İstanbul Sapphire

This place has a mall, Observatory at the very top of the building, wax museum, a play center for young adults, a decent food court, and an residence. This place basically does it all. The view from the observatory at the top is breathtaking I mean you can see all of Istanbul the Seven Hills, the Bosphorus sea, get a good vantage point of airplanes flying above taking the good air can just take some breathtaking photos. Once you’ve had enough of the view which I don’t think can happen soon, you should go inside and get a little bite to eat or do the 4 D simulation ride that’s actually pretty fun or get a picture with a nice background. Like I said the Istanbul Sapphire has a lot of things to do, after taking in the beautiful view you can go downstairs via the fastest elevator ever been in and shop shop shop all you want in what turns out to be actually not a bad mall at all!

You have an amazing view from this skyscraper! The entrance is something around 10 – 15 Lira but it is totally worth it. You can see so far on both the Asian and the European side of the city! There is a cafeteria so you can enjoy a tea while enjoying the view.
There is a mall inside too, but it’s not that good.
CAUTION: When you reached the top with the elevator you already have an amazing view but you are surrounded by glass! There are stairs which lead to the top without any glasses. It is not that obvious, please don’t miss it. Very windy upside;)

Istanbul Sapphire has an incredible 360 degree view of the entire city. The observatory is surrounded by glass which can be a little smudged especially when taking pictures during the evening. They have an average café but the view is what really counts.
Advice, try to go 40min before sunset so you can enjoy the view while there’s some light. Hint: go up the stairs to the roof top, a little windy, but feels different without the 360 glass.

I’m sorry but why pay 18TL/​person for a view from an incredibly windy and terrifying terrace (no ceiling, very peculiar and made it very, very cold), when you can go to lovely outdoor areas with comparable views for free, such as Camlica Hill or Eyup?
We went with my boyfriend and his uncle & dad, and I think they wanted to because it has the kitsch and tourist appeal for people who don’t know much about Istanbul. Highest building! Sounds cool but the experience, overall, was not. I really was expecting something else. I mention this in a lot of reviews but again, places like this that don’t serve alcohol just piss me off. It must be owned by Arabs.
Screw the building and go for Camlica Hill instead, it’s very romantic and beautiful, especially on weekdays.
The shopping center at the bottom of this building is also dreadful. Please save your money and don’t bother with the Sapphire! :)

— highest building in Turkey (66 floors, 236m)
— you can get there easily by metro (from Taksim to Levent)
— luxury shopping mall
— great view from Black Sea to Maramara Sea, historic Istanbul, Bosphorus, etc.
— ticket price for observatory deck: 18 TL; 28 TL incl. Sky Ride 4D (tickets are available online, too)
— Sky Ride 4D is a 4D helicopter shoopting across Istanbul; it is a real experience addressing one‘s senses with wing, rain and touching effects; it is okay, but not too exciting (in my opinion it makes only sense when you already know Istanbul better because otherwise you would not recognize all the spots shown in the 4D ride)
It is highly recommended to visit the observatory deck! Great view!