🇹🇷 Turkey

Castles near Istanbul

20 castles, fortresses, palaces and ruins within 100 km of the city centre — every one on the interactive map, with photos, distances and directions.

See them on the map →Castles in Turkey →

The closest is Old Palace, 1 km east of the city centre; the most famous is Topkapı Palace — #11 of 3,708 worldwide — 2 km east. The oldest dated site in the circle is Yoros Castle, founded 1262.

Every one of them stands in Turkey — the country page shows the full national picture.

Within 25 km of Istanbul

Topkapı Palace
2 km east · Palace & château · #11 worldwide
The Topkapı Palace or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih district of Istanbul in Turkey.
Dolmabahçe Palace
5 km north-east · Palace & château · #45 worldwide
Dolmabahçe Palace is a 19th-century imperial palace located in Istanbul, Turkey, along the European shore of the Bosporus, which served as the main…
Great Palace of Constantinople
2 km east · Ruin · #170 worldwide
The Great Palace of Constantinople, also known as the Sacred Palace, was the large imperial Byzantine palace complex located in the south-eastern end…
Çırağan Palace
6 km north-east · Palace & château · #212 worldwide
Çırağan Palace, a former Ottoman palace, is now a five-star hotel in the Kempinski Hotels chain.
Yıldız Palace
6 km north-east · Palace & château · #231 worldwide
Yıldız Palace is a vast complex of former imperial Ottoman pavilions and villas in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey, built in the 19th and early 20th…
Rumeli Hisarı
12 km north-east · Fortress · #234 worldwide
Rumelihisarı or Boğazkesen Fortress is a medieval Ottoman fortress located in Istanbul, Turkey, on a series of hills on the European banks of the…
Beylerbeyi Palace
8 km north-east · Palace & château · #252 worldwide
The Beylerbeyi Palace is a 19th-century Ottoman palace located in the Beylerbeyi neighborhood of Istanbul’s Üsküdar district, on the Asian shore of…
Kafes
2 km east · Palace & château · #321 worldwide
The Kafes, literally "cage", was the part of the Imperial Harem of the Ottoman Palace where possible successors to the throne were kept under a form…
Boukoleon Palace
2 km south-east · Palace & château · #350 worldwide
The Palace of Boukoleon or Bucoleon was one of the Byzantine palaces in Constantinople.
Palace of Blachernae
3 km north-west · Palace & château · #394 worldwide
The Palace of Blachernae was an imperial Byzantine residence in the suburb of Blachernae, located in the northwestern section of Constantinople.
Yedikule Fortress
4 km south-west · Fortress
Yedikule Fortress is a fortified historic structure located in the Yedikule neighbourhood of Fatih, in Istanbul, Turkey.
Palace of the Porphyrogenitus
3 km north-west · Palace & château
The Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, known in Turkish as the Tekfur Sarayı, is a late 13th-century Byzantine palace in the north-western part of the…

+ 8 more in this range — every one is on the interactive map.

Distances are straight-line from the city centre. City coordinates and population: Wikidata Q406.

Frequently asked questions

How many castles are near Istanbul?

The Castlemap atlas maps 20 landmarks (2 fortresses · 15 palaces & châteaux · 3 ruins) within 100 km of the centre of Istanbul, measured straight-line — a curated selection of well-documented landmarks, not a count of every fortification ever built.

What is the closest castle to Istanbul?

Old Palace, a ruin 1 km east of the city centre.

What is the most famous castle near Istanbul?

Topkapı Palace, ranked #11 of 3,708 worldwide in the atlas's fame ranking — 2 km east from Istanbul.

What is the oldest castle near Istanbul?

The oldest dated landmark in the circle is Yoros Castle, founded 1262 — 22 km north-east. Earlier structures may have existed; this is the oldest with a documented founding year.