Miniaturk

Explore Turkey in One Day at Miniaturk

We all know that Turkey is a country of rich history and culture. We also know that this is a huge country which would take months, if not years, to explore all the main highlights across the specific regions. Unless you have a lot of time, and quite a lot of spare cash, then it’s best to try and cut a few corners, wherever possible.

Luckily, Turkey has thought of all that for you, and Miniaturk is the answer!

What is Miniaturk?

Miniaturk is a major tourist attraction in Istanbul and is a huge park which shows you all the main attractions and sights of history throughout Turkey, in one place. Opening its doors in 2003, the park is one of the most visited across the city, and it is a great place for families to head to. This will educate your little ones on everything Turkey related, and even if you don’t have children in tow, you can learn about it yourself!

Miniaturk is referred to as a ‘maquette park’. That means that the park is home to smaller in scale versions of the main landmarks of interest. So, you will be able to see small versions of Istanbul’s Hagia Sofia, the Fairy Chimneys of Cappadocia, Mount Nemrud, the ancient Ephesus, Troy, as well as the Bosphorus Bridge which links Asia and Europe. There are 105 different structures in mini size, with 45 of them in Istanbul alone! You’ll also find a few structures which lie on the borders between Turkey and neighbouring countries, as well as plenty across the entire country too. Turkey is huge, and it is packed with so many historical places of importance, which Miniaturk aims to highlight.

Basically, you get to see Turkey’s top spots in a day, or even less. You can go around taking photos of all the miniature structures, and if you get the scale right, who is to say you haven’t been there in person? This could be one for your Instagram feed!

Visitors can also learn more about the history of the structures via written plaques around the museum grounds, and there is an audio tour available, which will give you much more information and help you learn. This is available in several different languages (more on that shortly), and as you follow the set route around Miniaturk’s park, you will be told interesting facts about what the sight is, where it is in Turkey, what happened there, and why it is so important in Turkish and international history.

Visiting Miniaturk

Miniaturk has different opening times depending upon the time of year. Obviously, the summer months are the best times to visit, as this is an outdoor park, and the weather is usually much milder than during the sometimes freezing cold winter months! From April until September, Miniaturk is open between 9am and 7pm every day. During the winter months, e.g. October to mid-April Miniaturk’s opening hours change from 9am until 5.30pm, closing just a  little easier. Remember, the park covers quite a lot of outdoor space, so you will need comfortable shoes, and warm clothing during the colder months.

For such a fantastic tourist attraction, the entrance fee is very low, at just 10TL. The audio guide is available in several languages, and when you pay for your entrance fee, you will be asked what language you want your audio guide to be in. This ensures that everyone can learn more about what they’re seeing, no matter what their first language is.

Getting to Miniaturk isn’t difficult, but the public transport doesn’t link directly. If you take the Istanbul hop on and off bus, there is a stop directly outside, however otherwise you can take a regular bus from Eminonu (currently the bus 47C and 47E), or you can take a taxi from Eminonu or Taksim, for around 10-15TL maximum.

Seeing the main sights in Turkey for yourself is possible, but very very difficult! The distance from one side of the country to the other is vast; for instance, a bus from Izmir on the west side of the country, all the way over to the other eastern side, towards the border with Iraq, would take you in excess of 24 hours upwards! Even a bus from Istanbul to the southern coast resorts, like Marmaris and Bodrum, will take you around 12 hours plus. That’s one huge country, but the size also means plenty to see and do, and plenty to explore. Miniaturk takes the distance out of it and shows you everything one place!