3 Museums You Need to See in Beyoğlu

Istanbul… A city where history and art are hidden at every step! If you live in Istanbul, you are very lucky in terms of cultural and artistic activities.
Istanbul is a very rich place in terms of museums. There are exactly 54 museums here. Let alone the museums that everyone knows and are frequently seen on television and social media, in this article we will tell you about the rare and must-see museums of Istanbul. If you're ready, let's start.

Treasure Hidden Inside: Pera Museum

Our first recommendation from Beyoğlu is Pera Museum, which is only one street between Istiklal Street and Istiklal Street. The point that makes this museum the most valuable is that Osman Hamdi Bey's Tortoise Trainer is exhibited here.

Paintings of great painters such as Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt and Frida Kahlo are also exhibited at the Pera Museum. In the museum, there are also Kütahya Tiles and Collections, measurement units used in the past in Anatolia and orientalist works that are more impressive than the other. Seeing all these valuable works and the Turtle Trainer with the eyes of the world is only 20 TL! Students, lecturers and visitors over the age of 60 can buy a museum entrance ticket for 10 TL by taking advantage of the discount. Let's give you some more information; Besides the main exhibition, short-term exhibitions are also held at the museum. Pera Museum brings many important artists to Turkey and brings them together with art lovers in this exhibition. In addition, studies for young people are also carried out in the museum. For example, chamber music concerts are held with the events called “Young Wednesday” and “Classical Saturday”. If you want to participate in such events, you can follow the official website of the museum.

Ottoman Bank Museum: SALT Galata

Salt Galata was once the place of bankers. There is even a street called "Banks Street" in Galata. Salt Galata, on the other hand, is located right in the middle of Isbank's Galata Branch and Central Bank's Istanbul Branch.
This building was designed by the French architect Alexandre Vallauri for Bank-ı Osmanî-i Şahane, a British-owned bank. The building, which was opened in 1892, was renamed SALT Galata in 2011. Today, it serves as both a museum and a cafe. With a small cafeteria and computerized research hall, this place provides a huge service to the residents of Istanbul. The view of the Golden Horn leaking from its huge windows is just one of the reasons that makes you feel happy when you are inside the building. On the ground floor of SALT Galata, there is the Ottoman Bank Museum Collection. You can stop by here to see the collection or to have tea with the view of the Golden Horn. Plus, admission is free! Also, because of the interior decoration and color of the building, it is very convenient to take pictures. So you can have a photo of it among the white pillars inside this historic building. Isn't it great?

From Fiction to Reality: Museum of Innocence

This museum appeals to a certain audience: those who read Orhan Pamuk's Museum of Innocence. This museum is distinguished from all other museums as the first museum to be created based on a fiction. For this reason, we think it should be seen by those who have read the book. Because then the museum trip will be much more meaningful.
The items in the apartment where Kemal, the hero of the book, spent time with his great love, Füsun, are exhibited in this museum, which was created by the arrangement of a house in Çukurcuma. You will almost relive the book when you visit the museum, as Orhan Pamuk describes every detail with mastery in the book. It is also worth mentioning that this museum, which was established with the power of fiction, received the European Museum of the Year Award in 2014. The entrance fee to the museum is 15 TL, students 10 TL!