Istanbul Cartoon and Humor Museum: Hours, Tickets and How to Get There
The Istanbul Cartoon and Humor Museum (İstanbul Karikatür ve Mizah Müzesi), run by the City of Istanbul (İBB), is now at Müze Gazhane, the former Hasanpaşa gasworks in Kadıköy on the Asian side. It tells the history of humour in Turkey, period by period, through press cartoons and satirical magazines. Entry is free. Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes for the museum, longer if you also explore the rest of the site.
Highlights
The Müze Gazhane site
The late 19th-century industrial buildings (the Hasanpaşa gasworks date from 1892) have been turned into a 32,000 m² cultural district: museums, a library, galleries, a plaza and cafés. The museum is one of its venues.
The exhibition halls
The former workshops, with high ceilings and exposed pipes, serve as exhibition halls. The opening permanent exhibition is titled "Çizerini Yaşatan Çizgiler" ("Lines That Keep Their Artist Alive") and follows the periods and movements of Turkish humour.
The plaza and its neighbours
Around the square, the site also houses the Climate Museum (İklim Müzesi), a gallery, a children's science centre (temporarily closed for works according to the official site) and the Afife Batur Library, open 24 hours a day.
A long history
The municipal cartoon museum was born in Tepebaşı in 1975, closed in 1980, reopened in 1989 in the Gazanfer Ağa madrasa in Fatih, then returned to Tepebaşı (Beyoğlu) in 2010 according to the Cartoonists' Association; it was later moved to Müze Gazhane. Older guides may still give one of those addresses: double-check the location.
Practical info
Tips
- Free entry for everyone according to the sources consulted in October 2026 (the official site publishes no price list). The texts in the rooms are mostly in Turkish: humour travels through the drawing, but have a translation app ready for the captions. With children the visit is short and visual; the rest of the site lets you extend the outing. For a day on the Asian side, combine it with the Kadıköy Tuesday market, the Moda seafront or the Toy Museum; see also the list of free museums in Istanbul.
How to get there
Müze Gazhane, Kurbağalıdere Caddesi No. 125, Hasanpaşa, Kadıköy, Istanbul. M4 metro (Kadıköy-Sabiha Gökçen), Ayrılık Çeşmesi station, then about 5 minutes on foot. Marmaray (Halkalı-Gebze), Söğütlüçeşme station, then about 10 minutes on foot. From the European side, take Marmaray or the ferry to Kadıköy, then the metro. Line details: Getting around Istanbul.
Opening hours
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