Topkapı Palace

Topkapı Palace is an easy walk from Sultanahmet and is visited as a sequence of courtyards. The first courtyard, entered through the Imperial Gate (Bab-ı Hümayun), is an open park; the Byzantine church of Hagia Irene stands here. Tickets are checked at the Gate of Salutation, also called the Middle Gate.

The second courtyard holds the Imperial Council chamber, the Tower of Justice and the palace kitchens, which now display a large porcelain collection. Through the Gate of Felicity you reach the third courtyard, the Audience Chamber and the Treasury, where the Spoonmaker's Diamond and the Topkapı Dagger are kept. The Chamber of Sacred Relics is in this courtyard too, with a slow, quiet queue. In the fourth courtyard, the Baghdad and Revan kiosks look out over the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. The Harem, entered from the second courtyard, requires a separate ticket, as does Hagia Irene. Allow three hours for the palace, half a day with the Harem.

The quietest time is right at opening. The Treasury and the Sacred Relics get long queues by midday, so see them first and come back to the courtyards later. Silence is expected in the relics rooms, and clothing that covers the shoulders is sensible. Photography may be banned in some rooms; follow the attendants. Check the hours on the museum page.