Dolmabahçe Palace

The experience

Built between 1843 and 1853 on the European shore of the Bosphorus, Dolmabahçe replaced Topkapı as the main residence and administrative centre of the late Ottoman Empire. Its European-influenced interiors are lavish with crystal, gold leaf and one of the world's largest chandeliers. The palace was also where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk spent his final days in 1938.

The Ottoman Empire at its most opulent, strung along the water's edge of the Bosphorus.

What a membership adds.

Everything above is free: the name, the photo, the rating, the exact spot. What members get is the part you can't Google: the sourced insider tip for this place (what to order, when to go, what to skip), every day of your trips unlocked in full with the insider tip on every researched stop, and the concierge at full strength, answering with your own insider tips, no daily meter.