Fodor's Expert Review Pera Museum

A small private museum housed in a grand 1893 building (the former Bristol Hotel), the Pera showcases diverse exhibits. It's best known, however, for its permanent collection of Orientalist paintings by both European and Ottoman artists from the 17th to 19th century and including panoramas of the city and court life; The Tortoise Trainer by Osman Hamdi Bey—a late-Ottoman painter who also founded the Istanbul Archaeological Museums—is particularly famous. One of the two smaller permanent exhibits focuses on Kütahya ceramics and tiles, the other on the history of Anatolian weights and measures from the Hittite period to the early 20th century. The upper three levels house well-conceived temporary exhibits featuring local and international artists. The museum also runs a regular film program, often featuring international and subtitled selections, in its basement screening room.