Choose your pass

Get Ready to be Fascinated: Museum of Illusions

The Museum of Illusions in Istanbul is a place to enter the fascinating world of illusions that will trick your confidence in your senses, and amaze you doing it. It is a fascinating museum to be confused, to have fun, and to learn about the borders of your own mind. 

Istanbul.com Creator Community
Istanbul.com Creator Community
November 8, 2022 10 min
Get Ready to be Fascinated: Museum of Illusions


This amazing experience is FREE with Istanbul Tourist Pass® which includes  100+ FREE attractions, guided tours, and many more. Here you can see the prices and start your trip right away



Get ready not to believe what you see with your own eyes!


The museum consists of illusionistic rooms, optical illusions, and a playroom with didactic games and puzzles. The Museum of Illusions started as a special project that soon became one of the fastest-growing education and recreation places, with locations in more than 35 cities around the world. The initial concept was founded in 2015 and quickly became a recognizable brand and leading attraction point in also in Istanbul


The Museum of Illusion in Istanbul is on the European side. To enter this amazing experience, all you need is an Istanbul Tourist Pass® which includes 100+ FREE attractions, guided tours, and many more. Here you can see the prices and start your trip right away! 


 


What to do in Istanbul with kids? Here is your answer. 



A must-see place for all ages


If you are in Istanbul with kids then you are trying to find fun places for them after a lot of historical places they had to come with you. Then the Museum of Illısion is a perfect place for you. 


Museum of Illusions offers an interactive, immersive, and fun experience for both children and their parents. It is a perfect, unusual, and thrilling place for all generations. The best part is unlike other museums, visitors can run, scream, touch exhibits, and take as many photos as they want, so it is a great place to go with kids


It is also an educational experience for kids. In the museum, you can talk about the mind and the borders of senses with your kids. Amusing tricks will teach kids about vision, perception, the human brain, and science so it will be easier to perceive why their eyes see things that their brain cannot understand.


The Museum of Illusions in Istanbul brings you an area suitable both for social and entertaining tours into the world of illusions which has entertained all generations. It’s a perfect place for new experiences and fun with friends and family. Not only is it a place for children who adore coming, but also a place for parents, couples, grandmothers, and grandfathers.


What to do in the Museum of Illusions? 


 


Fun exhibits surprise your brain! 


In the Museum of Illusions in Istanbul, there are many to see and enjoy. There are different parts of the museum and all of which are very Instagrammable! 


Here are some exhibits inside the Museum of Illusions.


Photo illusions 


Photo Illusions are creative ways to confuse your mind and create false perceptions of things that don’t exist. Sounds promising! And we all know the saying: The camera never lies!? I wouldn’t be so sure! Nothing is what it seems in the Museum of Illusions, not even the pictures! The only thing you can be sure of is that your photos will be filled with an unusual and unexpected background. Come and explore!


Optical illusions


Unexplainable images that play tricks on you, confusing your eyes and brain. These visual illusions are just a reminder that our senses are flawed and our perception of the world is often misinterpreted. Come and check out our exhibition of optical illusions with many Op art exhibits!


Holograms


Holograms – those magical images that create 3D illusions and which we encounter every day in all kinds of shapes and forms e.g. in their simplified form on bank notes or credit cards. Our Museum of Illusions holds a quite respectable collection of various holograms e.g. images that disappear without reason, change their motif, or pop out of the picture.


Beuchet Chair Illusion


It is unbelievable how the perceived size of a person depends on the context suggested by the surrounding objects. Explore the laws of perception and play with roles and size ratios by simply sitting on the so-called Beuchet chair! Challenge your photography creativity!


Infinity Tunnel


There are so many things in life that we tend to compare with a bottomless pit even though we have never actually seen one. Well, now’s your chance. Get dragged into the unknown!


True Mirror


Mirrors are believed to carry the energy of ancestors into your present life. But Mirrors also kind of lie! In a True Mirror right and left aren’t flipped. Your reflection in the True Mirror is how other people actually see you and not necessarily how you see yourself. So – it’s time to see what you really look like… Ready?


Stereogram


A stereogram is a picture within a picture. Inside each image is a hidden object which appears in 3D when viewed correctly. Bring the stereogram image really close to your eyes (until you touch it with your nose), your eyes cannot focus on the image and they look somewhere behind the image. While trying to keep the eyes off focus and by slowly pushing the image away from you, you will see the hidden object. Get surprised!


 


Kaleidoscope


A wonderful, colorful, and continuously changing world of shapes and colors! In our Museum of Illusions, the psychedelic patterns are created exclusively by our visitors, as they will be reflected in the endless little mirrors. Go and kaleidoscope away!


Clone Table


This illusion invites you to sit down with yourself. What appears to be a large round table is actually a circular clip, which reflects a full circle in two mirrors at an angle of 60 degrees. At the point of sitting down, you will be surrounded by 5 of your clones! Who is the better player?!


 Head on the platter


Have you always wanted somebody’s “head on a plate”? Well, now you can make your wish come true. Experience the illusion of a “head on the platter” and of a hidden body. But don’t worry, nobody gets hurt. It’s all just an illusion.


 Rubin’s Vase


Rubin’s vase is a famous set of ambiguous or bi-stable two-dimensional forms developed around 1915 by the Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin. Well, you could keep flowers in it, but that would be absolutely inappropriate. Get intrigued by the potential of hidden faces and try to find them all.


 


Hollow Face Illusion


The need to recognize faces is so deeply rooted in us that we will fill any hollow space that we are looking at just to see the face. What is the fascination here is that while looking at the face, no matter from which angle, it seems to follow us. This is based on our inborn knowledge that a face is convex and cannot be concave.


 Turntables


Black & white patterns create kinetic optical illusions when spun on a record turntable. Mostly designed in kind of endless circles. When spinning these 2-dimensional turntable discs we receive a hypnotic effect of this very curious optical illusion created only when in motion.


 Ambiguous Cylinder


The illusion of an ambiguous cylinder creates a special geometry shape, either as a quadrant or as a cylinder, depending on the direction of view. An object is placed in a box in front of the mirror so that it can be seen from two opposite sides at any moment. The visitor can rotate the object by 180 degrees by moving the handle to the left or right. The change of shape really challenges your perception and logic comprehension.


Tricky Stick


This exhibit plays with our sense of space. The stick is attached to a horizontal plate that rotates so that the stick encounters a curved hole in its path. The human brain will automatically assume that the stick cannot pass through the hole, but due to the thought-through geometry, the stick passes through the hole every time.


Ames Room


In one corner of the room, there is a giant, and in the other a dwarf! Experience how a person walking back or forth either grows or shrinks before your very eyes in this incredible room of illusions. To the viewers, it looks like an ordinary room, but it is actually cleverly distorted so that visitors experience an amazing visual illusion.


Infinity Room


Most of us imagined a possibility where magic and fun never seem to end, and seem endlessly duplicated?! Maybe the Wonderworld of our Infinity Room will make your dreams come true! Enter the Room of Mirrors! found your wonderworld in the Infinity Room – the Room of Mirrors! The room walls are Mirrors of full height, installed all around, creating an optical illusion of infinite space. “The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away.” (Yayoi Kusama)


Vortex tunnel


When was the last time when someone made your head spin around so that you felt like the ground was pulled away under your feet? And you were sure to be spinning nonetheless you knew that the bridge is actually not moving. You can’t control that reaction of your body. It feels like love, right? Or maybe just another illusion?


In both cases, it is important to let yourself go, so don’t be afraid to leave everything you know behind and immerse yourself in the illusion of our Vortex tunnel. The only one of its kind in this part of the world, the Vortex Tunnel will drive you mad and make it seems nearly impossible for you to bring your body in balance through the rotating cylinder – whereby you are all the time on a completely stable and flat surface. And – you are allowed to scream and laugh!


Rotated Room


Are you ready to radically change your view of the world? How about 90 degrees? Have photos taken of incredible poses! The only limit is your imagination. Play with all your phantasy to interact with the illusion offering an Instagram shot!


To enter this amazing experience all you need is an Istanbul Tourist Pass® which includes 100+ FREE attractions, guided tours, and many more. Here you can see the prices and start your trip right away! 

Best Sights in One Day

Istanbul FAST Pass®

Visit 2 landmarks & 3 authentic experiences including Hagia Sofia or Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque with Bosphorus Cruise.

1 Pass Option expand_more
2 Travelers expand_more
Adult €49 / person
1
Child (5-12) €44 / person
0
3 Review expand_more
With Hagia Sophia (Adult) x 1 €49.00
eco Instant Access Fee €10.00
Order Total €59.00
Istanbul FAST Pass®
With Hagia Sophia · 1 Adult
€59.00

Istanbul Must-Sees

Istanbul DISCOVER Pass®

Visit 3 landmarks & 100+ top attractions including Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque.

1 Pass Duration expand_more
2 Travelers expand_more
Adult €149 / person
1
Child (5-12) €139 / person
0
3 Review expand_more
3 Days (Adult) x 1 €149.00
eco Instant Access Fee €10.00
Order Total €159.00
Istanbul DISCOVER Pass®
3 Days · 1 Adult
€159.00

Ultimate Istanbul Experience

Istanbul PRIME Pass®

Visit ALL 7 landmarks, 120+ top attractions & premium experiences including Luxury Bosphorus Sunset, Breakfast & Dinner Cruises and deluxe Hammam.

1 Pass Duration expand_more
2 Travelers expand_more
Adult €259 / person
1
Child (5-12) €249 / person
0
3 Review expand_more
5 Days (Adult) x 1 €259.00
eco Instant Access Fee €10.00
Order Total €269.00
Istanbul PRIME Pass®
5 Days · 1 Adult
€269.00

Find more Istanbul inspiration

Istanbul in July 2024: A Magical Vacation Awaits!
calendar_today Jun 30, 2023 11 min

Istanbul in July 2024: A Magical Vacation Awaits!

Istanbul, a city steeped in rich history and cultural heritage, beckons travelers from around the globe. With its stunning architectural wonders like the majestic Hagia Sophia and the grand Topkapi Palace, Istanbul is anything but ordinary. And in the month of July, the city comes alive under the warm embrace of the summer sun, making […]

Transportation In Istanbul
calendar_today Jul 24, 2020 3 min

Transportation In Istanbul

Istanbul's public transportation system has advanced considerably in the past 10 years, and this has had a major impact on the quality of service and transit comfort in the city. Istanbul, like any advanced European city, has a network of multiple mass transportation modes, ranging from regular buses to metro and tram networks that cover […]

24 Hours with Istanbul Tourist Pass: Your Perfect Itinerary
calendar_today May 27, 2025 5 min

24 Hours with Istanbul Tourist Pass: Your Perfect Itinerary

Only have 24 hours in Istanbul? Maximize every moment with this fast-paced itinerary that takes you from iconic landmarks to sunset cruises, ancient bazaars, and rooftop views—all in one unforgettable day. Perfect for travelers on a tight schedule who want to see Istanbul’s best highlights without missing a beat.

Galata: Bridging Cultures and Centuries
calendar_today May 26, 2025 5 min

Galata: Bridging Cultures and Centuries

Explore Galata, Istanbul’s historic district where cultures, religions, and empires converged. Discover the iconic Galata Tower, diverse architecture, spiritual music, and vibrant cafés. With Istanbul Tourist Pass®, skip lines and access over 100 attractions, making your journey through this unique neighborhood seamless and unforgettable.

Istanbul in July 2025 Travel Guide: Weather, Events, Local Tips
calendar_today Jul 1, 2025 5 min

Istanbul in July 2025 Travel Guide: Weather, Events, Local Tips

July paints Istanbul in bright sunlight, long evenings, and a steady hum of festivals on both sides of the Bosphorus. Temperatures tip toward true summer, ferries stay busy until late, and café tables spill into every shaded corner. Yet the city still offers hidden breezes, pockets of calm, and plenty of local flavor if you […]

Easter in Istanbul: Mass, Bread and Eggs
calendar_today Apr 21, 2025 8 min

Easter in Istanbul: Mass, Bread and Eggs

Spring in Istanbul is a sensory festival: tulips set Gulhane Park ablaze with exuberant color, boats cut across a sparkling Bosphorus where dolphins sometimes appear, and cafes spill back into sun-warmed pavements. Christians all over the world commemorate Easter during this seasonal reawakening, a festival of resurrection and regeneration. Though Turkey's population is mostly Muslim, […]

Rooftop Farmers of Istanbul: Green Oases Above the Bosphorus
calendar_today Jul 3, 2025 5 min

Rooftop Farmers of Istanbul: Green Oases Above the Bosphorus

Istanbul looks different when you climb a few floors higher. Up here, tomatoes blush beside satellite dishes and basil waves at ferry funnels. Hotel stewards pick herbs minutes before dinner service, and volunteers turn compost with views of minarets. The city’s new farmers have traded wide fields for narrow skylines, proving that soil can thrive […]

Where to Shop in Istanbul: From Grand Bazaar to Local Designers
calendar_today Apr 23, 2025 6 min

Where to Shop in Istanbul: From Grand Bazaar to Local Designers

Shop the Best of Istanbul. Skip the lines and shop till you drop with the Istanbul Tourist Pass! Enjoy access to top attractions and shopping experiences in Istanbul. Get your pass today!

First-Time Istanbul Layover? 5-Hour Itinerary Using the Istanbul Tourist Pass®
calendar_today Nov 24, 2025 6 min

First-Time Istanbul Layover? 5-Hour Itinerary Using the Istanbul Tourist Pass®

If your flight gives you a short window in Istanbul, you can still get a real taste of the city. This istanbul layover itinerary is built for first timers who want an easy route, quick transfers, and zero stress. Follow the steps, keep a safe buffer for airport security, and you will be surprised how […]

Cihangir: Istanbul’s Coolest Corner of Creative Buzz
calendar_today May 9, 2025 9 min

Cihangir: Istanbul’s Coolest Corner of Creative Buzz

Istanbul is a city that never sits still. Ferries criss-cross the Bosphorus, prayers drift from slender minarets, and side streets burst into sudden song. Yet behind all the movement, the city keeps pockets of calm where artists think, cats nap, and conversations spill out of tiny cafés. One of those pockets is Cihangir. 
 
 […]