[Home] › [Things to do] › [Museums]

---

[Home] › [Things to do] › [Attractions] › [Museums]

istanbul museums
full list, Entrance & Museum Pass info 

Istanbul museums are a great getaway from noisy streets, overcrowded restaurants and unfavorable weather.  Jump your heart and mind into historical houses, art exhibitions, architectural wonders.  Pick modern or timed collections.  Schedule to see temporary expositions.  Feel lucky by catching world famous pieces brought to Istanbul museums on a festival.

Remember to consider purchasing Museum Pass Istanbul (Muzekart in Turkish).  It gives you price advantages. More about the pass. 

---

---

Industry, science and technology museums

Aviation Museum of Istanbul is closest of all Istanbul museums to the Ataturk Airport.  Come explore models collected after the World War I, read about the history of aviation and learn more about Turkey's planes. See F-16C Fighting Falcon, Canadair F-86E Sabre and Canadian Car T-34A Mentor & Foundry, Douglas C-47A Skytrain, Grumman S-2E Tracker and many more historical aircrafts.

Rahmi Koc Museum is the most grandiose of all Istanbul museums.  Take a look at museum’s collections of industrial archeology.  Explore full size ships, real planes, historical trains, cars, horse-driven carriages and miniature household set ups. Even factories are presented here.  Make sure to check out Sultan’s carriage.  Entertaining and informing both for children and adults.   

Take this unique opportunity to go inside a submarine.  For curious individuals of 7 years of age and older.

Museum for the history of science and technology in Islam is one of the richest among Istanbul museums.  Learn about technical wonders of 9th through 17th centuries.  Take a look at development of geometry, time measurement, medicine, architecture, physics and more in Islamic civilization.  Read the detailed explanations of the exhibits to understand the history of science in Islam.

---

Istanbul museums on culture

Museum of innocence is newest of Istanbul museums opened in 2012. Collections depict 50 years of what life was like in Istanbul (years 1950 through 2000).  The museum is named after a novel written by Turkish novelist, Orhan Pamuk, Nobel-laureate.  Collections show 19 century Istanbul through life of two families - wealthy and lower middle class.  Grasp more of museum’s displays by reading his book “Museum of Innocence”.  Indulge yourself into a love story of Kemal and Fusun.  You can still enjoy the museum without having read the book.

---

Historic house museums

Ataturk museum is a former house of the founder of Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.  This is a three story building with artifacts, pictures, stories. Ataturk himself, his mother Zubeyde and her sibling Makbule lived here. Ataturk held secret meetings, important negotiations and his daily life here until 1919.  He then moved to now capital of Turkey - Ankara.

Art museums and galleries 

The Museum of Great Palace Mosaics displays mosaics dated AD 450-550.  Look at rare pieces of mosaic portraits performed in limestone, colored stones and other.  Find eating gryphon, a man milking goat, bears eating an apple, hunter fighting a tiger and many more depictions.  Take this opportunity to meet with magnificent art of East-Roman period.

• Istanbul Modern Tours 

Istanbul Modern holds a permanent collection of modern and contemporary art by Turkish and world artists.  Enjoy paintings, sculptures, videos dating 20th century to present days.  Istanbul Modern also houses temporary international exhibitions.  Take a look at photography gallery, exhibitions in architecture, design, new media and more.  

Bring your kids (7-12 years of age) for a workshop at Istanbul Modern.  Turkish speakers lead the workshop.  Kids with all language backgrounds are welcome.

Sakip Sabanci Museum displays a permanent collection of Ottoman art until Turkey became a republic.  Take a look at books, paintings and calligraphy collection of that era.  The Museum also hosts temporary exhibitions of famous artists - Monet, Joan Miro, Anish Kapoor.  Sakip Sabanci Museum presents its collections worldwide - Bahrain, Spain, Portugal.

Muzedechanga restaurant inside the museum serves Turkish and international cuisine. 

Pera museum offers visitors collections of Anatolian art.  Examine the tiles, ceramics, paintings, and instruments used in the Ottoman era.  Take a look at the original of world famous “The Tortoise Trainer” displayed at Pera museum.  This painting of 1906 by Ottoman pioneering painter Osman Hamdi Bey was purchased by the museum for 3.5 million USD.  Bring your kids ages 4 and up for educational workshops (taught in Turkish) at the museum.

Turkish and Islamic arts museum is one of the Istanbul museums which formerly served as a palace.  Sultan’s Prime Minister (vizier) Pargali Ibrahim Pasha lived here.  Look at how Islam art has developed through the collection of calligraphy, rugs, tiles and ethnographic artifacts.  Peek in rooms and living conditions of Ottoman times recreated at the museum.  

---

Archaeological museums

Istanbul Archaeological Museums’ slogan is “inviting, welcoming, entertaining!”.  Explore artifacts from ancient civilizations.  Dive into history from Archaic to Roman Eras.  See what has been found in Syria, Palestine and Cyprus.  

Take a look at unique Sarcophaguses - Alexander’s, the Crying Women’s and the Sarcophagus of Tabnit.  Take your kids to the ground floor of the Archeological Museum for “Children’s Museum” exhibition.

Check out all three museums that are part of Istanbul Archaeological museums.  This is the first Turkish museum established in 1891.  

Istanbul museums are friendly to families and single travelling guests.  

Come explore the city of 7 hills from the museums perspective.

---

site search by freefind	advanced