Santa Sofía Review

Must see if you are visiting Istanbul. Originally a christian orthodox church that was somewhat converted to a mosque and now a museum. Some of the mosaics are visible

Still only 4 stars because of the never ending renovations. But the place itself is magical

You must visit here at least once in your life. A guided tour us well worth the investment.

It is an ancient church and now it is a museum, very nice place to visit especially by christians.

It's an amazing old bookshop! A "must do" visit for anyone interested in photography while in Cairo.

The Museum is the identity of Turkey. Must visit, but do take a GUIDE with you, without it ...it will be just a building to whom you are talking. And yup, try lining up little early to not to be in que. It's 72 TL.

Amazing, a must-see... Some parts under restoration

Impressive building with an interesting history as it transitioned from church to mosque and then to a museum. You get to see details from each of those periods and you can also see a documentary giving an overview of its history. Taking photos inside is allowed.

The place is magnificent... it has it own charm ... strongly recommend to visit ... a piece of talking history ...

I had chills when I visited this place .
You find a mix of tow religions at the same spot .
One of the human wonders . It was my favourite place in Istanbul.

Absolutely amazing and a must see we walked across from the Blue Mosque the gardens that surround these areas are just amazing and definitely worth some of your time to just take photos and enjoy. There is a book shop and coffee shop just outside the entrance so that was a bonus to sit and enjoy a coffee in the morning sunshine after another history lesson in the Hagia Sophia.
Once inside you can really see the ancient history in this building it is just amazing we had a tour guide and the history that goes with all these buildings are amazing and it was worth the money having a guide for the day to go through all the history of all the Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern and Hagia Spohia but you will need a whole day as there is so much to see and take in but we did manage to squeeze in the Grand Bazaar as well.

Two religion holy place its rare.. & i think, this beautiful place mast visit.

A masterpiece of architecture and its famous huge dome. Just awesome...

Magnificent and amazing, every inch of it filled with history

It's one of the best place that I ever visited. You can feel the vibration of the place and the feeling of the love and the compassion which bring the solidarity of the whole humanity together in living peacefully and united regardless your religious orientation.
See Hagia Sophia before anything else.

History and Architecture of this place will amaze you undoubtedly.

Once a Mosque now a museum, across a huge plaza/ park area where there are dozens of small carts selling delicious snacks and local tidbits, including corn on the cob and roasted chestnuts, and thousands of people going to and fro. The area was policed but the police were always in the background, not patrolling around but always vigilant and watching. Beware of people approaching asking if you have a minute! They are paid by carpet store owners to get you into their shops. One you show interest or, being polite, you stop and listen to the spiel, once they get your attention you re done for. Be polite and say No thank you and walk away, quickly lol. As always, men keep your wallet in your front pocket with your hand in on top of it. The pick pockets in ANY country, love Americans on vacation. Cash loaded, in your back pocket you are an easy mark. Ladies, carry your Bag/purse over your shoulder and ALWAYS have you re hand holding the strap and your elbow tucked in at the back where strap meets the purse, with the zipper closed. NEVER leave the zipper open, it s an invite!!

A lot of history in there. And you see how who ruled Istanbul manipulated people o. Different religions. !

This Mosque i learned history of Cristianism and Islam.

5 stars only because this is the place that you MUST Go.
dont expect to see anything much. Its destroyed from the islamic invacion

Must go and see place in Istanbul. If staying for more than 1-2 days - purchase Museum Pass for 125 TL - to visit more landmarks without standing in a queue

You won't understand why you'll feel the holly spirit present in Hagia Sofia Church even though you will notice only few remaining signs that it is a Church, the Islamic signs are way bigger and more exposed, even more concentrated than inside the Big Mosque that is facing the Church (knowing that those signs are the biggest Islamic signs in the world - i just knew cause i read a lot about Hagia Sofia after I visited).
The Icons of Jesus Christ on the second floor and the Icon of Virgin Mary would definitely gives you a good idea of what a treasure this Church is and the inspiring architecture of the Constantinople.
It is highly recommended to visit, no doubt it is the number one attraction in Turkey. Sadly it is not for free, i wonder why the Church does not maintain it and open it for free.

Visited June 2016

Really nice museum / mosque
You can see how transformation is taking place
Biblical figures are being covered over by lehve in non intrusive way

You have to see it, unbelievable place with tones of history

A masterpiece of the Byzantine era, with superb confluence of Christian and Islamic art form. The interiors are brilliantly done

Really like it
Go early in the morning because of the lobg queue...

Amazingly beautiful! We had a guide which meant we got to bypass the line and get in much quicker and for a cheaper price.

Memorable visit and awesome experience visiting this place!

Fascinating piece of heritage ,Turks are looking after very well.

One of the greatest remains of Byzantine empire. You feel the majestic architecture when you enter inside Hagia Sophia. The main hall is so large with beautiful religious icons on the ceiling and walls. I hope it ll be fully renovated soon.

A beautiful historic building that is a sight to behold and rich with history.

Without going here , you can't finish istanbul trip

Historical, faith renew, looking forward by learning how the Saints put their lives for the cause of faith

One of the must-go places in Istanbul; grand place! I wish the restoration progress was faster

So beautiful and interesting, I recommend getting the audio tour.

Great experience. Hopefully it will stay open for turists.

Nice and helpful staff. Beautiful historical site. Byzantine and Ottoman history here.

Hagia Sophia is an amazing place, I loved the interior.

Beautiful decorations inside! Audio guide is available. Don t forget to make a wish while inside:)

A must visit and soak in the sprirt of unity and peace where Christ and Mohammad co-exist.

Tha architecture was amazing. They could have done a more better job in preserving the paintings.... and ot has got an amazing view from the first floor where you can see other mosques. Just a thing , before buying multiple museum tickets check if the other museums or open or not.

Incredible, obviously. Dress sensibly and be respectful.

Amazing experience full of history and amazing architecture

Amazing time to spend.. the history is heavy and filled with wonderful moments

One of the best architectural success of Roman Empire. Must see place

One of the must visit places in Istanbul, the Museum was first a church and then transformed into Mosque and later into a Museum, when transformed to a Mosque all christian marks were hidden by a layer of polyester, however they eventually removed the layer and now you can see a church and a mosque combined in the same place.

It's a historical masjed. Not a lot to see, just walls with wholly names and carving. I didn't enjoy. Quite expensive . Ticket for kids the same as adults 72 TL

An amazing mix of Christianity and Islam; and a worth sharing story of tolerance. Visited with Travel Agents of Congo by Turkish Airlines in Nov 2013.

A beautiful old building, rich in history. Make sure to allow plenty of time for your visit, queues can be quite long, but Hagia Sofia us well worth the wait!

Mosque/Church/Mosque
Kept on changing from mosque to church in different era.

Beautiful Place.. a definite must see when visiting Istanbul.

Great to finally visit this historical monument. Best to go when it's not too crowded. The grounds are also very pretty. Getting an audio guide costs 30 lira.

A little overrated for what it is, nothing too amazing, perhaps it would be worth if it was cheaper.

Spent almost 2 hours in here.. Aside from the Reno works. It was an amazing place to visit! A must do...

Historic. Reminded me of Lahore fort and baadshahi musjid

Historical museum which was church and converted to mosque, inside we can see the both symbol from both religion

Beautiful sacred place. Amazing loved it. Def worth a visit

It was an old church and then it became a mosque and now it's a museum

Insanely crowded. If you like waiting in 40 degrees weather, this is the place for you.