
Located in Sarıyer, within the historic Azaryan Mansion, the Sadberk Hanım Museum is affiliated with the Vehbi Koç Foundation and holds the distinction of being Türkiye’s first private museum. The museum welcomes visitors across two main sections: archaeological works spanning from 6000 BC to the end of the Byzantine era are displayed in the “Sevgi Gönül Building”, while Turkish Islamic works, featuring Ottoman period textiles, garments, and embroideries, are exhibited in the historic “Azaryan Mansion”. Overlooking the Bosphorus, the museum offers a boutique, tranquil, and refined cultural experience.
Climate Museum
Located within the space brought to life by the transformation of Kadıköy’s historic Hasanpaşa Gasworks into a cultural and arts hub, the Müze Gazhane Climate Museum draws attention to one of the greatest challenges of our time. Presenting the impacts, causes, and possible solutions of the climate crisis through interactive and visual narratives, the museum offers an especially educational experience for children and young people. Set within 130 years of industrial heritage, it stands as a contemporary stop designed to reflect on the world’s future.
Miniatürk
At Miniatürk, you can see all the must-see places in Türkiye within an hour. Covering an area of 60,000 square meters, Miniatürk opened in Sütlüce on May 2nd, 2003 and is the first miniature park in Türkiye. The park displays 135 models of monuments and buildings from Türkiye, Europe and the Ottoman Empire. In addition to models of buildings which still stand today, you can see models of buildings that no longer exist, such as the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Ajyad Fortress and the Temple of Artemis. The park is also located right on the Golden Horn, where so much of the history of İstanbul has taken place. On this coast alone sit monuments covering almost 3,000 years of history. See the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, the stone houses of Mardin, and the Taşköprü Bridge of Adana as well as the Selimiye Mosque of Edirne, the Grand Mosque of Bursa, and Eyüp Sultan Mosque. There are palaces like Topkapı and Beylerbeyi, schools like Galatasaray and İstanbul High School, and many of the fortresses, columns and cisterns which make Türkiye such a magical place. Some of the sites outside of Türkiye included in Miniatürk are the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Stari Most Bridge of Bosnia. The whole thing has been designed as an open-air museum, and there’s a souvenir shop where you can buy gifts for back home, as well as a Türkiye-İstanbul helicopter tour simulation. All in all, it promises to be a great day out, especially for the kids. Note that Audio Guide Mobile Application service is not provided by Miniatürk, instead you can download the Miniatürk app on your phone via Apple store or Google Play. There is information provided on all the works in a total of nine languages.
Museum of Innocence
The world’s first museum based on a novel is the signature of Nobel Prize-winning Orhan Pamuk. Located in Çukurcuma, the museum exhibits the objects in the novel the Museum of Innocence. This unique museum is the first of its kind. Located in Beyoğlu, it is the work of Orhan Pamuk as he brings his “real objects from a fictional tale” to life. The museum houses just about everything from the relationship between the main character Kemal and his love Füsun, but the museum also aims to take visitors on a full journey of discovery. The museum and novel were conceived at the same time, and some of the objects in the museum were used to fuel Orhan Pamuk’s ideas rather than the other way around. The museum had been planned since 1990, opened in 2012, and was named Europe’s Museum of the Year in 2014. The museum was also the subject of Grant Gee’s documentary “The Innocence of Memories”. If you’re interested in the intersection of love, history, and literature then the Museum of Innocence should be one of your first stops on your visit to İstanbul.
Grand Post Office
The Grand Post Office (Büyük Postane) is the pride of the Sirkeci district, and it was built between 1905 and 1909 as the Ministry of Post and Telegraph building. The four-story building covers an area of 3,200 square meters, but it isn’t just a post office. The interior of the museum and the building’s architecture draws visitors looking to do more than just post a letter. Windows of blue and orange, tall ceilings and other 16th-century Ottoman architectural details used by its designer, Vedat Tek, all add to the building’s grandeur. So, visit the Grand Post Office, and send a postcard to your loved ones while admiring one of the most impressive buildings in İstanbul.
To explore some of the best museums in World, Book a flight to İstanbul.
Make the most of your visit: How to get the Istanbul Museum Pass?
Istanbul is a true museum paradise. The most practical way to explore this richness is the Museum Pass offered by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Valid at all ministry-affiliated museums, including the Archaeology Museum, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, and the Galata Mevlevi Lodge, the card lets you skip ticket lines. As of 2026, there is no longer a need to carry a physical card. By downloading the “Museums of Türkiye” mobile application to your phone, you can create your digital card in seconds and pass through turnstiles using a QR code.
To discover Istanbul, one of Europe’s and the world’s leading cultural capitals, you can start this unique journey by purchasing an Istanbul flight ticket.
