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TurkeyWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
Rumeli Hisari fortress Museum (Rumeli Hisari Museum, Tur. Anadolu Hisarı Müzesi) - an ancient architectural landmark, was built by the Ottomans in 1452 with the aim of taking Constantinople. There are no architectural delights and beauties in it, because its purpose was exclusively practical and military. Nevertheless, this is a very worthy and interesting place to visit, if not for one thing... It is very far from the tourist center of the city, so it is worth visiting if you are not the first time in Istanbul, or if you have a museum map Museum Pass Istanbul for which this attraction is visited for free. In other cases, you can skip the fortress of Rumelikhisar, or limit it to viewing it from a cruise boat on the Bosphorus.
Passing through the gate past the ticket offices, you will get to the territory in the courtyard, where ancient cannons are exhibited. You can walk around the territory yourself, go to some towers. The towers even provide elevators for climbing up, but in 2019, climbing elevators or steps on the walls of the fortress was banned because of the danger. If the ascents are allowed again, be sure to go up, from above there are good views of the Strait. Do not miss the basement at the base of the mosque on the territory: the entrance to it is very inconspicuous, most tourists do not even suspect it. In general, a walk around the fortress will take about 1 hour.
Rumelikhisar fortress was built by Order of Sultan Mehmed Fatih, nicknamed Mahomet the Conqueror (Fatih Sultan Mehmet). This narrowest point of the Strait was chosen in order to block the passage through the Strait to the Black Sea, thereby cutting off Constantinople from help. As a result, the ships trying to break through were perfectly shot from one shore from Rumeli Khysara, and from the other from the fortress of Anadolukhisar.
When Constantinople was taken, Rumeli Khysary became a customs point, and in the XVII century was used as a prison. During its existence, it was destroyed by an earthquake and damaged by fire, and each time it was restored. In the XIX century finally lost its importance and was abandoned. Restoration of the fortress as an architectural and historical monument began in the middle of the XX century, now it works as a museum.
🕐 Working hours
in summer (from April 1 to October 31) – 09:00-17:00; in winter (from November 1 to March 31) – 09:00-16:00. Wednesday is a day off. Ticket offices close 30 minutes before the end of work.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
130 lire (2.83 USD, see Turkish currency and exchange rate), children under 8 years old inclusive free of charge. By Museum Pass istanbul Card free.
🚶 How to get there
the fortress is on the European side of Istanbul, but 13 kilometers from the tourist area of Sultanahmet (fortress on the map. You will have to get here with transfers, part of the way is possible on foot.
One and a half kilometers from the fortress is the terminal station of the Metro Boğaziçi Diversitesi line M6. From this station to the fortress can be reached on foot, the road leads to the descent. If you decide to return, too, by Metro, you will have to go up to a height of more than 100 meters or 30 floors. You can get to the Boğaziçi Diversitesi metro station with a transfer from the M2 line (at Levent station) to the M6. see more about the Istanbul Metro here.
There are also many bus flights from Beyoglu district. From Taksim Square there are buses # 40, 40T, 42T; from kabatas Pier # 43R, 25E and 22, 22RE. There are no buses from Fatih and Sultanahmet, but you can take the T1 tram to Kabatash Pier. In general, it is convenient to make a route like this: come here by Metro, walk to the fortress on foot, and go back by bus from the stop right next to the fortress on the embankment.
For more information, see about Istanbul transport and how to get there and Istanbul transport lines on the map.
To make the trip to sights of Istanbul really exciting, you can choose a group or individual tour from local guides. It is difficult to find excursions in Russian in local travel agencies, but you can look at descriptions, read reviews and order your favorite excursion on one of these proven sites: