This one is not easy to get to, being on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, just north of the giant Bosphorus Bridge. Nevertheless, the Beylerbeyi Palace is often included in organised bus tours, so you may find yourself visiting it.

The palace is a 19th-Century building intended as a Summer Palace for the Sultans. They would use it as a base for hunting expeditions - at the time, the city had not spread to the Asian side and the palace was surrounded by woodland. The style of decoration is known as 'Eclectic', which basically means a mishmash of anything from Europe or the Middle East which was popular, so you will find Syrian marquetry cabinets sitting beside French gilded Rococo tables.

The most outstanding feature of the palace is the main reception room, which features a huge pool in the middle. This would not have been used for swimming, but to cool the air in the hot summers.

Three things that you won't find in the Berlerbeyi Palace give some clue to the way the Ottoman Sultans operated:

• Heating - the Palace was only used in the Summer so there was no need for any fireplaces or other sources of heat.
• Servants' Bedrooms - the servants kept bedding in giant wardrobes in one of the corridors. They would bring this out and sleep on the floor after the Sultan and his guests had gone to bed, and would be expected to be up and about before the master arose in the morning.
• Kitchens - the palace is only a couple of miles from the main Sultan's Palace of the day, the Dolmabahçe. The food was cooked there and brought across the Bosphorus by boat for each meal.

The palace is built right beside the Bosphorus, so the front bedrooms all had a lovely view of the flowing water right outside their windows. The gardens of the palace feature two elaborate bathing pavilions, one for the men and the other for the women. These resembles tents.

The Beylerbeyi Palace is not easily accessible via public transport and is best seen as part of a guided tour. Visiting time: 1 hour.