Miniaturk In Istanbul – All You Need To Know
Did you anytime know that seeing all the incredible sights in Istanbul can possibly be done in a very few hours?
Well yes, that’s possible in Istanbul’s Miniaturk. Read further to know more about what is Miniaturk and why tourists flood to this place.
Miniaturk displays all the historical and current amazing places in Istanbul. Sights from Anatolia and the Ottoman territories that are outside of Turkey’s territories are also found in Miniaturk. That’s why Miniaturk is one of Istanbul’s best tourist attractions.
Let’s dive right into it!
Is Miniaturk Worth It?
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The first question that probably comes to your mind: “is it worth it?”
And here is the answer to that question: if you’re keen on historical sites and on history in general then Miniaturk could be some sort of Heaven for you. It is one of the most prominent Istanbul’s attractions, and you should definitely pay it a visit.
Miniaturk is a small park located at the north-eastern shore of Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. The Park displays a large number of fantastic sights on a scale of 1:25. The construction of this historical Museum started in 2001. And Miniaturk officially opened its doors to visitors on May 2, 2003. Miniaturk lands a total area of 60,000 square meters.
How Many Sights Can You Visit In Miniaturk?
You can find around 122 fantastic sites, 58 of which are from Istanbul, in this mini Park. The rest of the structures, as stated above, are from Anatolia and the Ottoman Empire. 52 belong to Anatolia, and the last 12 belong to the former Ottoman territories.
Turkey is an enormous city and a whole day of travelling and exploring won’t be enough to get in touch with all the fantastic places the city has to offer. That’s why Miniaturk makes it easy for you. For only about 2 to 3 hours, you will be able to explore Turkey’s most prominent attractions and places.
Aya Sofia and Taj Mahal are few of Miniaturk’s amazing sights. A lot more are waiting for you such as Sultanahmet Mosque, various theatres on the Aegean, and, uncommonly, the Ataturk Airport.
One of the best models in Miniaturk is the Bosphorus Bridge that connects Asia and Europe. It is a unique attraction.
Photo by www.videoblocks.com
What is good about the Park is that it can educate your kids since it has audio guides available in many different languages. Miniaturk is a fantastic place for families to head to.
Places To Visit In Miniaturk
There are a few models of places and structures that make the whole Park stand out.
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Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, in other words, the Temple of Diana. It was constructed and dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis. Temple was situated in Ephesus which these days is located in Turkey. That temple represented one of the seventh wonders in the ancient world. Unfortunately, by 401 AD the temple was equal to the ground.
Another fantastic mould you should definitely visit is Hagia Sophia.
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Originally it was constructed as a Greek Cathedral, later it became part of the Ottoman Empire. Now, it represents a museum in Turkey. Hagia Sophia was particularly famous for its vast dome. At that time, this massive Cathedral was considered to be the world’s largest building. It is also said to have changed the history of architecture. It is definitely worth paying a visit.
Third on our top list would be the Roman Theater in Aspendos.
Photo by commons.wikimedia.org
At the time, the city Aspendos represented an ancient Greek-Roman town in Antalya province in Turkey. It is said Greeks from Argos constructed Aspendos in the early days. What is worth paying a visit into Aspendos is its Roman Theatre. By visiting that Theatre, you will get an impression of how people used to entertain and live, back in those days.
Of course, there are other incredible sights you can visit and explore in Miniaturk. But those three amazing models you shouldn’t miss.
Now, let us see when can you exactly visit Miniaturk.
Planning Your Visit To Miniaturk
By now you should already know that Miniaturk is definitely worth a visit. A lot of historical models and incredible attractions will take your breath and leave you without words. So what’s the best time to visit this astonishing Park?
The best time to visit Miniaturk is the time that suits you best. For sure, there are times in the summer that aren’t available in the winter.
Keep in mind that the winter in Turkey can be really nasty. This tells us that the more appropriate time to visit Miniaturk would be in the summer. You definitely don’t want to freeze to death while exploring some of the world’s amazing sites. Taking comfortable shoes is something you should also consider since the Park is quite vast.
From April until September, the Park is open for visitors from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. During the winter months, opening times start to grow smaller. From October to the middle spring, the opening hours are from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
For such an incredible park, the entrance tax is quite low – only a tenner of Turkish money. As we said earlier, there are audio guides available in many different languages.
So when you enter you will be asked what’s your mother or preferred language you would like to listen to the guide to.
Getting to Miniaturk is relatively easy, but the public transport doesn’t link directly to it. Another option would be taking a taxi, which is not so expensive, either around 10 to 15TL.
Seeing all those incredible attractions and places in a real size might take you a very long time to do. But, a lot more things are available to explore while travelling from one site to another.
Yet the thing about Miniaturk is that it allows you to explore all these incredible places in the gap of one day.
We hope you find this one-step guide useful so that you can have a hassle-free trip to Miniaturk.
Comment below if you have been to Miniaturk. Share your thoughts and experience here in the comment section below.
