We liked the palace very much, despite the fact that you cannot take photos inside! And it shouldn’t be compared to Topkapi at all! These are two different places, each with its own energy. Dolmabahce is also very oriental, we felt the warmth of the atmosphere in most of the rooms, it feels like the inhabitants of the palace still live there, they just went out for a while.

We walked in the garden, wonderful views, the Bosphorus, of course, adds charm to this place, you can endlessly stand at the gate leading to the Bosphorus, or you can endlessly look at the Bosphorus from the windows of the palace…

There was almost no queue, although it was Sunday, we took an audio guide, you leave your passport as a deposit. The audio guide definitely needs to be taken. We forgot to visit the art museum, but there is a collection of works by Aivazovsky. I saw one picture in the palace (near the organ), I could not walk away for a long time.

Today is the last day before leaving, we still want to visit the art gallery in Dolmabahce, since we live nearby.

By the way, then you can walk along the embankment, walk or take the T1 tram to Galataport (tram stop – Tophane), where there are many restaurants, shops, a wonderful promenade. You can buy tickets for the boat and from the Kabatas pier (the T1 tram stop is called that) or Karakoy (the T1 tram stop is called that), go to the other side – to the Uskudar pier and visit the pretty Kuzguncuk area or the Prince’s Islands (but they are better set aside the whole day and not be confused with visiting other places).