Pera Museum

The Pera Museum is a private museum founded by the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation, in a former 1893 hotel building (the Hotel Bristol) on Meşrutiyet Caddesi, just off İstiklal Avenue. The building was renovated in 2003 by the architect Sinan Kafadar and is one of the best small museum spaces in the city.

The permanent collection includes the "Orient Express" gallery (artifacts from the legendary train, plus a recreation of a Pera/Beyoğlu street scene), the "Ottoman Portrait" gallery, and a series of large-scale paintings including Osman Hamdi Bey's famous "The Tortoise Trainer" (1906) — the painting that, more than any other, defined the late-Ottoman Orientalist aesthetic. The rotating exhibitions are often world-class — recent years have included Schiele, Dali, and a Frida Kahlo show that drew record crowds.

The museum's café (with a glass roof and elegant tea service) is one of the few calm spots on İstiklal Avenue. The museum shop is unusually good for design-focused gifts.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00-19:00. Entry ~12 EUR. Combine with a walk up İstiklal to Taksim, or a stop at the nearby St. Anthony of Padua Church.