Beylerbeyi Palace

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Cultural Experience, Pop Culture, Palace

6:51 PM Monday, May 20
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Located on the shores of the Bosphorus, on the Asian side of Istanbul, the Beylerbeyi Palace was a summer residence for Ottoman sultans and a guest house to entertain foreign heads of state. Sultan Abdulaziz ordered the construction of the palace in 1863 and it formally opened two years later. Over the years, it hosted visitors such as Empress Eugenie of France, Emperor Joseph of Austria-Hungary, Crown Prince Oscar of Sweden and Nasireddin, the Shah of Iran. It also served as the last place of captivity for deposed Sultan Abdulhamid II, who lived there until his death in 1918.

The two-story stone palace consists of six halls, 24 rooms, one hamam and one bathroom. The interior decorations mix Western neo-classical elements and traditional Ottoman design, with much of the furniture coming from Europe. The elegant reception hall is known as the Hall with Mother-of-Pearl and leads to a fine seaside room covered with rich wood paneling. The Hall with Pool and the Blue Hall make up the center of the palace, the former featuring a large oval pool in its center and the latter named after its sixteen blue columns.
On the grounds of the Beylerbeyi Palace, you will find exquisite garden terraces and several annexes, including bathing houses and stables.

Latest Reviews

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All Beylerbeyi Palace Reviews

Review by Julian E, April 2013
Doing what: Bosphorus Cruise and Istanbul's Egyptian Bazaar

This tour was awesome, despite the weather being slightly cold and cloudy, the trip to the cruise ship and the guided tour down and back on the Bosphorus was very enlightening and informative. The tour guide was great, explaining things to us when we asked and making the entire experience quite enjoyable, this is a DEFINITE must if you go to Istanbul.

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Review by Julian E, April 2013
Doing what: Istanbul Two Continents Half-Day Tour

Another awesome experience through Viator. Our tour guide was super friendly and very knowledgeable about Istanbul, answering all of our questions and explaining what we were seeing in great detail. The tour included a trip over the big cable suspension bridge and up to the top of the highest hill in Istanbul with spectacular views of the entire city, plus a guided tour of the summer palace used by two sultans in the 19th century. I highly recommend this tour as its a great way to see both continents in one day. Amazing views and definitely worthwhile.

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Review by Jacklyn G, March 2013
Doing what: Bosphorus Cruise and Istanbul's Egyptian Bazaar

A very nice day out with Omar as our guide, very enjoyable cruise, and time to shop in the spice market! Thanks again, Omar!

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Practical Information

Beylerbeyi Palace is located on Abdullaha Aga Caddesi in the Beylerbeyi neighborhood on the Asian side of Istanbul. You can spot it while on a Bosphorus cruise, but to explore the palace, you will need to either find a ferry directly to Beylerbeyi or take a ferry to Uskudar and from there catch a bus north to Beylerbeyi. The palace is open for visitors 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., daily except Mondays and Thursdays. Admission is 20 Turkish Lira.

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