Dolmabahçe Palace

Dolmabahçe was built in the 1840s and 1850s for Abdülmecid I, who moved the court out of Topkapı and into something that looked like a European palace - Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical elements assembled along a Bosphorus frontage six hundred metres long, with a marble facade facing the water and formal gardens behind. The interiors are the point: the ceremonial hall under a fifty-metre dome with an enormous English crystal chandelier, the crystal staircase with balusters of Baccarat glass, tonnes of gold leaf on the ceilings, and Hereke carpets throughout. The cost of it is part of the story, and historians generally treat the building as evidence of an empire spending heavily on display in a period of financial strain. Visits are guided along a fixed route with timed entry, photography restricted inside, and the Selamlık, Harem and the clock and painting museums ticketed separately.

What you actually see

• The ceremonial hall - the domed room and its great chandelier.
• The crystal staircase - Baccarat glass balusters.
• The Bosphorus frontage - the marble facade along the water.
• The gardens - formal grounds and gates behind the palace.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Arrive at opening - queues build quickly and timed slots sell out. Closed on Mondays.

Honest expectations

Entry is by timed ticket along a fixed guided route; you cannot linger or wander. Photography inside is restricted. Queues at the gate are long in season, and the Selamlık and Harem are separate tickets.

Nearby

Beşiktaş and Ortaköy are along the shore; Kabataş connects to the tram and the Bosphorus ferries.