Historic Sites in Istanbul

Historic Sites in Istanbul

Starting from Çırağan Palace, whose history dates back to the 17th century, you can easily set off to discover Istanbul’s magnificent museums and historic sites, thanks to our hotel’s unique location.

Dolmabahçe Palace

Built in the 19th century, Dolmabahçe Palace is one of the world’s most striking palaces. As well as being the administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire of the period, it was the residence of the last of the Ottoman sultans. Located in Beşiktaş, Dolmabahçe Palace is a 20–25-minute walk from Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul.

Topkapı Palace

Topkapı Palace is a large palace used as the administrative centre by the Ottoman sultans between the 15th and 19th centuries. It houses traditional and religious examples of many cultures, and historical overviews.

Operating under the National Palaces of the Presidency, Topkapı Palace is also open to visitors in the evening hours on certain dates as part of night museum programmes.

Basilica Cistern

The Basilica Cistern is the largest of the hundreds of ancient cisterns beneath the city. This historic site hosts hundreds of thousands of people every year. Located in the Fatih district, it is 30–45 minutes from Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul by car or bus.

Galata Tower

Called “Christea Turris” (the Tower of Christ) by the Genoese, Galata Tower is a medieval stone tower in the Galata / Karaköy quarter of Istanbul, just north of where the Golden Horn meets the Bosphorus. In its time the Genoese used it to watch over the harbour on the Golden Horn, and after the conquest of Istanbul by Mehmed II it served to detect fires in the city. The tower is 67 metres high and was built in 1348.

Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque)

Known to many tourists as the “Blue Mosque” because of its blue interior décor, the mosque is one of the most important mosques in Istanbul’s old city centre, next to the Byzantine Hippodrome. Located in the Fatih district, it is 30–40 minutes from Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul by car or bus.

Grand Bazaar

With its 61 covered streets and more than 4,000 shops over an area of 30,700 square metres, the Grand Bazaar is one of the world’s largest and oldest covered markets, welcoming 250,000 to 400,000 visitors a day. Located in the Fatih district, it is 20 minutes from Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul by car or bus.

Rumeli Fortress

Rumeli Fortress (Boğazkesen Fortress) is a medieval fortress on a series of hills on the European shore of the Bosphorus in Istanbul. It has also given its name to the surrounding neighbourhood in the city’s Sarıyer district. Dating back to 1452, the fortress was built by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in preparation for the conquest of Istanbul.

Hagia Irene

Hagia Irene, the second-largest church of the Eastern Roman Empire after Hagia Sophia, was built over an old wooden temple. Located in the Fatih district, it is 40 minutes from Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul by car or bus.

Anadolu Fortress

Known in history as “Güzelce Hisar”, Anadolu Fortress is a medieval fortress on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus and the oldest surviving Turkish architectural structure built in Istanbul. It takes its name from the surrounding neighbourhood in the Beykoz district. Sultan Bayezid I had this fortress built in 1395 on the ruins of an old temple. It is much smaller than Rumeli Fortress (7,000 m²); its towers are about 25 metres high. Today it is an open-air museum and only its outer walls can be visited.

Beylerbeyi Palace

Meaning “Lord of Lords”, Beylerbeyi Palace is located in the Beylerbeyi quarter of Istanbul’s Üsküdar district, on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus. It is an imperial Ottoman summer residence built in the 1860s.

Great Palace Mosaics Museum

The Great Palace Mosaics Museum is located in the Arasta Bazaar within the Sultanahmet Mosque complex. The museum contains a partially intact ancient mosaic floor in the northeastern part of the market courtyard of the Great Palace from the Eastern Roman period.

Museum of Illusions

The Museum of Illusions in Istanbul offers a journey into the world of illusions that is both social and fun. It is an ideal place to gain new experiences and have fun with your friends and family.

Archaeology Museum

This magnificent Archaeology Museum displays archaeological and artistic treasures from the Topkapı collections. Across three buildings there are antiquities, classical sculptures and an exhibition tracing the history of Istanbul. The museum is in Fatih, 20 minutes from Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul by car or bus.

Naval Museum

A national maritime museum in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş quarter. It was founded in 1897 by the Ottoman Minister of the Navy, Bozcaadalı Hasan Hüsnü Pasha. It houses an important collection of military artefacts belonging to the Ottoman navy. It is a 10-minute walk from Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul.

Madame Tussauds

The Madame Tussauds museum, where you can have immersive experiences with lifelike wax figures of your favourite celebrities, is in Taksim, 20 minutes from Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul by car or bus.

Sakıp Sabancı Museum

The Sakıp Sabancı Museum is a private fine arts museum in Istanbul dedicated to the art of calligraphy, religious and state documents, and Ottoman-period paintings. Located in Emirgan, this museum is 25 minutes from Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul by car or bus.