In the winter of 1918, a general arrived in an occupied Istanbul and moved into a house in Şişli with his mother and sister. A few months later, he sailed away on a small steamer called the Bandırma. What followed became a republic. This tour follows that story across Istanbul, in the places where it unfolded: a house, a hotel room, a square and a palace, in four chapters.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: The House Where It Began
Atatürk Museum, Şişli
We start in Şişli, at the house where Mustafa Kemal lived from December 1918 with his mother Zübeyde and his sister Makbule. It was also a headquarters: until the morning he left for Samsun on 16 May 1919, plans for the National Struggle were made under this roof.
After his death, the Istanbul municipality bought the house and opened it as a museum in 1942. Today you can see his personal belongings in the rooms where those plans were made. It isn’t a monument. It’s a home with a decision in it.
Chapter Two: The Guest
Pera Palace Hotel, Room 101
From Şişli we drive down to Beyoğlu, to the Pera Palace, the grand hotel built in 1892 for passengers of the Orient Express. By 1917, Mustafa Kemal’s name was in its guest book, and, according to the hotel, Room 101 became his regular room whenever he was in Istanbul between 1917 and 1926.
The room is now a quiet museum, painted a soft dawn pink, holding his belongings, books, gifts and the newspapers of his day. It’s a place where a man worked, rested and waited between chapters of history.
Room 101 opens to visitors during set sessions each day, so we plan your morning around them.
Chapter Three: The Republic
Up İstiklal Avenue to Taksim
From the hotel we climb toward Taksim, by the nostalgic tram or on foot along İstiklal Avenue. In 1933, for the Republic’s tenth anniversary, every building on this street was hung with flags, ribbons and portraits. A young country was celebrating itself, and Istanbul was its stage.
The Republic Museum (optional, can be skipped to shorten the day)
At the head of the square stands the Taksim Maksemi, an Ottoman water-distribution building from 1732-33, the reason the square is called Taksim. Today it houses the Republic Museum: one building, two eras.
Taksim Square and the Republic Monument
The Republic Monument, made by the Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica and unveiled in 1928, is one of the Republic’s first great public statements. We read it together, figure by figure, and see how a square that grew from an imperial waterworks became the civic heart of a modern city.
Chapter Four: The Farewell
Dolmabahçe Palace
Our final stop is the palace on the Bosphorus. Built in the 19th century as the empire’s grand new residence, Dolmabahçe became Atatürk’s home and office whenever he was in Istanbul. We walk through its ceremonial halls and the crystal staircase, a setting of imperial scale that became a Republican one.
Then we come to the smallest room of the tour. It was here, on 10 November 1938, at 09:05, that he died. The palace clocks are set to that minute, and every year, at that time on that date, the whole of Türkiye pauses in silence.
We end here, without hurry, with the Bosphorus just beyond the walls.
What's Included and Good to Know
What’s included
- Private licensed guide
- [Entrance tickets: Room 101, Republic Museum, Dolmabahçe Palace, as selected]
- Advance arrangements for your group at the Atatürk Museum
- [Private vehicle / transfers]
- [Bottled water, headsets, etc.]
Good to know
- The tour runs Tuesday to Sunday. The Atatürk Museum, the Republic Museum and Dolmabahçe Palace are all closed on Mondays.
- Room 101 opens to visitors only in two daily sessions, so we plan the start time around them.
- We recommend a private vehicle, since the route links Şişli, Beyoğlu and the Bosphorus.
- Dolmabahçe involves some walking and stairs. We’ll set the pace to suit your group.
- Opening hours and prices can change, so we confirm everything for your date when we plan your tour.
Begin your story
Tell us your dates, group size, interests and mobility needs, and we’ll design your tour and send a clear quote.
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