Last updated on .
Beylerbeyi Palace (Beylerbeyi Sarayı) is a magnificent Ottoman palace under the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s located in the village of Beylerbeyi.
History
Beylerbeyi Palace is a Baroque palace designed by Ottoman Armenian architect Sarkis Balyan (1835-1899) for Sultan Abdülaziz between 1861 and 1865. It was used as a summer residence and also hosted visiting heads of state. Famous guests included Empress Eugénie of France, Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary, and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.
One of these guests nearly sparked an international incident. When Empress Eugénie visited in 1869, Sultan Abdülaziz’s mother, Pertevniyal Sultan, slapped Eugénie across the face because she entered the palace on the arm of the Sultan.
In the final years of the Ottoman Empire, the deposed Abdülhamid II was imprisoned there for six years until his death in 1918.
Visiting
The palace is open to visitors from 9am to 6pm daily except Mondays. Tickets for foreigners are 350₺ (as of March 2024) and includes a complimentary audioguide. Everyone who enters the palace is given protective booties to wear over their shoes. Photographs are not allowed inside. Admission to the grounds only is 20₺ (as of March 2024).
Tunnel
Once you pay for your ticket to the palace, you walk through a long tunnel. It was built by Mahmud II in 1829 for an older palace he had constructed on the same site. That palace burned down.
After you exit the tunnel, you’re on the grounds of the palace. If you look up, you can see you’re right under the Bosporus Bridge. In front of you is a small bamboo forest.
Palace Tours
When I visited, the palace was only accessible via guided tour. Tours were done in English and Turkish. I had to wait nearly an hour for a tour in English starting outside the south entrance, which is guarded by two impressive marble lions.
We visited several rooms, such as the Sultan’s bedroom, offices, sitting rooms, and more. The rooms are stunningly decorated and the pictures do not do it justice. The two photos below of the interior of the palace were taken by Anton Lefterov. Click here for a virtual tour.
Pavilions
On the palace grounds there are a few small pavilions. The Marble Pavilion (Mermer Köşk), the Yellow Pavilion (Sarı Köşk), and the Imperial Stables (Has Ahır Köşkü) were inaccessible during my visit. The Seaside Pavilions (Deniz Köşkleri) were under restoration. The Marble Pavilion was originally built by Mahmud II as a hunting lodge.
Statues
Also on the grounds there’s a tea garden (çay bahçesi), restaurant, and some interesting bronze statues. Sultan Abdülaziz commissioned 24 animal statues to decorate the gardens of Beylerbeyi Palace and Çırağan Palace. They were designed in 1864 by French sculptor Pierre Louis Rouillard. 12 were made of bronze and 12 of marble.
Getting There
The easiest way to get to Beylerbeyi Palace is through Üsküdar. Take a ferry to Üsküdar and walk to the Üsküdar Cami Önü stop (in front of the mosque across the street from the ferry terminal). Hop on any bus with the number 15. Beylerbeyi Palace is the second stop after crossing under the Bosporus Bridge and Beylerbeyi village is the third stop.
You can also take a dolmuş going to Beykoz and ask the driver to let you out at Beylerbeyi Palace – it’s much faster than the bus.
There’s a ferry service on the Istanbul City Ferry Lines (İstanbul Şehir Hatları) from Üsküdar but it isn’t frequent or convenient.
