Santa Sofía Reviews

It s awesome, especially for tourists, it s full of culture and awesome architecture.

Magnificent historical place. I wish the government or so would have taken more care of what is the bridge between cultures and religions

Really spectacular sight, worth dealing with the crowds. Unfortunately they are Doing restoration work so there is currently a large scaffold inside. Still a must see.

Aya Sophia / Hagia Sophia is a former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal basilica, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey.
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Not to be missed! If you have the museum card pass you can skip the line and don't have to wait. The Hagia Sophia is a treasure with gorgeous mosaics. You can easily spend two hours here just walking around and looking at all the beauty here. There are no stairs to the second storey gallery but an old ramp, so it's suitable for wheelchairs as well.

Went to Hagia Sophia in 2012 and was one of the most memorable experiences in my life.
What a friendly people. Great food. You can eat and eat and eat to your hearts delight.
And and and not only that. All the Turkish delight you can imagine.
If you want to witness rich culture? Take a trip to Istanbul and see the sites there.

amazingly beautiful, even in its sacked and converted state. the juxtaposition of two religions is awkward.

One of the world's most beautiful interiors. Don't miss it!

Too little to see for the price of the ticket due to maintenance

A majestic Christian temple repainted in a mosque. The largest religious palace in Istanbul

I recommend you to visit this place but don't go by your car. There is no parking

Just the fact that this building is still standing makes it worthy of five stars. Everything else (and there is lots) is a bonus! Just dripping with history.

very nice andA wonderful place in which we have the cheerful and passionate to recognize this nursing civilization and the most important of its Islamic states at the time

One of the palaces that l wanted to see and it was worth it. Single admission at the entrance coast 60TL. Wheelchair access. Free WC. Refreshments at cafe.
FYI there is construction underway inside..part of the interior has scaffold.
No cover ups for women needed.

This museum is absolutely amazing. There is so much history from both of its time as a church and a mosque. This place is very busy and it helps to get tickets ahead of time. Definitely give yourself more than an hour to walk around and see it all.

Very small place with lack of traditional attractive valuables.
The time we spend to get in was exceeding the time we spend inside.
The value of tickets for money was definitely not worth it.
Save your money and enjoy the outer view of the building

Everybody who is visiting stanbul hast to go there.

Amazing byzantine church converted into a mosque by ottomans

A must see in Istanbul. It represents so much to the city and to Turkey

The monument though wonderful, portions of it were covered for restoration. Recommended to take a human guide. Audio guide was not easy to follow

Amazing experience, though restoration work is being done and you can't really see 100% of it but even then it worth the visit. Don't forget to buy the full museums' pass as that's really a good value for money and you can see a lot.
Please learn a bit of Turkish before you actually go there as it's the main barrier and you may feel frustrated at times.

Hagia sophia is one of the greatest places i have been in my life and one of the most beautiful mosques in the world.

What an outstanding experience . I felt like a Sultan walking around Hagia Sophia . The rich Islamic and Christianity miniatures and designs added to its beauty.

Good historical place for those who love culture and history. 1 person visit is 40 LT.

Just okay at least for me. An ancient church that becomes a mosque and than a museum. It was under construction and have not so much things to see. In I guess you can spend money at another place!

stunning.
don't get discouraged by the long queue for the tickets, it's worth the wait.

A landmark where you can find the history of Byzantine and Ottoman Empire in one place. One of the most favourite and top ranked tourist visited landmark in Istanbul Old City.

Allah Al-mighty. We were bless to be able to visit the place

Historical place. The building that survived over centuries.

MUST MUST VISIT THIS PLACE. One of the greatest most famous places to visit in Istanbul. I visited it twice and still would visit it again if I visited Istanbul again. It's better if you read about the place first or visit it with a tour guide to explain everything thing and how the place changed from a church to a mosque and then a museum.

A historical structure that combines two great and huge cultures.. It was built as a church in the beginning then it was converted into a mosque (Camii). After that it was converted again into a museum for tourists to visit.
Note: Price for entrance is 40 TRY
Tip: to skip the long queue get the tickets online

Good place to visit , mixed culture in one place , civil work to maintain the drawing from inside , well organized place, provided with big screen in a corner with many videos gives reach information about it , audio guide is very useful with many languages .

The Hagia Sophia is an absolutely beautiful piece of architecture. This is a busy tourist spot and took us two tries to get in, as the lines were too long the first time. Going early in the morning is recommended.

Beautiful historic building, interior and exterior is incredible. It's such a peaceful and calming place; definitely worth a visit.

Superb history, architecture, lighting! And mosaics. Absolutely loved this incredible building.

Wonderful place. Try to visit it when it's not so much people there. Otherwise there will be a long line outside.

When the history become real and the west meet the east. This place can show you everything. Before we reach the exit door, we could find handcraft store who sold books, etc.

One of the most significant sites you can visit while in Istanbul. The history alone is fantastic and the site is beautiful.

An amazing construction with beautiful interior. A must see for al interested in History.

Very beautiful .... every one should be visit.
Wonderful.

So much history in one building and it is worthwhile getting a guide to both skip the queues and just have the full experience

Beautiful

The grandeur is the most stunning part from the inside.

Great monument to visit. Take the guided tour on GetYourGuide website/app and you won't regret it. We went with 10 month old baby and a stroller and had no problem.

we went here in December 2019, what a great experience. looking forward to come here again

Splendid visit. It was a church, then a mosque and today a museum. It keeps the gold from the time of the construction in its walls. A must if you are in Istanbul in the old city.

Wow. A actual phenomenon to be here. Breathtaking. Pass by

Grand building, nice architecture, full of historical values... Very impressive building

Sweet baby Jesus. Been wanting to say it with some manner of substance and finally got to do it here. 100 points to your house if you get to spot baby Jesus. I'd want to say that i get the architecture or history but i dont. I was fascinated by the mosaic but got distracted by a cat who decided to rest at the Minbar.

Amazing experience inside this building, it s unbelievable that mankind can make this!!!!

The most expensive mosque that I visited whilst in Istanbul which still charged full price despite the extensive renovation work going on in the main atrium. There is plenty to see with many religious relics from the middle ages, there really is a whole host to see. Be wary of long queues for the manned ticket booth. There was a much shorter queue for the automatic ticket booth.

Nice museum.
Great artwork inside.
You can feel the meaning of conquer and domination and also The history of turkey under one roof.

Dont forget to purchase the "Pass Card".
It has the benefit of visiting all historical places with one ticket, no ticket line and also so cheaper within five days.

Enjoy

One of the most important monuments of Constantinopoli-Istanbul (greek words ... is tin poli = towards the city). The greek and roman cristian tradition united gave birth to the greek tradition of Byzantium. The byzantine emperor Giustinian build the church after the 532 ac rivolt of Nika. The cristian church of Ayasofia (greek words= Gods wisdom) turned in mosque after the ottoman occupation of the city in 1453 and now museum. Its a miracle to see.... 1500 years stands there....

It beautiful shows the transition from one religion to another.

This former Bizantine church and Ottoman mosque is amazing! Such an extraordinary feat of engineering! It still has some Bizantine mosaics.

The grandeur, splendour and richness of world history - the shift of power and dynasties... all encapsulated by a single monument... Hagia Sophia is truly a history in itself

Absolutely gorgeous. Get a museums pass at the archaeological museum and skip the queue .

Very nice museum, it s not free for everyone and no student discount you need to pay 60

I can't add more than what is already known about it. I think it is one of the most famous historical place of the world.

Lovely place to visit, just wish the entrance fee and queues were smaller