Last updated on February 25, 2024.

Madame Tussauds Istanbul is a fun place to pop into if you have some extra time to kill. It’s located in the Grand Pera Mall on Istiklal Street in Beyoğlu.

Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Madame Tussauds Istanbul

 

Visiting

Adult admission is 780₺ (as of February 2024) with a 10% discount for buying tickets online. It’s open daily from 11am to 9pm and the entrance is right on Istiklal Street.

Visitors are allowed to touch the wax figures and take photos with them. Props are sometimes available to make photos more fun. We spent about an hour inside.

 

Our Experience

Madame Tussauds Istanbul is your typical wax museum, but this one is geared towards Turkish visitors. There are lots of Turkish entertainers, athletes, and historical personalities on display. At the entrance, there were figures of Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram and Bruce Willis.

Nancy Ajram at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Nancy Ajram
Bruce Willis at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Bruce Willis

After riding the lift down one level, there was a figure of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, which is to be expected in any Turkish wax museum.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

 

Ottoman Historical Figures

The next gallery included a handful of important people from throughout Ottoman history. They included sultans, architect Mimar Sinan, and Rumi.

Mehmed the Conqueror at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Mehmed the Conqueror
Süleyman the Magnificent wax figure
Süleyman the Magnificent
Rumi at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Rumi

 

Modern Turkish Historical Figures

Next was a room with a few modern Turkish historical figures. I sat down and had a deep “conversation” with author Yaşar Kemal (1923-2015). Turkey’s first female Prime Minister, Tansu Çiller, was at her desk nearby.

Me having a conversation with Yaşar Kemal
Me having a conversation with Yaşar Kemal

 

International Historical Figures

The next room consisted of wax figures known internationally throughout history. Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart, Steve Jobs, and Albert Einstein were all on display.

Leonardo da Vinci wax figure
Leonardo da Vinci
Jamming with Mozart
Jamming with Mozart
Steve Jobs at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Steve Jobs
Albert Einstein at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Albert Einstein

Another display nearby showed how Madame Tussauds creates wax figures, but it wasn’t very informative or interesting.

Wax figure demonstration
Wax figure demonstration
Athletes

A large section containing athletes followed. Tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova stood among Muhammad Ali and Usain Bolt.

Rafael Nadal wax figure
Rafael Nadal
Maria Sharapova at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Maria Sharapova
Muhammad Ali at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Muhammad Ali
Usain Bolt at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Usain Bolt

There were also figures of footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. I had a little fun with the Neymar figure.

Cristiano Ronaldo wax figure
Cristiano Ronaldo
Rolling on the ground with Neymar
Rolling on the ground with Neymar

A few Turkish athletes also featured. Basketball great Hidayet Türkoğlu and footballer Arda Turan were on display.

Arda Turan at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Arda Turan
Hidayet Türkoğlu at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Hidayet Türkoğlu

 

Musicians

Musicians were popular with visitors. Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Demi Lovato, and Lady Gaga drew lots of crowds as did Bob Marley.

Michael Jackson wax figure
Michael Jackson
Beyoncé wax figure
Beyoncé
Demi Lovato wax figure
Demi Lovato
Lady Gaga at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Lady Gaga

Justin Bieber was also on display as well as Turkish rock star Barış Manço.

Justin Bieber at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Justin Bieber
Barış Manço at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Barış Manço

 

Movie Stars and Entertainers

One of the biggest sections of Madame Tussauds Istanbul contained movie personalities, including several actors and actresses as well as characters and other entertainers. We got to see Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. There were also figures of Marilyn Monroe and Vin Diesel.

Movie stars and entertainers at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Movie stars and entertainers
Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Marylin Monroe wax figure
Marylin Monroe
Vin Diesel at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Vin Diesel

Award-winning director Steven Spielberg stood near one of his most famous creations, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of flying on a bike with E.T. Tom Cruise, Jackie Chan, and Shrek all featured as well.

Steven Spielberg at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Steven Spielberg
Riding with E.T.
Riding with E.T.
Tom Cruise at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Tom Cruise
Jackie Chan at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Jackie Chan
Shrek wax figure
Shrek

Another room included Turkish and Middle Eastern stars. I didn’t recognize most of them so this room wasn’t very interesting for me. Among the figures were Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ and Dubai-born comedian Bin Baz. American producer Carla DiBello sat on a couch in the next room.

Turkish and Middle Eastern stars at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Turkish and Middle Eastern stars
Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ wax figure
Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ
Bin Baz wax figure
Bin Baz
Carla DiBello wax figure
Carla DiBello

The final room before exiting through the gift shop contained more of the world’s biggest stars. Footballer David Beckham as well as Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie were all on display.

Last room at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Last room
David Beckham at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
David Beckham
Brad Pitt at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie at Madame Tussauds Istanbul
Angelina Jolie

 

Conclusion

Overall, Madame Tussauds Istanbul is a wax museum. It’s not a must see, but it’s good if you’ve run out of things to do in Istanbul or you need to get out of the rain.

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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