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Dolmabahce Sarayi Review

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Dolmabahçe Sarayi

Address: Dolmabahçe Cad., Besiktas, Istanbul
Phone: 212/258-5544

Dolmabahçe Palace

Category: Castles/Palaces
Location: Karaköy and the Lower Bosphorus

Write a review | Avg. member rating: 4.4/5

Fodor's Review:

The name means "filled-in garden," from the fact that Sultan Ahmet I (ruled 1603-17) had an imperial garden planted here on land reclaimed from the sea. In 1853, Abdül Mecit, whose free-spending lifestyle (his main distinction) bankrupted the empire, had this palace built as a symbol of Turkey's march away from its past and toward the European mainstream. He gave his Armenian architect, Nikogos Baliyan, complete freedom and an unlimited budget, the only demand being that the palace "surpass any other palace of any other potentate anywhere in the world." The result, an extraordinary mixture of Turkish and European architecture and interior design, is a riot of rococo—marble, vast mirrors, stately towers, and formal gardens along a facade stretching nearly ½ km (¼ mi). Abdül Mecit's bed is solid silver; the tub and basins in his marble-paved bathroom are carved of translucent alabaster, and Europe's royalty helped contribute to the splendor: Queen Victoria sent a chandelier weighing 4½ tons, Czar Nicholas I of Russia provided polar-bear rugs. The result is as gaudy and showy as a palace should be, all gilt and crystal and silk, and every bit as garish as Versailles. Abdül Mecit's mother founded the nearby Dolmabahçe Cami (Dolmabahçe Mosque) in 1853. After the establishment of the modern republic in 1923, the palace became the home of Atatürk, who died here in 1938. The palace is divided into the public "Selamlik" and the private "Harem," each of which can only be seen on separate oversized guided tours, which together take about 90 minutes.

Cost: Selamlik $12, Harem $8, Joint Ticket $16
Open: Tues.-Wed. and Fri.-Sun. 9-4 Last joint tickets sold at 3. Closes one hour earlier in winter

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Member Reviews and Ratings

Reviewed by herringjanell from New York on 3/22/07
The palace is a gorgeous nearly 1 KM long residence located on the Bosphorus. Tourists can only go through the palace with the provided tour groups, in various languages. It is gorgeous and worth seeing. However, if you've ever seen a palace in Austria, Germany, etc, you will find it is very similar and not unique to Turkey. It might be worth it to pay the fee to take pictures. Or just buy some postcards. I would not pay the additional fee to go into the harem. We did and couldn't wait to be done with seeing bedroom after bedroom... The palace has a nice little cafe to take a break and have a snack. A perfect place to go when the weather is too cold/hot/wet outside!