The essentials in a few lines
- Price: €105 for foreign visitors (October 2026).
- Duration: five consecutive days from the first entry, not from the date of purchase.
- Principle: one entry per site.
- Evening: the pass is not valid for night visits after 7pm (for example the evening session at the Galata Tower).
- Where to buy: on the official ticket site muze.gov.tr (the electronic pass with a QR code), or at the entrance of a participating site. Online resellers offer it at varying prices: compare with the official rate.
Which sites are included?
The lists published by resellers are not all identical, and the official list changes. The sites most often cited, about thirteen in all, are:
- Topkapı Palace (some resellers also specify the harem and the church of Hagia Irene, others do not: check the product page on muze.gov.tr before you buy);
- the archaeological museums;
- the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts;
- the Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam;
- the Galata Tower (daytime) and the Maiden's Tower;
- the Rumeli Hisarı fortress;
- the Galata Mevlevi Lodge Museum, the Great Palace Mosaics Museum and the Adam Mickiewicz Museum.
Worth knowing in October 2026: the Great Palace Mosaics Museum is closed for restoration with no reopening date, and the Rumeli Hisarı fortress is closed for works (see its page). A pass can therefore include sites you will not be able to visit.
What the pass does not cover
- Hagia Sophia: the €25 ticket for the upper gallery is sold separately; see the Hagia Sophia page.
- The Basilica Cistern: run by the municipality, see the Basilica Cistern.
- Dolmabahçe Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace and the national palaces: separate tickets, see Dolmabahçe.
- The Hagia Sophia History and Experience Museum, which accepts neither the pass nor the Müzekart: Hagia Sophia History Museum.
- Private museums: Istanbul Modern, Pera, Sakıp Sabancı, Rahmi M. Koç. See the best museums in Istanbul.
- Saint Saviour in Chora (Kariye), now a mosque with its own €20 ticket for foreigners: Chora.
The break-even calculation
Take the prices seen in October 2026 for four pass sites: Topkapı Palace with the harem and Hagia Irene (2,750 TL, about €50), the Galata Tower (€30), the archaeological museums (€15) and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (€17). The total is about €112, slightly more than the €105 pass: the saving is small, but the pass also spares you the queue at the ticket desk. With only three sites it does not pay off. Add the science museum or the Maiden's Tower and it becomes interesting. If your stay is short and you mainly want Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, skip it: see Istanbul in 2 days.
When to buy, and how to plan it
- Choose the sites first, then the days: Topkapı closes on Tuesday, several other museums on Monday (see the museums open on Monday).
- Activate the pass on a day when you visit at least two sites, because the clock starts at the first entry.
- Group visits by district: Topkapı, the archaeological museums, the science museum and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts are all within walking distance around Sultanahmet and Gülhane.
- Keep the Galata Tower for the daytime, before 7pm.
The Müzekart
The Müzekart is the Ministry of Culture's annual card, designed first for Turkish citizens and residents, and distinct from the tourist pass: if you are only visiting, the Museum Pass is the product to look at (Müzekart conditions to be confirmed on muze.gov.tr). Sites that accept it display it; it does not work at the Hagia Sophia History Museum.
Cheaper alternatives
Several museums are free on certain days or for certain groups: read free Istanbul and the overall budget in money, payment and tipping. For a queue-free visit, see also avoiding the queues.
Prices seen in October 2026; the list of included sites changes: check muze.gov.tr.
