What makes a car move? How does a steam engine work? What does the inside of a real submarine look like?

At the Rahmi M. Koç Museum, every corner begins with a new question. Located on the shores of the Golden Horn in Hasköy, the museum invites families to explore the history of transport, industry and communication through an extraordinary collection of objects and machines.

Here, children do not simply look at history from a distance. They encounter it through the vehicles people drove, the trains they travelled on, the machines they built and the inventions that transformed everyday life.

The museum’s collection brings together an impressive variety of objects from land, sea and air. Classic cars stand alongside motorcycles and bicycles, while historic trains, aircraft, boats and industrial machines reveal how technology has evolved over time.

For young visitors, the scale of the collection makes the experience especially memorable. They can stand beside a full-sized aircraft, examine the details of a vintage automobile or discover what life was like aboard a submarine.

One of the museum’s most remarkable exhibits is the TCG Uluçalireis submarine, which offers visitors a glimpse into a world usually hidden beneath the sea. The historic Fenerbahçe Ferry, once used to carry passengers across Istanbul, provides another connection to the city’s transport heritage.

These are not simply machines placed on display. Each one carries the stories of the people who designed, built and used it.

The journey continues through galleries dedicated to railways, maritime history, aviation, scientific instruments and communication.

Children can discover how people sent messages before smartphones, how early engines generated power and how transportation changed as cities grew. Everyday objects from different periods also show how technology gradually entered homes, workplaces and streets.

The museum makes these complex subjects easier to understand by connecting them to real objects. A train becomes a story about travel. An old telephone opens a conversation about communication. A ship becomes a way to explore Istanbul’s centuries-old relationship with the sea.

Set across the historic Lengerhane building, the Hasköy Shipyard and open-air exhibition areas, the museum is itself part of Istanbul’s industrial heritage. The contrast between the old workshops and the machines displayed inside creates an atmosphere of discovery from the moment visitors arrive. The museum has welcomed visitors in Hasköy since 1994. Rahmi M. Koç Museum

Families can explore the collection at their own pace and take part in educational activities designed for different age groups. Depending on the programme and season, the museum also offers workshops, train rides and boat tours on the Golden Horn.

With so much to see, the experience can easily become a half-day family adventure.

The Rahmi M. Koç Museum is a place where children are encouraged to ask how things work, why they were invented and what might come next.

Some may leave dreaming of becoming engineers, pilots or sailors. Others may simply discover a new fascination with cars, trains or the hidden mechanisms inside everyday objects.

Whatever captures their imagination, one thing is certain: at this museum, curiosity is always ready for departure.

Location: Hasköy, Beyoğlu