Dazzling Dolmabahçe Palace

The philosophy of Sultan Abdülmecid I, who decided to build this sumptuous creation of 285 rooms, with numerous grand salons, galleries and hamams, glittering of Venetian glass, Baccarat, Bohemian and English crystal, and fourteen tons of gold creating an eclectic work of art that combines Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical elements blended with traditional Ottoman architecture.

 

After the creation of the modern Turkish state, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the first president of the Republic of Turkey, spent his last days in Dolmabahçe in a bedroom that is now part of the museum. Guided tours accommodate around 1500 visitors per day, and while you can stroll on your own as long as you like in Topkapı, the only way to see the interior of Dolmabahçe is with a guided tour.