The architectural style of the palace combines a Western Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical style, with a traditional Ottoman structure.

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Dolmabahçe Palace was built between 1843 and 1856, under the orders of Sultan Abdülmecid. Four architects from the Royal Department of Architecture of the Ottoman Empire participated in its construction.

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With a facade over 600 meters high and an area of ​​15,000 square meters, Dolmabahçe Palace is the largest monument in the country. It has 285 rooms, 43 rooms, 68 toilets and 6 hammams.

In 1984 the palace was converted into a museum.

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Visit the Dolmabahçe Palace

The tour consists of four parts: Selamlik, the harem, the clock museum and the glass pavilion. The most important are the first two:

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Selamlik

This part, which houses the administrative offices and official rooms, is the most impressive of the whole palace. The most notable parts are the glass staircase and the throne room. The latter is absolutely stunning, due to its dimensions (2000 square meters and 36 meters high) and its elegance (56 columns and the largest chandelier in the palace).

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The harem

The harem comprises the private outbuildings of the Sultan and his family. This part of the palace is less interesting than the previous one and the visit lasts less time.

You can visit Selamlik and the Harem in a group. Although the guided tours are only in English and Turkish, brochures in other languages ​​will help you follow the thread (French included).

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Our opinion

Dolmabahçe Palace has rooms that will truly leave you speechless. However, its relative distance and the fact that you can only take a guided tour causes it to lose points. We recommend that you only visit it if you have time, for a stay of more than two or three days.

Especially, if you do decide to visit the palace, do so as early as possible, because as the morning progresses and new people arrive, groups can be extremely large and the visit becomes less enjoyable.