Topkapi Palace
Istambul, Binbirdirek Mh., Terzihane Sk. 7 
In 1479, by the order of Sultan Mehmed, the Topkapi Palace was built, which until the middle of the 19th century was the main residence of the Turkish padishahs. Today it is one of the richest museums in the world and one of the favorite attractions in Istanbul.
The Military Museum in Istanbul
Istambul, Nisantasi, Valikonagi Caddesi, No. 1
In the Istanbul area of Harbiye, just north of Taksim Square, the popular military museum is located in the historic building of the former military academy. Getting acquainted with the exposition of the Istanbul military museum will be a real gift for those who are interested in the art and history of the war.
Dolmabahce Palace
İstanbul, Visnezade Mh., Besiktas 
The magnificent Dolmabahce Palace, the most "neturetsky" of the monarchial residences in Istanbul, was created to rival in pomposity with the best palaces of European rulers. I must say that Sultan Abdul-Majid was successful with such a daring idea.
The Museum of the Karye
Istambul, Kariye Camii Sokak, Edirnekapi 
In the inconspicuous place of the usual residential area of Istanbul, the ancient church of Hora (Hari in the Turkish version) modestly settled itself. Not everyone is ready to allocate time in their busy tourist schedule to get here, but in vain.
Museum of whirling dervishes
Istambul, Galip Dede Caddesi, 15 
In the mass consciousness, the rotating dervishes were entrenched as a symbol of Turkey, its visiting card. However, this is not just an attraction, invented to attract tourists, but one of the real practices of the religious order of Sufism, which is more than eight centuries old.
Mosaic Museum
Istambul, Fatih Istanbul, Sultanahmet, Arasta Carsisi 
In the 20-ies. The last century on the site of abandoned buildings in the Sultanahmet area were carried out construction work. As a result, an unexpected invaluable find was made: archaeologists discovered the remains of a large-scale structure.
Museum of Innocence
Istambul, Beyoglu, Cukurcuma Caddesi, Dalgıc Cikmazi, 2 
In the heart of the "lost world", as Istanbul residents call the ancient Cihangir quarter, there is a melancholic museum of innocence, in which time is embodied in everyday objects. The museum was created by the famous Turkish writer, Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk.
Pera Museum
Istambul, Tepebası - Beyoglu, Mesrutiyet Caddesi, No. 65 
In 2005, in the old Istanbul district of Beyoglu, the Pera Museum was opened. He occupied the restored building of the former Bristol Hotel, which has established itself as a haven for wealthy travelers. The hotel itself was built in 1893
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art
Istambul, Sultanahmet, At Meydani, 46 
To fully saturate the unique eastern color of Istanbul and understand the history of Turkey, it is not enough to visit the outside spectators in mosques or to quickly explore the luxurious Sultan's chambers in the former palaces. The true past of this country is collected in museums.
Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
Istanbul, Cad. Meclis-i Mebusan 
Unbelievable, but some ten years ago in a multimillion-dollar Istanbul, formally the largest city in Europe, there was a real cultural "drought". Today, Istanbul is considered to be the fashionable cultural capital of the world, and in those years interest in contemporary art only aroused.
Basilica tank
Istanbul, Sultanahmet, 13 Yerebatan Cad. 
Sometimes it seems that in summer hot Istanbul there is almost no secluded place where you can escape from the scorching sun. But in fact it is located right in the center of the Turkish metropolis - the Sultanahmet district. This Basilica tank is a perfectly preserved ancient underground reservoir of Constantinople.
Istanbul - the city behind which the reputation of one of the tourist and cultural capitals of the world is entrenched, is simply obliged to have a lot of museums .And he very successfully maintains his reputation .Istanbul museums carefully preserve the rich history of the city, and their exhibits open to visitors what he lived for 2, 5 thousand .years.The exposition of each museum is unique in its own way, is certainly interesting and necessarily has in store some priceless zest to entice its visitors .Most of the museums in Istanbul are spacious exhibition halls with hundreds and thousands of exhibits, but there are very tiny private museums with a special chamber atmosphere .Most of the museums are concentrated in the central areas, so their visit is convenient to combine with walks around the city .And be prepared for the fact that on your first visit you will not have time to cover a tenth of the Istanbul museums .After all, in order to slowly and meticulously inspect them all, you will need more than one month .
Istanbul museums carefully store the rich history of the city, and their exhibits open to visitors what he lived for 2, 5 thousand years.
Historical museums
The main layer of Istanbul museums is associated with the city's richest historical past, be it the era of Constantinople, the golden age of the Ottoman Empire or the times of modern Europeanized Istanbul. A lot of interesting discoveries await you at the Museum of Hagia Sophia.
Originally it was a cathedral, later rebuilt into a mosque, but as a result, by the order of Mustafa Kemal, it was converted into a museum.
Interesting to visit the recently discovered Basilica Cistern - in the Byzantine era it served as a reservoir of fresh water, and now here is the Natural Museum, sometimes even serving as a concert hall. You can learn about the exploits of the Ottoman army during the capture of Constantinople in the museum "Panorama 1453", and in the Museum of Islamic and Turkish art you will be told about the formation of Istanbul from the pagan period when the palaces of the Roman governors were located on the site of the Sultanahmet district.
Technical museums
The Museum of Classic Cars represents a collection of cars in the mid-20th century. In total there are more than 60 unique cars. A private car museum assembled an even more impressive collection: more than 90 cars of different brands are represented here. The pride of the auto museum is authentic racing cars "Formula-1" from the team "Ferrari".
The Museum of Firefighters tells about the history of the firefighting business in Istanbul, the Military Museum will demonstrate the armament of the Ottoman army, and the spacious Aviation Museum - rare models of aircraft and helicopters. In the Telegraph Museum you will see old telegraph and telephone sets, and in the Industrial Museum of R. Koch you will be allowed to look on the aircraft, steamer or even get on a real submarine.
Of course, the listed museums are only a small part of what Istanbul is ready to offer you. There is also the Museum of Innocence, the Museum of the Carrion, the Museum of Perry, the Museum of Cartoons, the Press Museum, the Museum of the Tanzimat, the Toy Museum, the Adam Mickiewicz Museum, the Florence Nightingale Museum - all and not count.
Museum map
To visit Istanbul museums did not hit your vacation budget too much, purchase a museum card Museum Pass Istanbul .If you plan an active acquaintance with the culture and history of the city, it will help to save a decent amount of money .There is one more reason for the acquisition of the Museum Pass Istanbul - it can take place in museums without a queue .And this is very useful for tourists, especially those who come to Istanbul for the weekend, because in the queues in some, especially popular museums, for example, in the Archaeological or Topkapi Palace, one can spend more than one hour .
The Museum Pass Istanbul card can be purchased at the ticket offices of Topkapi Palace, the Aya Sophia Museum and the Choir Museum. In addition, museum cards are sold in special mobile sales outlets, they are easily recognized by bright advertising on the boards.
There are two types of Museum Pass Istanbul: worth 85 TRL and 115 TRL. The first gives the right to visit the Museum of St. Irene, the Cathedral of St. Sophia, the Topkapi Palace (together with the Museum of the Harem), the Archaeological Museum, the Mosaic Museum, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, and the Museum of the History of Islamic Science and Technology. On the second map, in addition to all the above, you can visit the fortress Rumelihisar, the Yildiz Palace, the Mevlevi Brotherhood Museum, the Chora Museum and the Pamakaristic Museum of the Virgin.
The card is valid for 72 hours from the moment it was activated in the first museum.
As a pleasant bonus to a privileged visit to Istanbul museums, cardholders also receive discounts at several art centers, shops and even restaurants.
All prices are for November 2014