Madame Tussauds Istanbul is located in Beyoglu, one of the city’s important tourist centers. The museum includes a variety of doppelganger wax sculptures of notable personages such as movie stars, musicians, politicians and scientists. Madame Tussauds helps its visitors feel close to these star figures.
It is good to state that the sculptures are prepared meticulously. For instance, in the preparation of the sculpture of Muslum Gurses, even the scars in his face after a traffic accident in 1978 were taken into consideration. Every sculpture is gone through a serious process of research before they are made.
You can find information about the history and collection of the museum in this article. Madame Tussauds Istanbul ticket price and opening hours are also noted.
Table of Contents
History of Madame Tussauds Museum
The history of Madame Tussauds Museum goes back to the 18th century. The museum takes its name from Marie Tussaud, one of the prominent wax artists of that period. As a pupil of Philippe Curtius, Marie made a name for herself with her wax sculptures in a short period of time.
Mary was so successful in her art that in 1780 she was invited to the palace to teach art lessons to the sister of King Louis XVI of France. However, after the French revolution took place, her career was interrupted and she had to draw death masks for use in guillotine executions.
This period of time in her life was an inspiration for her to get started a museum after she moved to London. She displayed her horrific memories of French Revolution by acting, in a gallery she opened in London.
After Madame Tussaud lost her life in 1850, the museum was run by her sons and grandchildren. In 1972, the second branch of the museum was opened in Amsterdam and after a while, other branches in Europe, Asia and America followed. Opened in 2016, Madame Tussauds Museum in Istanbul is 21th branch of the museum.
Madame Tussauds Istanbul Collection
Madame Tussauds Istanbul collection has both local and foreign celebrities. The museum has people who played an important role in World history, as well as names identified with popular culture.
There are 6 different sections in the museum categorized as Music, Science and Culture, Sports, VIP party, Leaders in History and Cinema. In these sections, you will see world famous figures, as well as characters that will help you get to know Turkish culture.
In the photo above, you can see the wax statue of Rumi, the most important poet and philosopher in Turkish history. Rumi’s teachings, who lived in Konya (ancient Iconium), are now spread all over the world.
1. Music Section
As the name suggests, Music section includes sculptures of famous musicians listened in Turkey and all around the world. There are a lot of sculptures from world-famous stars such as Rihanna, Madonna and Lady Gaga to popular Turkish musicians such as Zeki Muren and Baris Manco. Moreover, Mazhar-Fuat-Ozkan trio (MFO) appears exactly the same with their stage costumes and instruments from the 80s.
2. Science and Culture section
Sculptures of notable figures who shaped historical accumulation of humanity are located in Science and Culture section. It involves sculptures of scientists and artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Mozart, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein and Yasar Kemal (Turkish author). Also, you can see the sculpture of Madame Marie Tussaud, the founder of the museum, in this section.
3. Sports Section
Sports section includes the sculptures of athletes who made their marks in branches like football, tennis and basketball. Rafael Nadal, Neymar, Lionel Messi and Maria Sharapova are some of the names that you can encounter in this section.
4. Vip Party Section
You can visit VIP Party section to join a party with other guest stars. This section includes the stars of cinema and television environment. Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt are some of the examples of Hollywood stars while Kivanc Tatlitug and Beren Saat shine out as the important figures of Turkish cinema.
In the picture above you can see Beren Saat, who recently starred in the Netflix series The Gift. This mysterious series took place in Mount Nemrut and Gobekli Tepe, the most important historical places of Turkey besides Istanbul.
5. Leaders in History Section
Leaders in History section includes sculptures of prominent figures who shaped the course of history. You can observe the sculptures of great leaders such as Mehmed the Conqueror and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk with the original-size and realistic details.
In the picture above, you can see Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkiye. Ataturk was an Ottoman officer during the first world war and became the founding leader of Turkey after the war.
6. Cinema Section
If you are interested in cinema, you should definitely visit Cinema section that offers sculptures of famous actors, actresses and directors. This section includes the sculptors of actresses such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Jennifer Lawrence. You can see the sculpture of the famous director Steven Spielberg, as well.
Madame Tussauds Istanbul Ticket Price 2024
Madam Tussauds Istanbul ticket price is 585 Turkish Liras as of 2024. If you buy the ticket at the door, the price is 650 TL. For this reason, there is a 10% discount for those who buy tickets online. The information on the entrance fee was last updated on December 2, 2023.
Two types of tickets are offered at the entrance to the museum. The first one is standart tickets worth 585 TL. The second is a combined ticket worth 920 TL, including Sea Life Istanbul. Online tickets are valid for 90 days after purchase.
It should be noted that ticket prices may change according to the season. You can access the official website of the Madame Tussauds Istanbul by clicking this link and check the current ticket prices.
Madame Tussauds Istanbul Opening Hours 2024
Madame Tussauds Istanbul opening hours are between 11:00 in the morning and 20:00 in the evening. Entrance to the museum ends at 19:00. Information on visiting hours was last updated on December 2, 2023.
Visiting times of museums in Istanbul may change due to events and renovations. Before going to the museum, I suggest you visit the official website of the museum and review the latest situation.
How to Get to Madame Tussauds Istanbul?
In order to get to Madame Tussauds Istanbul, you need to go to Istiklal Street, one of the most central places in the city. The Grand Pera Mall, where the museum is located, is right in the middle of the 1.5-kilometer street stretching between Taksim Square and Galata Tower.
In order to go to Madame Tussauds Istanbul museum from Sultanahmet, you can take the Tram T1 to “Kabatas” and from there you can reach Taksim Square with the F1 Funicular connection. You can reach the museum with a 10-minute walk from the Taksim Square.
In order to go to Madame Tussauds Istanbul from the Asian Side, you can come to Karakoy by ferry. It is possible to reach Istiklal Street on foot from Karakoy, which is located at sea level. You can also see Galata Tower on the way.
Conclusion
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Istanbul offers you the opportunity to have a good time and take beautiful photos, as well as learn a lot about Turkish culture. For this reason, it is among the best museums in Istanbul.
If you want to see entertainment centers in the same category in Istanbul, you can also check out places such as Istanbul Aquarium and Vialand Theme Park. Especially families with children can have a great time in these activity centers.
If you want to learn more about the museums in Istanbul, you can find dozens of similar articles in the Museums of Istanbul category of this site. Nearly 40 museums are introduced under this category.
Written by Serhat Engul
Do the children must pay the ticket?
There is a note on the official website of the museum that it is free for children under 36 months. However, I can’t say for sure because this part has been deleted and can only be viewed from Google cached pages.