4 Best Sights in Istanbul, Turkey

Currently housed in a temporary space while its usual home on the shore of the Bosphorus is rebuilt, the İstanbul Modern of Modern Art showcases modern and contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, and works in other media from Turkey and around the world. A top-notch program of temporary exhibitions features significant local and international contemporary artists. A private tour can be organized in English for groups of four or more (20 TL per person) and will give you a good introduction to the art scene in Turkey. The museum also has a small cinema, café, and design store.

Süleyman the Magnificent commissioned Sinan to build this grandiose stone palace overlooking the Hippodrome in about 1520 for his brother-in-law, the grand vizier Ibrahim Pasha, and it is one of the most important surviving examples of secular Ottoman architecture from its time. It now houses the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, which has an exceptional collection of Islamic art and artifacts dating from the 7th through 20th century, including lavishly illustrated Korans and other calligraphic manuscripts; intricate metalwork; wood and stone carvings; an astrolabe from the 1200s; colorful ceramics; religious relics and artifacts, including an elaborate hajj certificate and device for determining the direction of Mecca; and one of the world's most highly regarded troves of antique carpets.

A small private museum housed in a grand 1893 building (the former Bristol Hotel), the Pera showcases diverse exhibits. It's best known, however, for its permanent collection of Orientalist paintings by both European and Ottoman artists from the 17th to 19th century and including panoramas of the city and court life; The Tortoise Trainer by Osman Hamdi Bey—a late-Ottoman painter who also founded the Istanbul Archaeological Museums—is particularly famous. One of the two smaller permanent exhibits focuses on Kütahya ceramics and tiles, the other on the history of Anatolian weights and measures from the Hittite period to the early 20th century. The upper three levels house well-conceived temporary exhibits featuring local and international artists. The museum also runs a regular film program, often featuring international and subtitled selections, in its basement screening room.

One of Istanbul's premier private museums has world-class exhibits and a stunning location in a historic villa overlooking the water in the leafy suburb of Emirgan, on the European shore of the Bosphorus. The permanent collection includes late-19th-century Orientalist and early Republican Turkish paintings, rare examples of Ottoman calligraphy, and antique furnishings such as exquisite Sèvres vases—all from the private collection of the industrialist Sabancı family. The biggest draws, though, are the world-class temporary installations, which range from retrospectives on major artists like Picasso and leading contemporary names such as Ai Weiwei to exhibits on Anatolian archaeology and masterpieces of Islamic art. The beautiful grounds, with 150-year-old monumental trees and a variety of rare plants from around the world, are perfect for a stroll after viewing the art.