Europe
Türkiye
Istanbul
Things to Do in Istanbul
Yildiz Palace Museum
See all things to do

Yildiz Palace Museum

See all things to do
See all things to do
Yildiz Palace Museum
3
56 reviews
#1,167 of 1,615 things to do in Istanbul
Speciality Museums
Read more
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Write a review
What people are saying
“Star Palace Museum Is closed”
Nov 2019
The Museum is closed for the foreseeble future because the President of Turkey has taken over the Palace for other purposes. However,the park is still open until 10 PM. It is one of Istanbul's largest parks with lovely rose and dahlia gardens, along with good views over the Bosphorous from several places. There are two restaurants too.
“Very disappointed”
Jun 2019
I read many bad reviews before I went as the plane is closed for refurbishment but I thought I will have a better luck. I tried to be cleaver and checked with the hotel reception who checked online and told me it’s opened as usual so we took 2 taxis there and they dropped us in front of the gate but there were some guards there who we couldn't communicate with but didn’t let us go in and made us delete the photos we took of the palace from the outside. I don’t know what I’d going on in that area but they need to have someone who can speak English and explain to the tourist what is going on.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view

Top ways to experience Yildiz Palace Museum and nearby attractions

The area
Neighborhood: Besiktas
In Besiktas, skyscrapers compete with palaces for space in an upscale vista replete with hilly green parkland filling in the margins. Step into this rather wealthy neighborhood and discover a rich mix of opportunities to shop, dine, and be entertained. For folks in search of urban buzz, not to mention a constant reminder of just how important Istanbul’s waterways are to its rich history, there's the frenetic Besiktas ferry terminal or the city’s most vibrant fish market to explore. For a timeout of metropolitan proportions, head to the bucolic Yildiz Park or the chic Bosphorus-side fishing village of Ortakoy. Attractions such as the grandiose Dolmabahce Palace and a bevy of other stately residences await admiration. To be sure, this large and not overly touristy swath of Istanbul yields plenty of pleasure for all.
Best nearby
Restaurants
4,665 within 3 miles
Gonenly Gurme
166
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Cafe • Turkish • Healthy
Summit Bar and Terrace
625
0.4 mi$$ - $$$ • Bar • International • European
Manzara Restaurant
206
0.4 mi$$ - $$$ • Mediterranean • European • Turkish
ITU Havuzbasi Restaurant
8
525 ftInternational
ChineseTime
5
0.3 miChinese • Japanese • Sushi • Asian
Gastroart
1
0.2 mi$ • International • Deli • Diner
Kamo' s in Mykonos
3
0.2 mi
Mykonos by Kamo's
10
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • Turkish
Taco & Tortilla
15
0.4 mi$$ - $$$ • Mexican • Latin • International
Bilge Restaurant
1
0.2 miTurkish
See all
Attractions
1,069 within 6 miles
Literature Museum of Writers Syndicate of Turkey
0 ftSpeciality Museums
Yildiz Chalet
15
0.2 miCastles
Ihlamur Cami
6
0.2 miReligious Sites
Ihlamur Pavilion
55
0.4 miCastles
Ortakoy
1,817
0.8 miNeighborhoods
Yahya Kemal Parkı
1
0.3 miParks
Yildiz Park
232
0.7 miParks
Suleymaniye Mosque
12,567
Religious Sites
Sultanahmet District
16,709
Neighborhoods • Historic Walking Areas
Naval Museum
197
0.8 miMilitary Museums
See all
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
3.0
56 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
11
Average
15
Poor
9
Terrible
10
aphroditehalo
Aberdeen, NJ64 contributions
Do not go unless you have transport. Otherwise its a waste of time
Nov 2013 • Couples
The only reason that we visited this museum was that the admission was included in the Istanbul museum card. Big mistake. After getting off at the nearest tram stop, it took us a 45 minute walk (including a very tiring 20 minute uphill) to reach this tiny palace. There was a larger and more impressive building next door that was closed for renovation so I'm not sure whether that was a part of the palace. The part that was open consisted of some artifacts and just a couple of rooms in the palace. We were the only people there...probably because this is so far from everything and not a popular attraction. After the visit, we had to walk another 45 minute back to the tram station to go back to Sultanahmet. it was honestly a waste of time and I'd rather have gone elsewhere. When we went back to the hotel and told the staff that we went to Yildiz, they hadn't even heard of it...wonder why!
Written November 25, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Myles D
2 contributions
Star Palace Museum Is closed
Nov 2019
The Museum is closed for the foreseeble future because the President of Turkey has taken over the Palace for other purposes. However,the park is still open until 10 PM. It is one of Istanbul's largest parks with lovely rose and dahlia gardens, along with good views over the Bosphorous from several places. There are two restaurants too.
Written November 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
shazaryou
Dubai, United Arab Emirates67 contributions
They lived so fancy
Dec 2015
It was so nice to finally visit Yildis Palace that i always heard about... actually it was not allowed to visit the palace itself ...you can visit only the museum. but it was weird that it is not allowed to take photos in the yards or anywhere next to the palace area!!!
Written December 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
KASSNIGHT
London, UK19 contributions
Very disappointed
Jun 2019 • Family
I read many bad reviews before I went as the plane is closed for refurbishment but I thought I will have a better luck.
I tried to be cleaver and checked with the hotel reception who checked online and told me it’s opened as usual so we took 2 taxis there and they dropped us in front of the gate but there were some guards there who we couldn't communicate with but didn’t let us go in and made us delete the photos we took of the palace from the outside.
I don’t know what I’d going on in that area but they need to have someone who can speak English and explain to the tourist what is going on.
Written July 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
48in48europe
Krakow, Poland7 contributions
CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC DO NOT GO
Sep 2018
The Palace is unfortunately closed to the public as the president now uses it for himself. This happened in 2015 but many websites are outdated and do not mention this. It is no longer included on the Istanbul Museum Pass. Do not go here, you will be yelled at by armed guards. It is no longer a museum.
Written January 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Inspire03782459578
1 contribution
Closed
Nov 2018 • Solo
Went the whole way from Dolmabahçe only to find the palace closed for renovation. Google search doesn’t indicate anywhere whether Yildiz Palace is closed or open. Istanbul Museum Pass doesn’t worth its price, a lot of museums are either partly closed or entirely closed. A great waste of time and money
Written November 8, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ali M
Baghdad, Iraq15 contributions
Not worthy
Oct 2015 • Solo
At first there is a difference between yildiz shale museum which is a great place and a must see if you go to yildiz park and the yildiz palace museum which is actually a separated partition of yildiz shale and its entry is directly from the main street not from the park.
It has a small collection of beautiful furniture and it's not worthy to take the trouble to go to.
Written December 1, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Michaela C
3 contributions
Still closed
Dec 2018 • Couples
Today, we went all the way up to the palace only to find that it is closed for renovation. We have the Museum Pass valid for this palace and nobody warned us when we bought it. Also, be warned that many places are currently under reconstruction so you will not be able to see everything, e.g. Archeology Museum, Topkapi Palace and many places have different opening times than on the internet...
Written December 23, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
LoveTravel824621
1 contribution
Closed for renovation for months
Oct 2018 • Solo
I spent lot of time and money to visit it and it was closed though Google said it is open. It will be closed for months to come is what military men told me.
Written October 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
owen m
Oxford, UK149 contributions
Charming pavilions of the late Ottoman sultans
Feb 2016
Yildiz Park, Yildiz Palace and the Sale Pavilion are a set of royal enclaves from the Ottoman era. This palace is really a group of pavilions and villas built by the Sultan Abdul Hamit II, who was paranoid about a sea-based attack on the Dolmabahce Palace. The buildings include the Yildiz Palace museum, housed in the former palace carpentry workshop; the city museum, located across from the former armory; and the Yildiz Palace Theater, built in Western style in 1889 by Abdul Hamit. Today, the theater is a museum of playbills, costumes and stage sets. Sale Pavilion, the jewel of the park, was designed in three stages and styles. It has served as guest quarters for such visiting dignitaries as Kaiser Wilhelm II, Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle and the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Slightly less impressive are the elegant Malta and Cadir pavilions, which were built during the reign of Abdul Aziz (1861-76). Both served as prisons at one point; it seems far more appropriate that the Malta Pavilion now houses a restaurant. The circular lake on the palace grounds has an island that, in Ottoman days, housed tigers, lions, giraffes and zebras.
Written February 21, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2
3
Showing results 1-10 of 29
Anything missing or inaccurate?
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing

Yildiz Palace Museum (Istanbul) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Yildiz Palace Museum
Yildiz Palace Museum is open:
  • Mon - Fri 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.
We recommend booking Yildiz Palace Museum tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 2 Yildiz Palace Museum tours on Tripadvisor