Explore Topkapi Palace & Surroundings with a Local

• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

A quick visit to the Topkapi Palace is not enough. There are other spots worth checking out outside this attraction, and your local host knows exactly where. Combine your visit to the Topkapi Palace with a touch of hidden gems and an easy access to this famous attraction, and you are set for a good time!

Destination

Istanbul, Turkey

Category

Skip The Line Tours

Duration

3 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Español, Türkçe

Included

• Private Guide
• Tickets for Topkapi
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Entrance to other attractions than mentioned

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 13 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Entrance of Topkapi Palace Museum - Istanbul to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Beautiful Surroundings

   To better understand what you’ll see inside the Topkapi Palace, your local host will start by showing you other hidden gems around the attraction. That way, you can get to know more about Istanbul and the Topkapi Palace for a perfect introduction to your tour

4. How It Works

   Before entering the Topkapi Palace, meet your host and get an introduction to your tour. Your local host will explain how "skip the line" works and where to go to start exploring the Topkapi Palace

5. Ahead of the Crowds

   On this tour, you don’t need to wait long to go inside the Topkapi Palace. Follow your local host’s lead and use that extra time you saved by spending more time inside the attraction discovering its highlights and hidden gems

6. Inside the Topkapi Palace

   Once you are inside, follow your local host’s insights as you check out the must-sees, as well as the hidden gems that not many know about. Be part of an enriching tour that will satisfy your curiosity and answer all of your questions!

7. Keep Exploring

   After the time with your host is over, you can either stay inside the attraction and keep exploring by yourself or say goodbye outside the attraction where your host will point out other spots to explore in Istanbul

8. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Lisa🇺🇸 United States

(About local Emre)

19 April 2025

Our tour of Topkapi Palace was the highlight of our four day stay in Istanbul in April, 2025. Emre's passion, knowledge and experience of the palace was immediately evident from the moment we met him. He was friendly, funny and so patient with all of our questions. He helped us to skip in front of large groups while in the palace, found spots to keep us mostly out of the rain and wind (it was raining all day) and constantly checked in with us to see if we wanted to visit certain aspect of the palace or skip them. This was an outstanding experience and we learned so much. He even gave us restaurant and book recommendations to supplement our Turkish experience. We absolutely adore him and you should not hesitate to book any tour with Emre.You will not regret booking with Emre!

Mary

(About local Ugur)

27 October 2024

We throughly enjoyed our experience with Ugur He was so knowledgeable on history of the palace Also a great guide for other places in Istanbul Thank you Top kapi

V🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Tolga)

25 October 2024

Tolga unfortunately was not the one at the tour. He sent another individual in his stead, but did not inform me of this during the booking. Roy / Abdullah his replacement was good. It was also tough to nail down the plan with Tolga, meaning I had to write him many many times to get the time and pick up confirmed. But, Roy was very friendly and knowledgeable. Good guide and can recommend

Thierry🇺🇸 United States

(About local Emre)

8 October 2024

We were a group of 4 people to visit TOPKAPI. We enjoyed our tour with EMRE very much. We learned so much about TOPKAPI history and about all the places we visited. It was a wonderful visit. Everything was so interesting. EMRE even went over the three hours tour to walk us to the BASLICA CISTERN, for our next visit. We had a mémorable afternoon with EMRE. Thank you very much.Great experience with EMRE for TOPKAPI

Sally🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Gülce)

5 May 2024

We really enjoyed our tour with Gulce. Not only did she provide us with a tour of the palace, but she also told us a lot about the history of turkey which provided us with a lot of context. My high rating means a lot, as my husband typically has no interest in history, but he really enjoyed this tour. And my daughter (typical 8 year old with no attention span) also learnt a lot. Thanks Gulce! Fantastic

Damien🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Mine )

17 November 2022

I had a wonderful time with Mine exploring Topkapi Palace Museum. Her communication prior to the day was excellent and her knowledge on the tour was exceptional. Thank you. Excellent

Shaarik🇺🇸 United States

(About local Dilek)

2 August 2022

We had a wonderful tour with Dilek in July 2022. My wife and I had visited the Topkapi palace previously, but this was our first visit with our daughters. Dilek was incredibly engaging and kept them both interested despite a hit Istanbul morning. We actually learned a lot too. We can’t recommend Dilek enough. She is incredibly knowledgeable and has answers to all of our questions. She’s also incredibly warm and patient. Highly, highly recommended. Terrific tour with Dilek

Paul🇺🇸 United States

(About local Abdullah)

1 July 2022

As a family with tween and teen visiting Istanbul for the first time we couldn’t have asked for a better guide than Abdullah (Apo). Apo has great knowledge of Istanbuls’ hidden gems, a passion for history, and connections to locals that made for intimate experiences at shops and sites. His sensitivity and flexibility to our families’ interest and pace kept us engaged without exhaustion for the full day. We had an absolutely great time with Apo and completely recommend him. Great day with Apo for our family

Nivin🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Safiye)

28 May 2022

We visited Topkapi Palace with Safiye. She was an excellent guide - friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Safiye was such fun to be with - she felt more like a friend I have known for years rather than someone I had just met. Apart from telling us about the Palace, it's history and the Sultans, there was a lot of joking and laughing with Safiye. She was very flexible and patient especially as we were very late meeting her due to traffic. She didn't make us feel that we had inconvenienced her at all. I highly recommend Safiye for a fun time whilst learning about history.

Prokopios🇺🇸 United States

(About local Hakan)

19 May 2022

Very informative and friendly.PV

Vassily🇳🇬 Nigeria

(About local Hakan)

18 April 2022

We had an amazing day with Hakan. His diverse knowledge of history was exceptional. He had many options for our day and he tailor made our tour according to our wishes. I and my family would like to thank him.Fantastic day

Eric🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Abdullah)

7 March 2022

We were very satisfied with our choice. Apu, as he likes to be called, is professional, knowledgeable and passionate. His insight on history, culture, politics and society was appreciated. He gave us the opportunity to discover parts of the city that we would not have otherwise. He was most generous with his time. Finally, we laughed a lot and truly enjoyed the time we spent together with him in Istanbul. Stop looking and book with Abdullah

erum 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Abdullah)

15 May 2021

Abdullah was our tour guide for Topkapi palace, Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque. I reached out to Abdullah in advance requesting a personalised package to include the Topkapi Harem aswell as the palace itself. He kindly accepted and was very quick to respond all my queries. We are so glad we booked Abdullah as he was very knowledgeable, new a lot about the history of Istanbul and the individual locations we visited. He was also very friendly and approachable which made the experience so much better! He educated us on a lot of things and made sure he covered every single detail which we greatly appreciated. I asked lots of questions during the day and Abdullah always had the answer and was happy to answer all my questions. After the tour I remained in contact with Abdullah asking for general advice and tips regarding Istanbul, he was very very helpful and always responded despite there being no requirement to on his behalf. I definitely recommend Abdullah as a private tour guide to everyone visiting Turkey/Istanbul. Without having such a knowledge tour guide you will not have the best experience in my opinion. Abdullah was an amazing tour guide!

Michelle & Andrew

(About local Hatice)

31 December 2019

She is a superb guide, very helpful and knowledgeable, with a deep love of the history. We struck up an immediate rapport with Hatice, and felt as if we had known her for years. She made the palace, its inhabitants, its culture and its history come alive for us. Our experience of Topkapi would have much poorer without her expert guidance. We would be delighted to take another tour with her.Topkapi with Hatice

Todd🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Ugur)

4 October 2019

Ugur was a fantastic guide. He expertly took us through the Topkapi Palace, providing interesting details throughout the way. He was knowledgeable, engaging and very friendly - everything you could want in a guide. I wholeheartedly recommend him.Fantastic Guide

Stephanie🇱🇧 Lebanon

(About local Safiye)

31 August 2019

We enjoyed a wonderful tour of Topkapi Palace with Safiye yesterday . She explained every intricate detail of the palace’s layout as well as the different functions of the numerous buildings . Safiye animated the daily routine of palace life under the Ottoman Sultans. We also toured the magnificent gardens and enjoyed the unbelievable views of the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus .i highly recommend taking this tour with Safiye , her English is perfect and her knowledge of Ottoman history is profound . Stephanie Topkapi tour

pierre🇫🇷 France

(About local Abdullah)

12 August 2019

Abdullah is apassionate guide who knows very well the history of İstanbul and more. We enjoyed spending the afternoon at Topkapi with himGreat guided tour

Germán Gabriel🇦🇷 Argentina

(About local Safiye)

23 July 2019

Not only she is extremely kind and professional but also has an extensive knowledge about turkish culture and history. I would definitely recommend her to any of my friends. Don’t miss the chance to learn from her. Extraordinary !

Andy🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Oğuz)

29 June 2019

We are unsure if this is due to the tour design or Oguz’s guiding, but we felt this tour missed the mark as a Withlocals experience. Oguz was very knowledgeable about Ottoman history and the historical facts related to Topkapi palace, but the tour resembled an audio guide as we were overloaded with many dates and facts in certain places, then followed our guide in silence to another spot, where he would deliver another blurb. We would have loved to hear more stories about life at Topkapi palace and when we asked, Oguz did explain certain things, but then returned to his factual commentary. We would also have appreciated it if he had curated the provided information better (e.g. in the Portrait hall, we didn’t necessarily need an explanation of each painting). We spent the entire three hours covering the palace grounds, so the experience’s description of visiting another spot and having a tea break did not apply. This felt more like a standard (imbalanced) tour rather than what we’re used to from Withlocals.Topkapi:Focus on facts rather than stories

Julie🇺🇸 United States

(About local Oğuz)

27 May 2019

We had a wonderful tour of both Topkapı and Hagia Sophia with Oguz. He was very knowledgeable and informative and shared many interesting facts and stories about Istanbul and Turkey. He was also very patient, generous and accommodating. A really great tour of two historical marvels!Tour of Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia

Cynthia🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Ugur)

16 May 2019

Ugur was a wonderful guide and his knowledge of Topkapi Palace was impressive. There wasn't a question he couldn't answer and he navigated the heavy crowds expertly, which was much appreciated. He was engaging and warm and we enjoyed his company very much. He also knew what was open at the Palace and what was not, which allowed us to maximize our time there. His advice about neighborhoods to visit was invaluable. A wonderful time

Wasif🇺🇸 United States

(About local Safiye)

20 April 2019

Right from the beginning Safiye texted us letting us know about our tour booking. She was very timely and was on time and met us right outside the palace. Tour wise she was extremely knowledgeable and great. Safiye had a great balance of showing us around and giving us plenty of time to look around. We were never rushed and even offered to take us to an offsite park full of tulips for pictures. She wasn’t feeling well but never canceled and was joy a to have as a tour guide. Book with confidence and I would personally recommend her, also gave us plenty of ideas outside of our tour. Topkapi Palace with Safiye

Jonathan🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Abdullah)

27 March 2019

Apo’s knowledge of Istanbul and its history is second to none. I had a really enjoyable morning finding out about the Aya Sofia, Basillica Cistern and the Grand Bazar. I would definitely recommend Apo as a guide. He knows the city well he can tailor the tour to your liking. Great tour with a very knowledgable guide

Rosie🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Oğuz)

17 November 2018

Our guided tour of the Topkapi Palace with Oguz was excellent. He is extremely knowledgeable, has a really friendly manner and speaks very good English. He made our visit a very enjoyable and memorable experience and we would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Istanbul.Topkapi Palace with Oguz

Carol🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Oğuz)

29 October 2018

Booking a tour with Oguz for the Topkapi Museum on our first day in Istanbul was a brilliant move. Not only did we gain a good understanding of the history of the Ottoman rulers and the Sultan’s administration, we also grasped the big picture of the Region, Turkey and Istanbul. In addition we received lessons on city transport, basic greetings, food, restaurant recommendations and more. The three hours with Oguz set us up perfectly for the rest of our holiday. We can’t recommend this tour or Oguz highly enough! The Perfect Start

Brian🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Ugur)

25 October 2018

The third of our booked “walker”was with Ugur-the ladies favourite. A really smashing young man with a real modern slant on modern day Istanbul and the people who live there. This trip was just for the Hagia Sophia but we did it and it’s little sister to ensure we had our value. All our walkers had superb knowledge of the specific topic for the day as well as the general history of Istanbul and Turkey, but also quickly realised our strengths and weaknesses as a group. Very many thanks to you all.A day in ye olde Istanbul

Usman 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Oğuz)

17 October 2018

Was a good experience if you want a private/personal tour is the best option.Topkapi palace visit

57mf65pcrb🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Abdullah)

22 April 2025

Mara

(About local Ugur)

20 April 2025

Wir hatten eine wunderbare Food Tour mit Ugur! Er hat uns durch die kulinarische Welt Istanbuls geführt. Obwohl wir die Stadt schon gut kennen, hat er uns an rund 10 Stationen viele neue Gerichte und Geschmäcker nähergebracht. Die Tour war abwechslungsreich, lecker und von einem Bewohner Istanbuls – genau das, was wir uns erhofft hatten. Vielen Dank, Ugur!Absolute Empfehlung!

Jesse🇺🇸 United States

(About local Emre)

20 April 2025

All in all, we had an amazing tour in Turkey with Emre! We’ve been telling everyone it was the highlight of our trip, an unforgettable mix of history and incredible food. We learned so much about the culture of Istanbul and Turkey. We’d highly recommend this tour, and we can’t wait to come back and do another one with Emre!Delayed Review!

Syd

(About local Kadir Celal)

19 April 2025

kadir was just so lovely to be with knowledgable and friendly and truly local wev had av great timewonderfuk

Alex

(About local Abdullah)

18 April 2025

Appo was really awesome. Punctual and very friendly. We were a group of six and we had our tour in Spanish and it was perfect. He speaks spanish excellent and his english excellent as well. He has a lot of fun facts and history to share. He made us feel right at home. Do not hesitate to take a tour from him. I highly recommend. Thank you Appo from all the group. Amazing fun tour guide!!

Kevin

(About local Ugur)

17 April 2025

We really enjoyed our time with Ugur. He is friendly, welcoming and personable. He took us through the Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sofia. He was full of knowledge and stories that made it a complete experience. Afterwards, he walked us to his favorite local restaurants. Ugur is helpful and kind. I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a local tour guide. Thank you!!! Ugur is the Best!

Jeff🇳🇿 New Zealand

(About local Esra)

16 April 2025

Esra was a super guide and we loved every minute with her taking us around the must see and hidden sights of Istanbul. Her knowledge was outstanding and passionate to the max about the history, culture, food of Istanbul and Turkey. Super friendly, helpful and with a great sense of humour made for a most enjoyable day. Esra is the ultimate professional, her vast knowledge and experience shows and we cant recommend her enough. Esra went out of her way to give us a most memorable time in Istanbul. Don’t even think about anyone else, Esra is the one, you will be disappointed otherwise. We look forward to meeting Esra next time we are in Istanbul. Thanks Esra, you are the best! Jeff and Maurizio. New Zealand and Italy. Simply Awesome

Teresa

(About local Aysenur )

16 April 2025

We had a wonderful experience with Aysenur. She is deeply knowledgeable, with diverse interests and weaves together history, art, and modern day with context and humor. She is easy to work with and speaks perfect English. We would highly recommend her! Absolutely fantastic!

Felix🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Esra)

15 April 2025

We enjoyed the tour with Esra a lot! She has a great knowledge and an exciting way to explain it! Great trip!

Andrea

(About local Ugur)

15 April 2025

Ugur gave us a great tour of Hagia Sophia, the Cisterns, Turkish-made fine arts, the Grand Bazaar, and the Spice Bazaar. He was interesting and informative and made sure we saw as much as we wanted during our tour with him. We learned a lot of interesting information about the history and religious practice of Islam. We happily recommend Ugur.A great tour with Ugur

Brian🇺🇸 United States

(About local Oğuz)

15 April 2025

We toured the gems of Istanbul with Oguz. He met us at our hotel and guided us to the Blue Mosque and Arasofya. Immediately, I was impressed with his depth of knowledge and his arrangement of guiding us through the sites. Unfortunately, we only made it halfway through the tour when I had a medical issue and had to be transported to a local hospital. Oguz proved to be even more amazing as he went with us and ensured my wife had the support needed to navigate a public hospital in a non-English speaking country. He truly went way above and beyond and we were so fortunate to have had him as our guide. Oguz is Amazing!

Unknown

(About local Safiye)

13 April 2025

Safiye is such a cheerful and positive person. She was very informative and proud of the culture of Istanbul‘s Asian side. We especially liked the two types of mussels. The only downside was the rainy weather which made the experience less than perfect.

Anthony🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Ugur)

13 April 2025

We had a great few hours with Ugur tasting the best and most authentic food Istanbul can offer Highly recommended.Fun and informative

Will🇺🇸 United States

(About local Aysenur )

10 April 2025

We spent a very enjoyable and educational day with Aysenur and she was very willing to help us plan our next 48 hours. Aysenur is very knowledgeable and happy to be flexible. Bosporus & Old Town

Sabine

(About local Mine )

9 April 2025

In nur 3 Stunden haben wir enorm viel gesehen und über die Geschichte Istanbuls und auch das tägliche Leben erfahren. Mine hat ein enormes geschichtliches Wissen und vermittelt es interessant. Ausserdem organisiert sie die Eintritte, so dass keine Wartezeiten entstehen und beschenkte uns noch mit einem lokalen Gebäck. Zudem gab sie uns noch weitere Tipps, nie hätten wir gedacht so viel von Istanbul an einem Tag zu sehen. Herzlichen Dank Mine! Super

Timur

(About local Esra)

9 April 2025

Esra made Istanbul's history come alive for our group of 7 friends. First, she asked and listened to to what we wanted to see and the style of tour we wanted. Then she delivered and went beyond expectations. We came away awe-stricken by the beauty, intrigue and history of the Ottomans but not because of a boring history lesson, but rather a guide who made the tour like watching a movie or reading a good novel. Bravo and thank you!Esra- the Best Guide in Istanbul

jane

(About local Aysenur )

7 April 2025

What a lovely day out in Istanbul with Ayşenur! She is energetic and very knowledgeable. She gave us both historic and contemporary context to the main sites in the old city. Ayşenur shaped our day out to meet our needs. Great introduction to a spectacular city.Wonderful day out with Ayşenur

Rawa

(About local Abdullah)

6 April 2025

Abdullah was a great guide! We are a family of 5 and all of us found his tours interesting and informative. We spent 3 full days with Abdullah and we saw so much of Istanbul - he was able to get us fast track tickets to most sights and had great restaurant recommendations. I would highly recommend him!The best!

Pete🇫🇷 France

(About local Hakan)

6 April 2025

We spent a couple of great hours wth Hakan seeing the most important sites. We particularly loved the visit to the cistern (and not having to wait in line!). He has very good knowledge of the history and the architecture. We learnt a lot abd had a good time. Kickstart tour

Tom

(About local Kadir Celal)

5 April 2025

Kadir is without question the best guide we have ever hired. His knowledge of the city and history of Istanbul is incredible. We saw and learned more in the two days that we spent with him than we could have ever possibly done on our own. He got us to places we had not discovered in our pre-trip research. People all over the city seem to know and love him. He is tireless and truly loves his home. His English is terrific. We were both amazed at what a great asset to our travel and value that he wasThe Best!

Jennifer 🇺🇸 United States

(About local Ugur)

5 April 2025

Loved our time with Uger. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and led us through some amazing tastings. Great with our kids, too. Loved the local experience with him. Fantastic Experience with Ugur

Stefan🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Aysenur )

5 April 2025

Aysenur was very well prepared and no effort is too big. i learned equally lots about the ottoman empire as i did about turkish contemporary art! could not turn out betterwell prepared, maximal effort

Charlotte🇳🇴 Norway

(About local Ahmet Can)

4 April 2025

We had a great day in Istanbul with Ahmet Can. It was interesting, fun, and informative. He met us at our hotel, and within the first ten minutes of walking towards public transportation, he had stories to share about the street we were walking in. This was indicative for the rest of the day: Ahmet was knowledgeable, engaging, and responsive to all our questions. He is a good representative of all that is good about using WithLocals. We can highly recommend him.Interesting, informative, and fun day