Istanbul With Kids: Vialand, Aquarium, Miniatürk and More

Istanbul is a big city to cover with children, and the attractions are spread out: a theme park in the north-west, an aquarium by the Marmara shore, two museums and a miniature park along the Golden Horn. This guide gives hours, ticket prices where they are published, child tips and the way to each place from Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), so you can pick one or two for each day instead of crossing the city twice.

Family Attractions at a Glance

Hours and prices were checked on the venues' own sites on 25 October 2026 and can change. Winter hours are usually shorter, so check the official site before you go. Transfer prices are per vehicle, not per person, and the exact price for your date is shown before you pay.

Vialand

Vialand is a theme park with a shopping mall and a hotel on the same site in Eyüpsultan. The rides run from the Maceraperest family coaster to the Adalet Kulesi, a 50 m drop tower, and the Nefeskesen, which the park says goes from 0 to 110 km/h in 3 seconds, so there is something for younger and older children. Check the height and age rules on the Vialand site before you promise a particular ride.

• Hours: the park's open days and hours change between the summer and winter seasons, and the site gives no single fixed time, so check the official page for your date. The mall is shown as open 10:00–22:00.
• Tickets: Vialand does not publish a fixed price you can quote in advance, so we give none here. Children under 48 months are free with ID, a child ticket covers ages 4 to 14, and an adult ticket starts at 15. Under-15s cannot enter without a companion aged 18 or over.
• Babies and weather: pushchairs can be hired at the gift shops for a fee, the park has three baby-care rooms, and open-air rides may close in bad weather.
• Getting there: the nearest metro stop is Veysel Karani–Akşemsettin on the M7, then about a 10-minute walk. A free mall shuttle links that stop with the main entrance from 10:00 to 20:00, every 15 minutes. There is free parking for 8,000 cars.

From Istanbul Airport, the M11 to Kağıthane and a change to the M7 towards Mahmutbey reaches Veysel Karani–Akşemsettin three stops later, according to the M7 station list. With children and bags, a direct car is simpler: our transfer to Eyüpsultan costs from €44 per vehicle from IST and from €60 from SAW (SAW page). Routing estimates are about 45 minutes from IST and an hour from SAW without traffic.

İstanbul Akvaryum

The aquarium is in Florya, in Bakırköy on the Marmara coast. It opened in April 2011 and has 16 themed zones, including a rainforest, that follow the water from the Black Sea to the Pacific.

• Hours: it is open until 19:00 on weekdays and 20:00 at weekends, from 10:00. The site calls these times last entry, so arrive well before.
• Tickets on 25 October 2026: adult ₺1,000; ₺900 for ages 2 to 18, students, teachers, disabled visitors and over-65s with ID; children aged 0 to 24 months are free. Family packs were ₺2,750 for three people and ₺3,600 for four. The ticket page says the campaign prices apply to citizens of the Republic of Türkiye, so foreign visitors may be charged more. Check the price at booking. Online tickets are valid for one month.
• Getting there: the aquarium asks visitors to get off at Florya Akvaryum, a Marmaray station, and also lists buses BN1, 73Y, 73B and 73F. From Istanbul Airport you can take the M11 to Halkalı and change to Marmaray there. Our transfer to Bakırköy costs from €48 per vehicle from IST and from €63 from SAW (SAW page).

Miniatürk

Miniatürk is a miniature park at Sütlüce, on the Golden Horn, with models covering 15,000 m² of a 60,000 m² site. It opened on 2 May 2003 and is described as one of the world's largest miniature parks. The park has a children's playground, a mini train and a restaurant, and 300 parking spaces.

• Hours: 10:00–18:00, closed on Mondays.
• Tickets on 25 October 2026: foreign visitors pay ₺900, against ₺330 for residents. A reduced ticket costs ₺90, and there is no separate child price on the site. A combined ticket costs ₺1,350 for foreign visitors; check the Miniatürk site for what it includes. For a family of four, the foreign price adds up, so budget for it.
• Getting there: the Havaist HVL-13 coach from Istanbul Airport has a Miniatürk stop on its way to Sultanahmet, about 110 minutes in total, at ≈€8.50 (₺470) per person. The Golden Horn ferry calls at Sütlüce. Our Beyoğlu transfer page shows the price to this side of the Golden Horn.

Rahmi M. Koç Museum

The Rahmi M. Koç Museum, in Hasköy on the Golden Horn, is an industrial and transport museum with rail, marine, road and aviation collections. Children who like trains, boats and old machines tend to enjoy it.

• Hours: closed Mondays; Tuesday to Friday 09:30–17:30; Saturday and Sunday 09:30–18:00. The last tickets go 30 minutes before closing. It also closes on the eve and first day of religious holidays, and on 31 December and 1 January.
• Tickets on 25 October 2026: adult ₺1,000, student ₺500. Boat tours are ₺250 for adults and ₺150 for students. The site shows no separate child price, so ask at the desk. Parking is paid and limited.
• Getting there: the museum lists the İETT bus stop Kırmızı Minare, the Metrobüs stop Halıcıoğlu and the ferry pier at Hasköy. The same Havaist HVL-13 also has a Hasköy Parkı stop. Our driver can take you straight to the door, so you do not have to work out the last stretch with children.

Miniatürk and the Rahmi M. Koç Museum are both in Beyoğlu on the Golden Horn and both close on Monday, so they pair naturally on one day. Allow for the ticket prices above and for the time the traffic costs you between them.

Forum İstanbul and the Closed Attractions

Forum İstanbul is a mall in Bayrampaşa, open 10:00–22:00. Its Zeplinx area has play spaces for children, including a play town, softplay and a sand pool, and the mall also has a bowling alley and a cinema. It suits a rainy afternoon rather than a full day out. LEGOLAND Discovery Centre and SEA LIFE Istanbul, which were in the same mall, closed on 31 December 2024, so ignore old listings for them.

Our transfer to Bayrampaşa starts from €48 per vehicle from IST, and there is a Sabiha Gökçen page for the other airport.

The Princes' Islands

The Princes' Islands are a boat trip rather than a half-day add-on, so we mention them only briefly. The islands are car-free, horse-drawn phaetons were retired in 2020, and electric İETT buses run on Büyükada. Ferries take about 20 minutes from Maltepe and about 35 minutes from Bostancı on the direct boats, and about 1 hour 45 minutes from Kabataş via Kadıköy. Our Princes' Islands guide has the details.

Planning a Day With Children

• Mondays: Miniatürk and the Rahmi M. Koç Museum are both closed. Use the day for the aquarium or Vialand instead, after checking Vialand's hours.
• Go early to the aquarium: it closes at 19:00 on weekdays and 20:00 at weekends.
• Wet or cold days: the aquarium and Forum İstanbul are indoors. Vialand's open-air rides may close in bad weather.
• Free entry for little ones: under 24 months at the aquarium, under 48 months at Vialand with ID. Miniatürk and the Rahmi M. Koç Museum publish no child price.
• Public transport: children under 7 ride free on the Istanbulkart; from their 7th birthday they pay the full fare. See our Istanbulkart guide.
• Distances: these places are far apart. Choose one area per day: Eyüp and Vialand in the north-west, Bakırköy and the aquarium on the shore, the Golden Horn for the two museums.

Getting From the Airport With Children

After a long flight with children, a car that is already waiting is the easiest start. Our driver waits just outside the arrivals exit, and once you have landed sends the exact meeting point and a short video on WhatsApp. Our drivers speak English, and there is no extra charge for traffic or flight delays. Tell us how many children you have, their ages and how many bags and pushchairs you carry when you book, and we will arrange the child seats you need; they are available on request. A Mercedes Vito takes up to 6 passengers with luggage, and a V-Class VIP and a Sprinter are available for larger groups.

The airports are not close to these attractions. Free-flowing routing estimates from IST are about 40 minutes to Bayrampaşa, 40 minutes to Florya and 45 minutes to Vialand, and from SAW roughly 50 to 60 minutes; at peak times, allow much more. If you would like to go straight from the airport to an attraction, or want a driver for the day, ask us on WhatsApp before booking. See all fares on the transfer prices page, or compare areas in our where to stay in Istanbul guide. For museums and sights in the old city, read Istanbul attractions: hours and tickets.

Sources — checked on 25 October 2026: Vialand · Vialand FAQ · İstanbul Akvaryum tickets · İstanbul Akvaryum hours · İstanbul Akvaryum contact · Miniatürk · Rahmi M. Koç Museum hours and prices · Rahmi M. Koç Museum, getting here · Forum İstanbul · Istanbul Airport public transport · M7 (Istanbul Metro) · Istanbul Aquarium · Miniatürk · Merlin closures, Turkish Minute
Euro amounts at €1 = ₺55.6.

Related guides: Where to Stay in Istanbul · Istanbul Attractions: Hours and Tickets · Istanbulkart Guide · How to Get to Balat and Fener · Istanbul Airport Metro M11 · Havaist Istanbul Airport Bus · Istanbul Museums · Airport to the Princes' Islands

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