The Cat Museum in Istanbul: Worth a Visit - Even if I Got a Bit Full
- Martin
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
As everyone knows, Istanbul is teeming with street cats, but in Beşiktaş, you’ll find a place that has dedicated its entire interior to the four-legged phenomenon:
The Cat Museum. And let’s get one thing straight right away: even though the museum is dedicated to cats, there wasn't a single living cat to be seen indoors when I dropped by. On the other hand, you’ll find plenty of those right outside the front door.
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It actually isn't Istanbul's only cat museum. The city also has another, more art-oriented cat museum near Galata. Kedi Müzesi in Beşiktaş, however, is something completely different – here, it’s all about toys, collectibles, and cats in pop culture.
It's free to enter, surprisingly large, and packed with atmosphere. The exhibition is beautifully laid out across two floors. On the upper floor, you walk around as if you're in a miniature streetscape, stepping into whimsical scenes like Noah’s Ark.
Down in the basement, the vibe shifts, and you’re met with a total explosion of pop culture. Here, display case after display case is filled with vintage toys, comics, and merchandise featuring iconic cats like Garfield, Puss in Boots, ALF, and Tom & Jerry.
I have to admit, the sheer volume of impressions left me feeling completely full. But just when I thought, "Surely this must be the end of it," another room and another experience appeared.
Still, if you have a bit of a geek hidden inside you – the kind who loves tinkering with collectibles, retro toys, and pop culture, with cats as the common denominator – Kedi Müzesi in Beşiktaş is a fantastic stop...
And before I push the museum into too small of a niche corner, which it definitely doesn't deserve, it was also one of those experiences where I quickly forgot to be an adult. It was wonderful to just walk around smiling continuously while getting sucked into the many small display cases and different worlds.
If you read the reviews on Google Maps, you’ll run into quite a few negative comments, but I can't relate to those at all. The museum is an excellent and refreshingly different break on your trip if you’re heading to Beşiktaş anyway. Handily enough, almost all the signs are written in both Turkish and English, so you can easily take it all in.
When you’re done at the Cat Museum, by the way, you don't have to walk far for your next stop. Just 50 meters away – albeit uphill – lies the Istanbul Fire Museum (İBB İtfaiye Müzesi), which is also free to visit. But we’ll save that one for another post.
Practical Info: The Cat Museum in Istanbul (Kedi Müzesi)
Price: Free admission
Address: Yıldız Mah., Asariye Cad. No:2, Beşiktaş
Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 09:00 AM – 05:00 PM (closed on weekends)
Suitable for: Both adults and kids
