Guided tour
Tips (optional)
We chose the skip the line ticket to save time and when we arrived at Dolmabahçe Palace there was a long line for tickets, however by the time we had waited for the rest of our group to arrive at the meeting point we could have reached the end of the line so not much time was saved.
With this guided tour you will be able to visit this astonishing and lavish palace, opened in 1856 and built under the orders of Sultan Abdülmecid I, to put the empire at the level of the European monarchies.
Whereas the Topkapı Palace holds some of the main relics of the main religions of the world and the fourth largest diamond in the world, the Dolmabahçe Palace boast the biggest collection of Baccarat and Bohemian crystal chandeliers in the world, including the largest Bohemian crystal chandelier, as well as an impressive amount of gold. It has so much gold in it, that almost half the cost of the construction came from the gold used only for the ceilings. Another difference with the Topkapı Palace, not taking into account the European-styled design, is the fact that the furniture used when the palace was still inhabited is under display.
The Dolmabahçe Palace was the last headquarter of the empire until 1922, when it was abolished by the order of the new Turkish National Assembly, and it has been home to the last Crown Prince until the 1st quarter of 1924, when the Caliphate was finally abolished and he and his family were expelled from Turkey.
