Visit Istanbul Guide
The Maiden's Tower
Maidens Tower Istanbul photographs from every ferry — a small white tower on a rock at the southern mouth of the Bosphorus, off the Üsküdar shore. It is a Ministry of Culture museum at €27, and the boat that takes you there costs ₺110 more, which is the detail that surprises people at the pier. The rest of the sights are on things to do and the plan on the Istanbul city guide homepage.
Quick answer Two costs, one small island
€27 to enter, about $32, plus ₺110 for the boat transfer, which the museum lists separately. Open 09:00 to 21:00 with the box office shutting at 20:00. It is on the Museum Pass — the boat is not.
Key takeaways
- The transfer fee is the surprise: the ticket does not include getting there
- It is on the €105 Museum Pass, which improves that pass's arithmetic
- Under-18s must be accompanied by a parent, per the museum's own note
- A Bosphorus cruise passes it for ₺46.20 if the view is all you want
Key facts
Opening hours
| Daily | 09:00–21:00 |
|---|---|
| Box office | 09:00–20:00 |
Closed None published; rough weather stops the boats
Admission
- Adult
- €27 (about $32)
- Reduced
- Müzekart valid for Türkiye citizens
- Free
- Not published
Planning it
- Time needed
- Not stated; our routing: 90 minutes including both boat legs
- Book ahead
- Optional — walk-up usually fine
- Address
- Salacak, Üsküdar — boats from the Üsküdar and Kabataş jetties
What is actually on the rock
A tower, a café and a viewing terrace. The building has been a customs post, a lighthouse, a quarantine station and a radio tower across two thousand years, and the current structure dates mostly from restorations after an earthquake; the most recent one closed it for years and reopened it in 2023.
The legends — a princess and a prophecy about a snake, Hero and Leander — are Byzantine and later inventions rather than history, and every guide repeats them. What is real is the position: the tower sits where the Bosphorus meets the Sea of Marmara, and from the terrace the city arranges itself into old town, new town and Asian shore all at once.
Getting there, and what it costs in total
Boats run from the Üsküdar side at Salacak and from Kabataş on the European shore, and the museum's own page lists the transfer at ₺110 — separate from the €27 entry. So a visit from the European side is €27 plus ₺110 plus whatever it cost you to reach Kabataş, which is one İstanbulkart ride.
If you hold the Museum Pass, the €27 is covered and the ₺110 is not. And if you only want the picture, every Bosphorus ferry and cruise passes within a few hundred metres of it — the boats compared.
Maiden's Tower questions
How much is the Maiden's Tower?
€27 for foreign visitors, about $32, plus a ₺110 boat transfer that the museum charges separately. Open 09:00–21:00 with the box office closing at 20:00.
Is the boat included in the ticket?
No. The museum lists the transfer fee at ₺110 as a separate charge, and the Museum Pass does not cover it either.
Is the Maiden's Tower on the Museum Pass?
Yes — it is a Ministry of Culture museum, and at €27 it is one of the more valuable entries on the €105 pass.
Is it worth visiting?
For the position and the terrace, once. If you only want the photograph, any Bosphorus ferry passes it for ₺46.20.
Can children visit alone?
No. The museum's own page states that under-18s must be accompanied by a parent.
Why is it called Maiden's Tower, and can you go inside?
From a Byzantine legend about an emperor who shut his daughter on the islet to escape a prophecy that a snake would kill her; it reached her in a basket of fruit. The Greek name, Leander's Tower, comes from a different myth set on the Dardanelles.
Page last reviewed 2026-09-03. Prices, hours and terms are set by the venue or operator and confirmed at checkout.
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