A perfect opportunity to discover culture and art in Istanbul! Four important museums of Istanbul, which are normally paid, offer their visitors a budget-friendly art experience on ‘Free Museum Days’. Free museums.
NOTE: Visiting hours and fees are as of April 2024. Be sure to check the museums’ official websites for up-to-date information and more comprehensive visitor conditions/price schedules.
Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
Founded in 2004 as Turkey’s first modern and contemporary art museum, Istanbul Modern started to operate in May 2023 in its new building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Italian architect Renzo Piano in Beyoğlu’s Tophane district. Thus, the museum returned to its former location, Karaköy, in 2023. Located next to Galataport Istanbul, the world’s first underground cruise terminal, against the fascinating view of the Bosphorus, Istanbul Modern; It hosts the works of local and international artists. The museum appeals to visitors of all age groups with temporary exhibitions, photo galleries, art workshops, educational programs and cinema screenings. It is free on Thursdays between 10.00 and 14.00. On Tuesdays, between 10.00 – 14.00, it is free for young people aged 18 – 25 residing in Turkey. You can visit every day except Monday. Full entrance fee is 230 TL, discounted price is 150 TL.
📍 Address:Kılıç Ali Paşa Mahallesi, Tophane İskele Caddesi, No:1/1 34433 Beyoğlu-İstanbul
Pera Museum
Pera Museum, whose permanent collections include “Orientalist Painting”, “Anatolian Weights and Measures” and “Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics” collections, also hosts local and international artists with various temporary exhibitions. In addition to art, visitors are offered a wide cultural experience with cinema, music and educational programs. Hotel Bristol, built in 1893, references its past and Pera of the 1900s. art decoPera Café, where an approach is dominant, is perfect for resting and socializing. You can enter the museum, which is closed on Mondays, for a full fee of 100 TL or a discounted fee of 50 TL. Students can visit Pera Museum free of charge on Wednesdays, and everyone can visit the Pera Museum between 18.00-22.00 on Fridays. Free museums.
📍 Address:Meşrutiyet Caddesi No:65 34430 Tepebaşı – Beyoğlu – İstanbul
Sakip Sabanci Museum
Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum offers a versatile museum environment with its rich collection, comprehensive international temporary exhibitions, conservation units, exemplary educational programs, and various concerts, conferences and seminars. In addition to SSM’s collections and temporary exhibitions, you can visit the lush garden with a unique Bosphorus view, where stone works such as sculptures, fountains, columns and contemporary works of art are exhibited, and discover extraordinary design products inspired by art at the SSM Store. The museum is closed on Mondays and can be visited free of charge on Tuesdays. You can enter the museum, which is open between 10.00 and 18.00, by paying 170 TL for a daily adult ticket and 120 TL for a daily discounted ticket.
📍 Address:Sakıp Sabancı Caddesi No:42 Emirgan 34467 Istanbul
Artery
Arter, which was opened in 2010 as a Vehbi Koç Foundation Institution, has a total closed area of 18,000 square meters. The Arter building, with a total closed area of 18,000 square meters, includes exhibition areas, as well as performance halls, learning and activity areas, a library, a bookstore focusing on art publications, and a bistro. Arter Collection, which contains more than 1,400 works by approximately 400 artists as of 2022, brings together various forms of expression, different attitudes and practices of contemporary art in different parts of the world. You can enter the art center, which is open every day of the week except Monday, free of charge on Thursday. Tickets are not required to enter the Library, Bookstore, Bistro by Divan areas of the Arter building, public events and the exhibition in Gallery 0. Full ticket is 200 TL, discounted ticket is 100 TL. Free museums.
📍 Address:Irmak Caddesi No: 13 Dolapdere Beyoğlu 34435 Istanbul
