Istanbul Toy Museum

Istanbul is very well-known for its unique geographic features and historical significance, making it one of a kind in the whole world. You may feel dizzy when exploring all of it but let us remind you there is also a really cool toy museum in Istanbul that you should definitely visit if you love toys.

How did the idea of a Toy Museum come out?

Istanbul Toy Museum was established on April 23, 2005, a special date that is National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, where all Turkish people celebrate merrily. The founder of the museum is writer/poet Sunay Akın. Over the years, he managed to collect thousands of toys from antique shops and auctions around the world. Bringing together this incredible collection, he aims to inform visitors about world history in a more fun way and to make it last in their minds for a long time. In addition to its quizzical character, Istanbul Toy Museum is actually pretty famous. It took part in many news and websites and inspired the initiatives to open other toy museums around the country.

What’s exactly in the Toy Museum?

The museum is home to toys from many categories, including space and aircraft, superheroes, dollhouses and even famous Disney characters. You can start the tour wherever you want since every theme has its own corner in this very old three-floor historic mansion where the museum has been located. It is not just children who will enjoy it since there are many nostalgic and pretty old toys from today’s grown-up’s childhood as well. We are sure you will say the words “I had this when I was little!”

How and when to go there?

The Toy Museum is open between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day except for Mondays. You can find the location on its official website, but since it is fairly in a busy location in the Anatolian side of Istanbul, we recommend you plan your day by first checking out all the transportation alternatives from your stay to the museum. And it may be wiser to visit the museum close to the afternoon when it is way quieter than early hours. It is also a good opportunity to take a tour of the district called Kadıköy, which is close to the museum’s location. There are many good street foods that you should try from street vendors, or if you are not a fan of those, you can find fancy restaurants and diners as well.