Madame Tussauds Istanbul: closed since late 2024, what to do instead

Updated on October 4, 2026

The Madame Tussauds Istanbul wax museum, which opened on 9 November 2016 in the Grand Pera building at 56-58 İstiklal Avenue in Beyoğlu, closed its doors in December 2024. Run by Merlin Entertainments, it showed hundreds of wax figures in themed areas: history and leaders, science and culture, cinema, sport and music. There are therefore no tickets or opening hours to look up; this page sets the record straight so you do not make a wasted trip, and suggests alternatives. Guides and ticketing sites that still list it are out of date.

Highlights

The former site

The museum occupied the Grand Pera building on İstiklal Avenue, between Galatasaray Square and Tünel: the address remains a stop on a walk along the avenue.

The figures on show

Among the characters displayed were Atatürk, Suleiman the Magnificent, the singer Zeki Müren, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Lionel Messi, plus recent additions such as Dua Lipa and Bruce Lee.

The alternatives

For a fun visit, see the Museum of Innocence, the Istanbul Aquarium or the Toy Museum; for contemporary art, Istanbul Modern.

Infos pratiques

Tips

If you booked a ticket through a reseller, contact them for a refund. Other venues may open in the Grand Pera building: check before you make the trip. We found no other wax museum operating in Istanbul at the date of this article. To pick replacement outings, see our selection of theme parks, aquariums and hands-on museums and the walk along İstiklal Avenue.

How to get there

Grand Pera, İstiklal Caddesi No. 56-58, Beyoğlu, Istanbul. Take the Tünel funicular (from Karaköy) or the M2 metro to Taksim, then walk along the avenue; the nostalgic tram runs along it. Line details: Getting around Istanbul.