9 Things to Do Near Dolmabahce Palace That You Should Not Miss!

Activities to Do Near Dolmabahce Palace

Visit Galata Tower

If you are thinking of getting some entertaining top things to do near Dolmabahce Palace, you must consider visiting the Galata Tower. Packaged as a historical place and zone of fun altogether, this place showcases the 1000-year-long history of Turkey. Different floors portray the history of different times of the Byzantine and the Ottomans. The nightclub on the upper floors along with a restaurant to serve you traditional Turkish coffee with baklava makes it one of the top things to do near Dolmabahce Palace.

Distance: 3.8 Km

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Admire The Architecture of The Süleymaniye Mosque

Located on the third hill in Istanbul, the Suleymaniye Mosque is an imperial mosque in Turkey. It has a huge courtyard along with four minarets, and at the corner of it possessing about 10 galleries that indicate Suleiman the Magnificent being the 10th Sultan. The main dome is surrounded by semi-domes along with the usage of Iznik style tiles and white marble mihrab. Exploration of this architectural wonder is one of the best things to do near Dolmabahce Palace.

Distance: 5.1 Km

Must Visit: Sufera Hall of Dolmabahce Palace

Shopping in The Grand Bazaar

Spanning across 30,700 sq meters, this is the world’s largest bazaar consisting of 4000 shops, a post office, restaurants, banks, and a police station under 64 streets! Buying ceramics, lamps, lanterns, carpets, Turkish metalware, and jewelry from Grand Bazaar makes it one of the best activities to do near Dolmabahce Palace for all the shopaholics. This place is the perfect spot for knowing the Ottoman lifestyle along with the fun of bargaining at the bazaar is one of the best traditional Turkish experiences.

Distance: 5.4 Km

Checkout Dolmabahce Palace tickets price here.

Check out The Basilica Cistern

If you want to experience one of the strangest things to do near Dolmabahce Palace, you must consider visiting the Byzantine wonder, the Basilica Cistern. One of the largest cisterns in Turkey, this place is one of the top 10 tourist spots in the country that showcases the elegance of Byzantine architecture. The 52-stoned step staircase will take you to the cold cistern beneath the land to witness the large water storage capacity along with the strange two inverted Medusa heads.

Distance: 5.8 Km

Popular Read: Top Activities in Dolmabahce Palace

Explore Blue Mosque

If you are thinking of exploring the city for amazing interiors then you must visit Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. The infamous mosque is one of the most respected and visited holy places in Turkey that you can choose to pay your homage as one of the activities to do near Dolmabahce Palace. The beautiful interiors crafted in the shape of patterns resembling tulips with the elegant stained glass windows enlightening up the entire mosque makes it one of the important highlights of Turkey.

Distance: 6.1 Km

Admire The Hagia Sophia

One of the holiest of the things to do near Dolmabahce Palace, is to visit Hagia Sophia, which is enough to calm your mind with a blissful feeling of wind. The infamous mosque portrays the history of the same place as three different cities, which are Byzantine, Constantinople, and Istanbul. As you come across the dome, 40 beautifully arched windows lighten up the mosque with delightful sun rays along with glass, terracotta, gold, and silver plated mosaics that amaze you with their brilliance.

Distance: 6.2 Km

Suggested Read: Hotels Near Dolmabahce Palace

Explore Sultanahmet Square

If you think of some cool activities to do near Dolmabahce Palace, you can visit Sultanahmet square or the Hippodrome. The place is historically famous for holding social gatherings, and racing events, this place has now become a tourist spot in modern-day Turkey. Surrounded by Dolmabahce Palace, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace, this place is compact and has little traffic to be explored on foot. Today, this place hosts racers and is a home to famous monuments like the Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column, German Fountain, and many more.

Distance: 6.2 Km

Recommended Visit: Red Room of Dolmabahce Palace

Explore Archaeology Museum Collection

Bringing the most wonderful artifacts from Turkey and the Middle East, the museum complex is a treat to your inner historian. The museum of the Ancient Orient displays artworks based on the pre-Islamic heritage of the Middle East. Collections from different civilizations such as the Roman, Greek, and Assyrian make it to the top of the best things to do near Dolmabahce Palace.

Distance: 8.8 Km

Must Explore: Gates of Dolmabahce Palace

Enjoy Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise

Board a Bosphorus cruise if you want to explore the best activities to do near Dolmabahce Palace. The Bosphorus sightseeing cruise is a journey to sail across the serene waters of Bosphorous while enjoying some of the most iconic attractions of Turkey. Most important monuments such as the Dolmabahce Palace, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Galata Tower, and Basilica Cistern are on the list. The experience of touring these important places in the emerald waters will give you insightful information about them through audio guides in 10 different languages. You can choose to have either lunch or dinner with your loved ones while enjoying sightseeing and live performances for pure entertainment and relaxation.

Distance: 34.1 Km

Also Read: Dolmabahce Palace Facts

Things to Do Near Dolmabahce Palace FAQs

Exploring Dolmabahce Palace in itself is a great experience. Still, you can check out the list of the best things to do near Dolmabahce Palace including exploring the Blue Mosque, boarding the Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise, visiting Galata Tower, shopping in the Grand Bazaar, checking out Basilica Cistern, and many more.

Blue Mosque is famous because of its historical importance in the Ottoman Empire, its beautiful architecture, and its religious significance. Today, Blue Mosque is visited by thousands of people to offer their prayers and respect.

Recommended Read: Inside Topkapi Palace

Legend says that the Byzantine Emperors were believers in mythology and created the Medusa head inverted to nullify the power of Medusa’s gaze. Medusa is a demon in Greek mythology and this would lead to the Byzantine empire flourishing in their success by removing evil powers as per their belief.

Originally named Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Mosque is called Blue Mosque because of its beautiful interiors made up of blue tiles.

Suleymaniye Mosque has always held a great religious significance throughout the history of Turkey. The dome of the mosque represents the universal culture of the Turks, and 4 minarets portray the four sultans who took over the throne after the fall of Constantinople. The 10 balconies refer to Suleiman the Magnificent being the 10th sultan. Also, this place is a burial site of Sultan Suleiman, his wife Hurrem, and their two daughters.

Historically, the Grand Bazaar is the world’s first so-called shopping mall, now containing a large number of shops where you can buy good items at a cheaper price with the traditional bargaining system.

Grand Bazaar has 4000 shops lying in 62 covered lanes. These shops sell decorative stuff, edibles, apparel, and many other things.