Topkapi Palace

[Cruzin Terri]

The Zuiderdam docks in Istanbul on Monday, Sept. 22 afternoon at 4pm and leaves on Tuesday, Sept 23 at 5 pm. I understand that the Hagia Sophia is closed on Mondays, so doing that on Tuesday is a no-brainer. However, the Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays. Does anyone know if I will be able to see the Topkapi on Monday afternoon? Would we have enough time to get to the palace from the port before closing?

Alternately, are Tuesday closings written in stone? or do they let in private tours? If so, does anyone know where to find these tours that would be the exception to the Tuesday closing?

Thanks for any information that anyone can give me.

Terri

[Krazy Kruizers]

As a rule the palaces close around 5 PM. At least that was the situation when we were there a few years ago.

Hagia Sophia and etc are all located in the Old Section. Your ship will be docked in the new section.

Remember that when it saids the ship docks at 4 PM you may not be cleared to leave for at least an hour.

For the first evening I would book a ship's tour -- you do not want to go out on your own.

[Cruzin Terri]

As a rule the palaces close around 5 PM. At least that was the situation when we were there a few years ago.

 

Hagia Sophia and etc are all located in the Old Section. Your ship will be docked in the new section.

 

Remember that when it saids the ship docks at 4 PM you may not be cleared to leave for at least an hour.

 

For the first evening I would book a ship's tour -- you do not want to go out on your own.

Thanks for the advice. I didn't think about the fact that the ship must be cleared before we would be able to go ashore.

[cp556]

We were in Istanbul in May and on a very rushed 1/2 day tour. Topkapi closed at (I think) 5PM and we got inside the gates at ~4:15. There was definitely not enough time to see 1/10 of what there was to see before we had to leave.

 

We spent 4 days in Istanbul after the cruise and LOVED it. I hope you have a wonderful visit...

 

(BTW...you didn't ask, but be sure to bargain at the Grand Bazaar. It is SOOO much fun ...)

[ldog]

We were in Istanbul on a Tuesday. Private tours were not allowed into the Topkapi Palace but the HAL tour was so we booked that. Unfortunately we only saw a small part of the palace, basically the grounds and the Treasury. We didn't see the harem or inside any buildings. I was glad to have done it but given a second crack at it I'd book a private tour and see more of Istanbul. The HAL tour was very slow and we didn't see nearly as much of Istanbul as I'd have liked.

[Cruzin Terri]

We were in Istanbul on a Tuesday. Private tours were not allowed into the Topkapi Palace but the HAL tour was so we booked that. Unfortunately we only saw a small part of the palace, basically the grounds and the Treasury. We didn't see the harem or inside any buildings. I was glad to have done it but given a second crack at it I'd book a private tour and see more of Istanbul. The HAL tour was very slow and we didn't see nearly as much of Istanbul as I'd have liked.

 

Thanks for your answer. I called HAL and they told me that they have a special arrangement where they are allowed in. However, the rep did not indicate that you were only able to see the grounds. That's what I was afraid of. See my post "I find this hard to believe".

Terri

[ldog]

I just saw your post. You do get to see a little more than the grounds you see a museum that does have some wonderful stuff. Diamonds and jewels and other Empire type stuff. We saw that and the Blue Mosque and the bazaar and that took most of the day. I suggest you talk to the private guides and see what they can put together for you. There are lots listed in the Med forum in the ports of call section.

[Loreto]

Hi Terri! We were on the Black Sea, Egypt& Holy Lands May 2-14. We took an all day tour "Best of Istanbul" that included the Topkapi. It was Sunday and the palace was swamped with tourists. We were there in 2001, and I had pleasant memories. The library, which had the most beautiful tiles, was closed for renovation this time, much to my dismay. If you can take a ship tour on a day they are normally closed, it would not be so crowded. We took a ship excursion to the Catherine Palace while in St. Petersburg on a day it was closed, and that was an amazing experience..no crowds!

 

We took the ship's tour "Dinner Cruise on the Bospherous" the first night in Istanbul and it was very enjoyable.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

Karen

[Krazy Kruizers]

We were in Istanbul in May and on a very rushed 1/2 day tour. Topkapi closed at (I think) 5PM and we got inside the gates at ~4:15. There was definitely not enough time to see 1/10 of what there was to see before we had to leave.

 

We spent 4 days in Istanbul after the cruise and LOVED it. I hope you have a wonderful visit...

 

(BTW...you didn't ask, but be sure to bargain at the Grand Bazaar. It is SOOO much fun ...)

 

Did almost the same thing - we went to Istanbul 4 days before the cruise. We stayed at the Four Seasons which was within walking distance of the Blue Mosque and everything. Didn't have to pay for any ship tours since we did it all on our own.