Istanbul: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern Tour
Description
Meet your guide in the heart of the Old City for a stress-free tour of 3 of Istanbul's most emblematic landmarks. Step inside the Blue Mosque to admire its architecture and renowned blue Iznik tiles while learning about Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, Islam, and Istanbul's rich history. Next, at the Basilica Cistern, skip the ticket lines and uncover the subterranean marvels beneath Istanbul's streets. Wander through the ancient water cistern and see its impressive architecture and the Medusa heads from Greek mythology. Then explore Istanbul's Old City, seeing treasures such as the Million Stone and the Hippodrome, once the social and sporting center of Constantinople. Admire the exterior of Hagia Sophia and gain fascinating insights into this iconic landmark. Before concluding the tour, your guide will provide skip-the-line tickets and an audio guide for Hagia Sophia, allowing you to explore its interior at your own pace.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Step into the majestic Blue Mosque and be mesmerized by its stunning architecture and the dazzling blue Iznik tiles that adorn its interior. Discover the fascinating blend of Byzantine and Ottoman heritage as you delve into the rich tapestry of Islam and Istanbul's captivating history. Explore a world where art, culture, and faith intertwine to create an unforgettable experience.
Currently, guides are not permitted inside the Hagia Sophia. However, you will learn about its history from your guide outside the building. Afterward, you can enter with your ticket and explore using the included audio guide app.
The included tickets allow you to skip the ticket line of both Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern, but it is not possible to skip the security line. The security line at Hagia Sophia can take up to 60 minutes in high season. The security check at Basilica Cistern can take up to 30 minutes. ***Urgent Information The Basilica Cistern may undergo renovations after April 24. In such a case, your guided visit will be conducted at either the Theodosius Cistern or the 1001 Columns Cistern.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Reservation work is ongoing inside and outside Hagia Sophia.
Reviews(12)
I took 2 tours with Katalay. The Istanbul: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern Tour, and a private tour of the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Irene, and Harem. I will describe both: For starters don't bother using 3rd party aggregators, booking directly with Katalay is a breeze, and you get personalized service over WhatsApp. The first tour I did was a the private tour, the guide: Duygu is AWESOME! she knows her stuff, and is an archeologist by training, so she is passionate about the subject. The tour was amazing, we learned a lot, and got to see pretty much everything. Two days later I took the group tour with Michael. He is a great tour guide, knowledgeable, patient and funny. I had a great experience with Katalay, and would strongly recommend them.
Very good guide but have taken only rated it 4 stars as we had a huge group of 50 people which is too many.
A scam!!! The guided tour in Spanish consists of scanning a free QR code for any tourist and following an explanation posted on the internet!!! We did not have internet on our mobiles, so we could not make it!! We also did not provide helmets!!!! A total disaster!!! Money thrown away!!! SCAM!!
The tour is a must do. Don't miss the Bacilica Cistern. It's underground and hidden. This tour includes it. Our guide was easy and knowledgeable.
Our experience was dire, we bought a guided tour in Istanbul for three people, we expressly requested it is Spanish and our surprise when we arrived was in English. The guide was not at all empathetic, we went with my 80-year-old mother so it was very disappointing to buy a 327-euro activity and not be able to take advantage of it. At no time were we given any choice. I do not recommend this Enterprise at all when you need a Spanish tour. We had to hire another Enterprise and there is no comparison everything was eager to help and teach the city. We feel scammed
Great way to see several popular locations with someone who can fill you in on all of the history. I also loved that tickets were included and we got to skip the lines. Definitely recommend!
It’s possible to see these sites on your own but with this guided tour you hear stories and can appreciate the sites more. Easy 24 hour cancellation is good too (we had to reschedule due to flight issues). Just a heads up- it will take close to 4 hours!
The tour was very informative...our guild was excellent....the sisturns were easily my favorite part....my 1 complaint would be the order in which we did the tour....we started out near the Blue mosque and walked over to the sisturns then back to the Blue mosque, then back to hagia Sophia which is back near the sisturns. When it is HOT 🔥, why the back and forth...I had nothing left when we got to hagia sophia.
We really enjoyed the informative Mehmet, he was warm and welcoming with really good knowledge of the blue mosque, Sophia and the Cistern. His English is good and he kept the group engaged. It’s worth the money if you don’t want to wait in long lines to buy tickets and want to know more than just looking.
This was an excellent experience. The guide was very useful and knowledgeable, the pick up location was excellent. The guide took us through the various spots on our tour with lots of interesting information and answered all our questions. Highly recommended
