Where Was Yasak Elma (Forbidden Fruit) Filmed? — Real Istanbul Locations

Yasak Elma (Forbidden Fruit) was filmed almost entirely along the Bosphorus in Istanbul. From season 2, the Argun family's waterfront mansion was the Dadyan Yalısı in Yeniköy on the European shore — a private home you can only see from the water. The party scenes were shot at the Khedive's Palace (Hidiv Kasrı) in Çubuklu on the Asian shore, which is the one major location you can actually walk into: it's now a café and restaurant. Halit Argun's office was filmed in a waterfront building in Kuruçeşme.

The show ran on FOX from 2018 to 2023 — six seasons and 177 episodes — and its distributor reports sales to more than 70 countries, from Chile (Pasión Prohibida) to Hungary (Tiltott gyümölcs). Its world of yalıs, yachts and Bosphorus terraces is real Istanbul, and most of it is easy to reach from Sultanahmet. Here's where everything is, what you can see, and how to get there.

Quick Summary

• Argun family yalı: Dadyan Yalısı (also called Adil Sezer Yalısı), Köybaşı Caddesi, Yeniköy — private, best seen from a Bosphorus boat
• Party scenes: Khedive's Palace (Hidiv Kasrı), Çubuklu — open to the public as a café and restaurant
• Halit's office: a waterfront building in Kuruçeşme, facing the Kuleli building on the Asian shore
• Season 1: Sinan's house in Cihangir; boat scenes at Bebek marina
• Interiors: studio sets, as with nearly every Turkish series
• From Sultanahmet: the European-shore locations start from the T1 tram to Kabataş; the Asian-shore ones from the Eminönü ferry pier, 15 minutes' walk from Hotel Perula

The Argun Mansion — Dadyan Yalısı, Yeniköy

When fans search for "the Yasak Elma house," they mean the Argun family's mansion: the waterfront world where Halit Argun (Talat Bulut), Ender (Şevval Sam) and Yıldız (Eda Ece) fought over money, marriage and the family name. From season 2, that mansion was the Dadyan Yalısı — also known as the Adil Sezer Yalısı — on Köybaşı Caddesi in Yeniköy, a village-like stretch of the European shore in the Sarıyer district. Turkish press later reported that the same yalı was used in another series, Tuzlu Kahve.

Two things to know before you go:

• It's a private residence. There are no tours and no public access. From the coast road you'll mostly see walls and gates — Bosphorus yalıs were built to face the water, not the street.
• The best view is from the Bosphorus. The full-length Bosphorus ferry tour from Eminönü passes the Yeniköy shore, and the façades are exactly what you remember from the screen.

Yeniköy itself is worth an hour: a waterfront promenade, old churches and mansions, and cafés with tables almost on the water. Turkish press reports also place one of the later seasons' mansions — the Kuyucu family's yalı in season 5 — on the same Yeniköy shore, so this is the show's home ground.

Getting there from Sultanahmet: take the T1 tram to Kabataş (about 20 minutes), then any Sarıyer-bound bus along the coast road to Yeniköy — allow around an hour door to door, depending on traffic. An Istanbulkart ride costs 42 TL, so the trip is under €2 each way.

The Khedive's Palace (Hidiv Kasrı) — The Location You Can Walk Into

The glamorous party scenes — starting with the very first episode — were filmed at the Khedive's Palace (Hidiv Kasrı), an Art Nouveau mansion built in the early 20th century for the last Khedive of Egypt, on a wooded hill above Çubuklu on the Asian shore. Later Turkish articles describe it as one of the show's main locations.

Unlike the yalıs, this one is open: the palace now runs as a café, restaurant and reception venue, and its wooded gardens are among the loveliest quiet spots on the Bosphorus. Order a tea on the terrace and you're sitting inside a Yasak Elma set. (The palace is the photo at the top of this page; photo: Türkiye Kültür Portalı.)

Getting there from Sultanahmet: walk to the Eminönü ferry pier (15 minutes), cross to Üsküdar, then take a coastal bus (the 15-series lines) north towards Beykoz and get off at Çubuklu — about 40 minutes on the bus. The palace is a short uphill walk from the coast road. If you're also an Erkenci Kuş fan, Kanlıca — Can's childhood neighbourhood and home of the famous Kanlıca yoghurt — is just south of Çubuklu; our Erkenci Kuş locations guide covers it.

Halit's Office, Bebek Marina and Cihangir

Kuruçeşme — Halit Argun's office. The office scenes were filmed in a waterfront building in Kuruçeşme, between Ortaköy and Arnavutköy on the European shore, looking across the water to the Kuleli building. The building itself isn't named in press reports, but the view is: walk the Kuruçeşme shore and you'll recognise the backdrop. It's on the same coastal bus route as Yeniköy.

Bebek — the boat scenes. Season 1's boat scenes were filmed with the permission of the Bebek marina. Bebek bay is one of the prettiest walks on the Bosphorus, and it's on the way to Yeniköy — stop for coffee on the water.

Cihangir — Sinan's house. In season 1, Sinan's house was filmed in Cihangir, the hilly, bohemian neighbourhood above the Bosphorus in Beyoğlu. Take the T1 tram to Fındıklı and walk up — Cihangir's steep streets, cafés and cats are worth a wander on their own.

If you're budgeting the day, transport and coffee stops add up to very little — our Istanbul costs and prices guide lists current transport and food prices.

Locations Outside Istanbul

A few storylines left the city. According to Turkish press and the series' Turkish Wikipedia entry, episodes were also filmed in Hatay (the Asi riverside and Köprübaşı in Antakya, the Titus Tunnel in Samandağ and Beşikli Cave), in Ağva, a riverside village on the Black Sea coast in Istanbul's far north-east, at Abant lake (episode 128), and in Tuscany, Italy (the end of episode 111). Ağva is the only one that works as a day trip from Istanbul.

A Yasak Elma Day from Sultanahmet

The locations sit on two shores, so the easiest plan is two half-days — or one long day:

• 09:30 — T1 tram to Kabataş, then the coastal bus north
• 10:00 — Kuruçeşme waterfront: Halit's office backdrop, with the Kuleli building across the water
• 10:45 — Bebek: coffee by the marina where the boat scenes were filmed
• 11:45 — Yeniköy: the Dadyan Yalısı shore and a waterfront lunch
• Afternoon — the Asian shore: taxi across the bridge or return to Eminönü, ferry to Üsküdar and take the coastal bus to Çubuklu for tea at the Khedive's Palace, then Kanlıca yoghurt just to the south
• Evening — ferry back from Üsküdar to Eminönü at sunset, 15 minutes' walk from the hotel

Every leg starts from the T1 tram or the Eminönü pier, both a few minutes from our door — the practical argument for staying in the old city. See our rooms, check dates and rates, or read our Turkish series filming locations overview to add The Golden Boy and Kara Sevda to the same trip.

What You Won't Find

• The interiors don't exist. The rooms of the Argun mansion were studio sets.
• No tours of the yalıs. The Dadyan Yalısı and the other Yeniköy mansions are private homes. Look from the promenade or the water, and please don't ring bells or fly drones.
• No official map or plaque. The production never published a full list of locations; what's above comes from Turkish press coverage, so expect a few scenes we couldn't place.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was Yasak Elma filmed?

Almost entirely in Istanbul, along the Bosphorus. The Argun family's mansion was the Dadyan Yalısı in Yeniköy (from season 2), the party scenes were filmed at the Khedive's Palace (Hidiv Kasrı) in Çubuklu, and Halit Argun's office was a waterfront building in Kuruçeşme. Some episodes were also shot in Hatay, Ağva, Abant and Tuscany.

Where is the Yasak Elma house?

The Argun family house is the Dadyan Yalısı, also called the Adil Sezer Yalısı, on Köybaşı Caddesi in Yeniköy, on the European shore of the Bosphorus in Istanbul's Sarıyer district. It's a private residence with no public access; the best view is from a Bosphorus ferry.

Can you visit the Yasak Elma filming locations?

Some of them. The Khedive's Palace in Çubuklu is open as a café and restaurant, and the Yeniköy, Bebek and Kuruçeşme waterfronts are public promenades. The mansions themselves are private homes, and the interiors were studio sets.

What is Yasak Elma called in English and other countries?

In English it's known as Forbidden Fruit. It aired in Hungary as Tiltott gyümölcs, in Chile as Pasión Prohibida and in Mexico as Pecado Original, and its distributor reports sales to more than 70 countries.

How many seasons does Yasak Elma have?

Six seasons and 177 episodes. It aired on FOX in Turkey (since renamed NOW) from March 2018 to June 2023.