When is the best time to see this Palace without lines? Also, do we buy separate tickets to Harem and how much time should we allow for this area?

Yes, there are separate tickets for the Topkapi Palace and the Harem. Once you get inside the gates of the Topkapi Palace, you go stand in line for tickets to the Harem.

The tickets are timed, so you can wander around the grounds until it is your time to take a GUIDED TOUR through the Harem.

I would check to see what time the Topkapi opens and try to be there as early as possible to avoid long lines.

I would not skip the Harem.

Thin

I agree; you shoulkd get there as early as possible, before the tour busses arrive.

Be sure to see also the museum in the palace,and have lunch on the terrace. Great view.

Is it possible to see Topkapi on a tour and return the next day to just see Harem without buying an entire entry ticket?

We were at the Topkapi Palace the end of March, a year ago. Maybe because it was early in the season, there were no lines to see the Harem. Also, it was not a guided tour. We just wandered around on our own. But maybe things have changed since then. It took us a half-day to see the whole thing and it was one of our favorite things in Istanbul. I second the suggestion about lunch on the terrace.

The best time to visit Topkapi Palace is in summer or in winter, when there is the smallest number of tourists in Istanbul. And yes, you will have to buy separate tickets for Harem.

wordsmith, the Harem is completely inside the palace so I see no way you could visit the Harem w/o buying a ticket to the palace too.

Thanks everyone

If you can't get in with a guided tour I do recommend the audio tour. Be sure to tell them you are visiting the Harem so the audio will work there.

We would be visiting in the afternoon---I wonder if a private guide can circumvent long lines or should we be on an organized tour???

I have been there three times, and there was never any line. But maybe we were just lucky.

Maybe I was lucky too but there was no line on the day I visted.

I have seen private guides go right inside the ticket booths and get tickets.

Thin

We visited topkapi last sun. it was crowded and there was a q for tickets. but we might have stood in the q for a few mins at the most.it was not a problem.We went in the afternon and felt we should have gone earlier and spent more time there. There is a lot to see and the treasury with ruby, diamond artefacts is simply stunning. Audio guides are available and there are labels and explanations at many points about history, descriptions etc.It is good to explore on your own.The harem closes at 4 and the rest of the palace at 5.The harem entrance is inside the palace courtyard so if you want to come another time you will have to purchase tickets for the entrance to the palace again.At least that's how we understood it. Also we did not have a guided tour of the harem . we could purchase the separate tickets and go in on our own.
Probably days other than sun will not be so crowded and moreover the crowds were everywhere in sultanahmet. We enjoyed nevertheless.