Brutal crowds in Istanbul

If you thought the crowds for Basilica Cistern and the Blue Mosque were "horrifying", just wait for Topkapı where once you finally make it to the innermost courtyard you face long lines to enter every over-crowded interior space :(

I don't know if any one day of the week is much worse than any other. In general though the more and larger the cruise ships moored near the entrance to the Golden Horn (neat Galata Bridge) the worse the crowds will be. The only time saving measure I know of is advance purchase of tickets but you'll only save time by not waiting to buy the tickets at the site itself.

Two years ago in the late fall I was trying to take a friend on their first visit to Turkey to Topkapı. We went three different general times (near opening time, around lunch and near closing time) on two different days to find the crowds impossible to bear. We went other places instead. Five or six years ago on a rainy day in November was the only time I found the crowds at Topkapı to be reasonable--it was also when I came to understand the Turkish word "üzgün". "Üzgün" is a curious word that is sort of like "rueful", "world weary", "ennui", "dejected" and "melancholy" combined.

If the weather is nice on Saturday or Sunday I suggest avoiding anyplace whose main attraction is based on being outdoors like a park, island, forest etc. as they will be crammed full of people who live in Istanbul trying to get "away".

Thanks for your response. In general what is the best time to visit Topkapi then? It opens at 9, should we line up at 8.30 or so?

I was there last September/October and it was NOT busy at all, except for inner gallaries of Topkabi palace.

If you have pre-booked tickets, there may still be queues within the palace. So whatever, I would recommend getting there about half an hour before opening time, and once you're inside head straight for the Harem section. I think this part of the palace gets busiest, and it's fairly cramped in places.

Sundays are always very busy especially if the weather is good because you have not only foreign but also local visitors looking around places.Gulhane Park on a Sunday in April was so insane that I and friends took one look at the gate and turned around!Yet next morning we strolled through there at total leisure.
Get to Topkapı a good 30 minutes in advance and,as suggested by Thomas,go directly to the harem section if you elect to see that .If you aren't planning on seeing that then head to the Treasury section first which is another one that gets very busy quickly.
If you haven't visited Aya Sofya yet then wait until late afternoon to go as it is much quieter then.

Thanks for all the responses. So I think I will go to Topkapi around 8.45 toda. cheers

If you haven't visited Aya Sofya yet then wait until late afternoon to go as it is much quieter then.

That's good advice too. However, do leave yourself plenty of time in Aya Sosya. In my experience this is a place to linger and soak up the atmosphere (and remember some of the momentous events that happened here), so don't leave it till 30 minutes before closing time.

In 1969 I used to go and sit in the Blue Mosque at various times of the day - and I'd usually be the only one in there.
When I returned, in 1999, I found, to my horror, it was now like a bus station. That's the price of cheap flights/ tourism! :>))

Thanks for the replies.

Went to Topkapi Palace (and Archaeology Museums- which had negligible crowds) in the morning, reached about 8.40 or so and found manageable crowds. Bought the Museum pass so that should help a bit. Planning to visit Aya Sofya tomorrow (and hopefully the Basilica Cistern too).

cheers