Santa Sofía

A beautiful museum with mesmerizing art.
A historical place as it covers both Muslim and Christian history. It was a joy to see cross and crescent at the same place. The marks of both a church and Mosque were preserved. There was construction going on which made the view little confined.
Apart from that all was wonderful
It is situated at such a place where many other landmarks can be accessed easily.

We couldn't get enough of this place, it's simply stunning. Everytime we saw it, it felt like the first time. It should be experienced both during the day and at night because it lights up really nicely and so does the fountain in the plaza between it and the Blue Mosque.

The best site to visit in Istanbul. I think the Hagia Sophia as a structure represents the beauty, history, and complexity of Istanbul as a whole. The interior is very beautiful and anyone visiting Istanbul must make visiting this museum/building a must.

Absolutely horrible the cost!! Religious buildings should always be free. Take a picture from outside and move on

It's a nice historical place with a nice park where you could learn more about the Ottoman Empire and about the Islamic culture while you will get to see the Islamic art and decorating. There is a lot of historical places surrounding it that you MUST see like the Blue mosque, Basilica Cistern and The Topkap Palace and Park.

We visited in November'19 and there was renovation going on due to which half of the mosque was hidden. Make sure you enquire beforehand to avoid having to pay full fee and not being able to see the entire mosque. For us this was anyway covered in the turkey museum pass.

Must visit no matter your religion.Take a tour guide or educate yourself about it to begin to appreciate this marvel of architecture!

Stunning , it s definitely worth it , amazing piece of art architecture and full of history .

amazing recommend to be the by 9 o clock, to avoid the long line , and to get the museum pass , to avoid the line of tickets , and get access to 22 museum in istanbul , its cost about 220 lera

This place is so old it used to be a church and after that a mosk but now it is a musium.

Spent longer in the queue than the 'museum'. There's hardly any information given, maybe if you buy the audio guide or the book but it's already expensive enough. There was a friendly ugly cat inside though, extra star for him.

Authentic historical place reflecting many cultures and religions in on spot

Breathtaking.
A must see at least once in a lifetime.
Take your time and don't rush.
Don't bother with a tour guide or those translation headsets.
Almost everything is labeled in English.

There was a long queue to enter this world-famous heritage site. Once I got in, I was disappointed with the amount of scaffolding inside the famous hall. Mind you, it was built in 500AD and the old lady needs maintenance. It was simply breath taking. The size of the hall and the beauty = the ornate images on the wall the glass panes. Words cannot simply describe. You have to visit this great monument, preferably after the renovation. Who knows when it will be completed?

Very interesting and beautiful place. A must visit when in Turkey

All are very nice and true things are available and valuable

Amazing to understand the history and the atmosphere is beautiful.

Hope the Hagia Sophia remains a museum and tourists continue to get the chance to see the stunning architecture / dome.
Costs 60TL for a ticket. Highlight of Istanbul.

The entrance fee is a problem specially when you are a student otherwise it is just a pleasant experience while you can get the inner view and meet with history

church - mosque - museum.... Nice to enjoy.
one of the most visited museums and most prominent monuments in terms of art and the history of architecture.

Tremendous historical sight. It's a pity Turkish authorities decided to turn it back to mosque, because it still doesn't look or feel like a true mosque, though many of mosaics are now covered and women are not allowed to the main part. Still 100% worth visiting and strictly guarded by the state, which is good

Great n awesome ancient building. Have a giant and spectaculer dome, an amazing architecure & civil contsruction.
Built in 537 AD by Byzantine as church/ cathedral. Later be a mosque during Ottoman empire. And to be museum nowadays.
The entrance fee is 60 lyra (10 euro).
Good place to visit to get wonderful design

The only holy place where you can see both Christian and Muslim symbols. Very safe, security check at the entrance

Simply stunning. An amazing place that continuously takes your breath away.

Hagia Sophia. Great spectacle, very unique, recommended for sightseeing. Good place to take loads of pictures. Only neg is a lot of areas were closes for reconstruction purposes but nonetheless it is a must go to. Around 10 to get in and 10min que waiting time.

Superb museum, architecture and history all at once.

This is a truly special place. You can actually touch history. Every wall in Hagia Sophia speak to you about a magnificent past. I loved this museum and also Istanbul. I will be going back asap.

Ist's poor From the islamic Side to try Overtake an in Origin Christian church to an Mosche, because it will still have Christian athmosphare

Under construction...like most museums in Istanbul at the moment. Probably will be for years to come. Which means you won't see the side corridors... only the entrance area (first room)..the main church congregation area (second room). Still worth the trip however..

Iconic mosque in the centre of Istanbul. Breathtaking.

Build in 537. Served as a place of worship for the Romans Empire, then the Osman Empire (Ottoman). Now a great museum. Amazing history and plus Dan Browns written about it in Inferno.

Magnificent place. Nice people. I will come again as soon as possible.

Very nice to visit, for me this place is a very significant and great cultural asset.

Hagia Sophia is a beautiful piece of art and It has an amazing structure with amazing interior paintings with gold. There is a long queue always and you must have a head cover or umbrella for sun.
Nice place, very much crowded but well managed. People love to spend time here and I found the place very neat and clean.

Located in a prime spot in old Istanbul city. Has many tourist attractions in the vicinity like Blue Mosque and Cistern Basilica, nearby distance.

Entry charge is 40 Lira. One can visit the upper floors of the museum also. It's a unique experience in whole life to witness this. One can invest in the audio guide which gave short informative summaries. The sheer size, design and colour plus the age of what you are seeing is awesome.

Recently, announced it's converted to a mosque.

What a wonderful experience visiting this beautiful gem. Masha Allah,

Crowded, but a must see.

I would budget at least two hours if you enjoy reading information throughout.

We didn't have a guide and felt information loaded by the time we left. If your not on a budget, then I'm sure there are details we missed that a guide would be able to tell you.

Very nice
Incredible stories
You need guide or at least audio guide
There
Nice architecture
Long waiting time

Must visit if you are interested

Amazing Energy & unbelievable place. Long queue to reach but worth it.

Impressive history to go through in one place. It was nice to visit with a tour guide which made it more interactive.

Simply amazing... A must see for anyone remotely interested in history, religion and art!

Truly unbelievable experience especially in the context of the background history

The question is whether to give this attraction one star or five. As the location of one of the first churches constructed after the conversion of Constantine, this is a magnificent historical site containing a glorious edifice, well worth taking the time to see. As a Christian church converted first into a mosque after the Ottoman triumph over Constantinople in the late 1400s, and then a museum as a vestige of Ataturk's secular ideal in the 1900s, this storied building today is little more than a memorial to Turkey's abhorrence of its Christian and Byzantine roots.

Next door the Blue Mosque charges no entrance fee even as it remains an active mosque. But the Ottomans did their best to erase every Christian influence and symbol from Hagia Sophia. In spite of a few wall and roof sections where Ottoman plaster has fallen away revealing the underlying Christian mosaics, Hagia Sophia remains a Muslim building.

It's ironic that the Turkish government forbids taking pictures of the Christian mosaics today, claiming a desire to protect them, when predecessor governments did everything they could with hammer, chisel and plaster to erase the very mosaics that today they forbid taking photographs of to "protect."

This building, originally constructed by Constantine (or perhaps Constantius II) was rebuilt following riots and fire in 540 by Emperor Justinian. It's a stunning example of Byzantine architecture that remained the largest church in Christendom for nearly a millennia.

Today it's little different from many of the other cathedrals of Europe which have been turned into museums by secular governments--with, of course, the additional indignity if a layer of Islam covering its Christian roots.

Visit it if you enjoy the sites of past glories. For a Christian, there's none there today.

Ensure you take a guide along while exploring the historic highlight of the city - Aya Sofia. Church to Mosque to Museum, this historic building has a lot of story to tell. Truly a must visit.

An amazing place rich in history with amazing decoration and majestic architecture. Witness to the transformation the place has witnessed over the centuries. Not to be missed when in Istanbul.

Its a sight to behold! It was lovely. The historic blend of two religions that peacefully draws both its people to this place is wonderful. Went in as students. You can avoid getting stuck in the strikingly long line by getting museum cards from the Turkish and Islamic Arts museum. Which i also recommend you visit

Unmissable. Amazing in every sense. Saw it in late December and there wasn't a significant crowd. Paid a guide near the entrance who gave a very good account of the site's history and also pointed out where to get some good photos from.

A great musem where you can see a mixture between the islmic culture and Orthodox culture.

There is extensive renovation work, but it did not diminish the grandeur of the building. Currently neither a cathedral nor a mosque, but monument to awe ingenuity.

For now most of the old christian pictures are destroyed or hidden under banners. Territory of important sights and upper floors are closed now.

A little bit disappointing, because it was under reconstruction. To see all the main historical places of Istanbul, I recommend to buy Istanbul museum card.

Beautiful...
but I was shocked that the turkey wants to make the Hagia Sophia to a mosque again... since a couple of years there are Koran readings in the Hagia Sophia.

turkey best country ever, ottamen so strong. turky has nices buildings, thank god italians left the gate open

A must if you are visiting Istanbul. Beautiful architecture.

I purchased Istanbul Welcome Card (Premium) a day prior my arrival to Istanbul. They delivered the card to the hotel I booked in. It was fast transaction. My first tour was I'm Hagia Sophia. My tour guide is a lady. Her name is Ezge in Turkish or Melody in English. She was so fluent in English and very accomodating. The mosaic of Jesus and 2 emperor Justine and Constantine is so heart warming. I felt the holiness and the history just by looking at them. Further, the Holy Calligraphy of Allah Mohamed Ali Hassan and more are the biggest in the world. Thank you Melody and Istanbul Welcome Card. I went on solo travel so next time I will bring my family and friends and buy the same. Your services are beyond expectations.

The tickets line is so long and too slow, it could take you 20 minutes standing on the window to get served your tickets

Great place depicting both Christian and Muslim culture.

Wonderful, amazing, totally worth it. Incredible history. Mind blown in so many ways. Nice and cool inside so great to get out of the sun. Worth it for grown ups, not so amazing for kids.