These are museums and art spaces from my saved lists, not in Sultanahmet but in Beyoğlu, Karaköy and Bomonti: from Orientalist painting to contemporary art in a former bank and a former brewery. Where I have a note of my own, it comes first; the rest is put together from Google Maps reviews.
Opening hours are Google's, valid as of 30 September 2026. Google has no ticket prices; Salt Beyoğlu and Salt Galata are free. Rate: 1 ₺ ≈ $0.020.
In short
- Free art: Salt Beyoğlu and Salt Galata; Pera Museum is free on Fridays after 18:00.
- See them together: Pera Museum and Salt Beyoğlu are in the same Asmalı Mescit block.
- For the building and the view: Renzo Piano's Istanbul Modern, with a roof terrace over the Bosphorus.
- To read or work: the free library at Salt Galata.
- On Mondays Pera Museum, both Salts and Istanbul Modern are closed.
Beyoğlu and Karaköy
Pera Museum
Pera · art museum · Tue–Thu & Sat 10:00–19:00, Fri 10:00–22:00, Sun 12:00–18:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · Meşrutiyet Cd. No:65
A museum full of all sorts of cultural and historical curiosities. I recommend seeing it together with the multimedia museum, Salt Beyoğlu, in the same Asmalı Mescit block.
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 7,400+): a former hotel with Orientalist painting, Turkish artists and temporary shows, labels in Turkish and English, and a good café. Entry is free on Fridays after 18:00.
Salt Beyoğlu
Beyoğlu · contemporary art centre · Tue–Sat 11:00–19:00, Sun 11:00–18:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · İstiklal Cd. No:136
A multimedia museum.
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 1,100+): a free contemporary art centre in a 19th-century building right on İstiklal, a quiet refuge from the busiest street in town. Exhibitions change constantly, and there's a library, a bookshop, a winter garden and a hall for screenings and talks.
Salt Galata
Karaköy · gallery, library & café · Tue–Sat 11:00–19:00, Sun 11:00–18:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · Bankalar Cd. No:11
A cool space in an old Ottoman bank building: a gallery plus a café.
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 1,600+): a grand staircase and high ceilings, a free library that's good for reading or working (two hours of free Wi-Fi), a bookshop, a restaurant and a café with a view. Sometimes there's only one exhibition on, so check the programme before you go.
Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
Tophane · modern art museum · Tue–Thu, Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00, Fri 10:00–20:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · Tophane İskele Cd. No:1/1
Contemporary art.
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 11,000+): the star is Renzo Piano's building on the Bosphorus and the rooftop terrace with its city panorama; opinions on the exhibitions are mixed. There's a café, a library and a shop, and tickets are sold at the door.
Bomonti
Yapı Kredi bomontiada
Bomonti · cultural hub · daily 9:00–1:00
Google Maps · website · Birahane Sk. No:1
A trendy space. I haven't been yet; it's on my "want to go" list.
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 6,700+): the old Bomonti beer factory, turned into a cultural hub with the Ara Güler Museum, the Babylon live music venue, a craft brewery and restaurants around the courtyard. There's a security check at the entrance.
One last thing
Save Pera Museum for a Friday evening: it's open until 22:00 and free after 18:00. On Mondays all four museums in Beyoğlu and Karaköy are closed, which makes it a good day for mosques and parks.
More on Istanbul: what to see beyond Sultanahmet.