Is Dolmabahce Palace Worth Seeing?

What is the biggest palace in Türkiye? Dolmabahce Palace is located in which city, and what is its area? Is Dolmabahce Palace Worth Seeing? You can find the answers to these questions in this article from the Traveling Topic website.

Istanbul is a historical city, and since many places were built during Ottoman rule, it is difficult for tourists to choose one to visit.

Before my trip to Istanbul, I had read about the palaces of this city, and Dolmabahce Palace caught my attention compared to other palaces. I decided to visit this palace at the first opportunity and prepare a report about it for you to decide which place to choose first.

First of all, this palace is located in the Besiktas area of Istanbul, next to the Bosphorus Strait. Dolmabahce Palace consists of several museums and harems, and the entrance fee for each part is calculated separately. To visit all parts of this palace in 2024, you have to pay about 1000 lira.

History of Dolmabahce Palace

Sultan Abdulmecid I, the 30th Ottoman King, built Dolmabahce Palace. According to the available documents, the construction of this palace took more than 10 years, from 1843 to 1856. Before the construction of Dolmabahce Palace, the Ottoman kings lived in Topkapi Palace. But due to Sultan Abdul Majid’s interest in European architecture Dolmabahce was designed and built in a new style.

This palace, with an area of about 110 thousand square meters, has been used as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire for about 10 years. Six Ottoman sultans lived in this palace, and Atatürk also died there. This palace has witnessed many historical events, so it has become one of the most visited tourist attractions in Istanbul and Turkey. Dolmabahce Palace was turned into a museum in 1952.

Is Dolmabahce palace worth seeing?

The decoration of this luxury palace, more gold and crystal were used, and it was built in the style of European buildings; While Topkapi Palace In Istanbul, which used to be known as the residence and political center of the Ottoman government, is decorated in the Ottoman style. So definitely, visiting Dolmabahce Palace is worth it.

Dolmabahce Palace has 3 floors, and inside it, there are 285 rooms, 46 halls, 6 Turkish baths like the Historical Galatasaray Bath, and 68 toilets. European palaces inspired the main design idea of this palace. Still, you can see elements of the traditional life of the Ottomans as well as the characteristics of traditional Turkish houses in this place.

Inside this beautiful palace are several main parts, each with very luxurious furniture and appliances. In addition to the internal parts, there are structures like the clock tower, and the Dolmabahce Mosque built outside the palace.

Tourist attractions of Dolmabahce Palace

In the following, I will introduce you to the different parts of this palace.

The selamlik part in Dolmabahce

This section is the first place you will visit in Dolmabahce. In the past, this part of the palace hosted the government affairs of the court, and only gentlemen were allowed to enter it. Since Salamlik part was very important in the palace, its decoration was designed elegantly and luxuriously. Among the objects in this section, I can mention crystal chandeliers, wall paintings, luxury hand-woven carpets, and furniture made of rare woods.

Secretariat room

The secretary’s room is located at the entrance of Salamlik part of Dolmabahce Palace. Upon entering this room, you can see beautiful paintings. The painting of the caravan of Istanbul to Mecca and the painting of the city of Paris on fire are located in this room.

Hall of Ambassadors

As its name suggests, the Ambassador Hall of Dolmabahce Palace was the place for foreign ambassadors and guests. This hall also has a luxurious decorations that will make you dazzle.

Harem

The palace’s harem is connected to the administrative part of the palace by a long corridor. Guards always protected this corridor. The only people allowed to enter this section were the serving eunuchs and the Ottoman Sultan. The palace’s harem has an entrance hall, a bathroom, and several rooms. The most important parts of the harem include:

• The residence of the queen’s mother (mother of the Sultan).
• The rooms of the king’s wives.
• The suites of the Sultan.
• The rooms for the education of the Sultan’s children.

Blue Hall

The Blue Hall of Dolmabahce Palace was used for meeting the Sultan with the people. Also, the Sultan celebrated occasions such as Eid al-Adha in this hall with his mother and royal ladies. The Blue Hall is famous for its blue decoration and furniture.

Pink hall

This hall is slightly smaller than the Blue Hall, and its floor is covered with a hand-woven carpet from the city of Harke. This Dolmabahce garden hall was used by the Queen Mother and other nobles to welcome guests.

The exterior of Dolmabahce Palace

Dolmabahce’s area is one of this palace’s most beautiful parts that you will always walk in. You will see a beautiful fountain at the entrance of this garden.

Visiting hours of Dolmabahce Palace

This palace is open on all days of the week except Monday and operates from 9 am to 4 pm. To visit Dolmabahce, you need half of a day, But be sure that it is worth it and will become an unforgettable experience.

Address of Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul 

Dolmabahce Palace is located in the Besiktas district of Istanbul, on the eastern side of the Bosphorus Strait and next to the port of Katabash. Besiktas is one of the tourist areas of Istanbul that many tourists visit. Therefore, commuting to this area is very easy, and public transportation in Istanbul, including buses, subways, and taxis, is available in Besiktas.

How to go from Taksim Square to Dolmabahce Palace?

Most tourists stay in hotels around Taksim Square; For this reason, the question arises for them, how to go from Taksim Square to Dolmabahce Palace? It is enough to take the F1 funicular line towards Kabatas and get off at the Dolmabahce metro station. After walking 500 meters, you will reach the palace.

You can also take the T1 tram line that leads to Kabatas to the palace. You will reach Dolmabahce after ten minutes of walking when you get off at the last stop. Remember that the metro and tram cost is much lower than a taxi.

At the end of the line

In this article, I mentioned in which year this palace was built and by whose order; I also introduced the different parts of this palace to you. In response to is Dolmabahce Palace worth seeing, visiting this palace is worth it, so visit it during your trip to Turkey.