Santa Sofía Reviews

Brilliant place to see convergence of history which was much more respectful to religions, beliefs and ideals of people... a mammoth of an architect standing without pillars.. astonishing beyond description.

The architecture and paintings are welcome preserved and intricate. However, it is very crowded so keep your items close.

Remarkable place. A must visit. You walk into a church that was restructured into a mosque yet you still see all architectural items related to the old church. If you are visiting Istanbul, this is a must visit. Buy your ticket (you have the choice to buy the museum pass valid for 5 days and will be cheaper for you if you are planning to visit 3 or more museums). Get the audio guide to understand more about the history of the place.

If you are interested in history this is a must visit.

Its very impressive, a must see if you visit Istanbul!

Amazing place considering it was built 500 AD. Wish the scaffolding would be removed. Heard it s been there for years with not a lot of work being done on the inside.

I would recommend finding a tour guide so they can walk you through it usually you can nogitiate with them typically it's 30 to 50 per person in Turkish lira.

Beautiful structure with a lot of history and tranquility

Amazing view, just make sure when u go its open so u can experience it from the inside

A wonderful place. A place of interest for all celestial religions.

Amazing place, I am lost for words. The beauty and grandeur of the place is unparalleled.

I was stunned by the grandeur of this place. A Church converted to a Mosque and now surviving as a museum. But the most impressive thing is respect of Christian faith and relics in at the site. It was amazing

How many mosques have the non Muslims kept like this in other countries

This place really is amazing with rich history 1,500 year's of it

It s about 60 liras to enter but still a must visit and walking distance to the Blue Mosque and that is free to enter. Do not forget to visit the second level inside

Amazing place. Playground for history and politics. It is grand and mystical.

I am a bit overdue with my review, because my trip to Istanbul was in March, but I still feel the need to tell about the great museum/ church and mosque all in one, that this amazing building represents! As the typical tourists visiting Istanbul, we wanted to see all the sights possible for the spam of time we were there and this was one of the mandatory places on our check list, due to the amazing bridge between cultures it is! There is an entrance fee of 25 TYL, that is totally worth paying, giving the fact of what you will see! This is a MUST see place!!! The mosaics, marbles and frescoes, remaining back from its building are unforgettable!

It was my childhood dream to come here. Finally it came true. It just jumped out my imagination that I had built from all those images in my history book. The scale, the intricacy and sheer presence of layered time makes Hagi Sofia what it is. Though I wish there was no renovation and no places covered for it, what I saw was magnificent achievements in architecture, arts and crafts. This is what humanity is made of- will power and grit to build. Loved this place. Today is Prophet Muhammed's birthday; I am lucky to visit the greatness of Istanbul on such a day. Pray to God so that I could come back here and bow to this amazing piece of history sculpted in stone.

Beautiful church/mosque that's now a museum. A must see while in the city.

Great place but the reconstruction ruined the view. Maybe you could wait till December maybe when the number of tourists is less.

This is a must visit place in Istanbul. The building inside and outside has so much history that needs to be experienced by everyone.

Very impressive Cathedral. Don't forget to go upstairs to see the new discovered icons.

If you like to see centuries of history come together then this is a place for you to visit. Unfortunately, this building is very poorly maintained and the artifacts are not in presentable condition. The entrance fee is 60 TL, and the line for visitors is very long. I was disappointed to see parts of this building in very poorly maintained with cat urine and feces in many places. I understand that they must be renovating but it could still be kept maintained during renovation. It doesn't look anything like what it is in pictures. Same goes for blue mosque.

Amazing world class heritage! Worth a visit when you are in Istanbul

Hagia Sophia was originally a basilica constructed by the Justinian I. Afterwards, it was destroyed and looted by the Crusaders in 1204 but became a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul in the 15th century. The mosque was converted into a museum in 1935. In this unique museum, you can see many original and one of its kind mosaics with a beautiful caring too. In this very place, many mysteries lie ahead.

I wish that I could rate with more stars , any one visiting Istanbul should read the history of Agia Sofia before or after visiting

A must visit place. You can learn a lot for the history on the walls

A great historical place to visit and enjoy.. There is a museum pass for 5 days for 185 Turkish lira buy it and use it for this 0lace and other places too...there are guides outside the place that can get you inside faster...

This is a must place visit during your teacels to istanbul.
The architecture is outstanding and so is the historical artifacts inside.

If you know the history about hagia sophia, it'll be great. If not, its just a piece of achitecture

It's for sure deserve the visit but I did not like smoking inside it and in the small Cafe, better to design smoking areas

Nothing to write here in few words , come and see the history starting from Roman Empire

It's a holy place, I respect that.
But scenery wise, it aint that much and is not worth the entry fees.
Does not look any different than other churches.

Top place in Istanbul. Great architecture. Wondering how they build these architectures in that century. Every detail has finest finishing on wall. When i visited on 2015 there was partial reservation and restoration work was going on..

Great place and it will take minimum one hour to cover all the place

Es selamu Alaykum my brother and sister. I was here for a while and I'm visiting this place. This is a great place for me

I was searching for some "WOW" factor but couldn't find one. My mistake as i went to visit the Church/Mosque with no history information.
Hence, my recommendation either read about the history before you go there or take a real good guide.
We took a "so-called" guide just to bypass the queue. (Not proud of it)

Remarkable landmark and a must see if you are in Istanbul.

So amazing they gave me a Quran and I was able to pray in the first row.

In Shaa Allah I'm going to treasure the Quran for life!!!

Pretty amazing history behind this place. I suggest you do some light reading about it just before heading out it'll make for some more awesome context. The ticket costs 40 TRY. They let our 10yo sister go without a ticket. We had a lot of fun exploring the place and the contrast between the two religions.

There was a huge structure obstructing huge part of the inside for maintenance and excavation. It was a bit sore to see but if you ignore it you'll enjoy yourself.

There's an audio tour in many languages if you're interested.

Check out the big stone balls at the entrance of the museum, these are the original cannon balls Mehmed fired to conquer Constantinople. Also the rueins around the church are from the 2nd Aya Sofia that was destroyed during a riot.

From an architectural and artistic perspective, the structure functions better as the basilica it was intended to be rather than as a mosque. From a religious standpoint, however, once a building is consecrated as a mosque it must always remain a mosque, so I can appreciate how the Turkish government's hands are tied in this regard.

Nice example of muslim arts.
For the tickets you can collect it from the persons oit side of the ticket counter at the same price in a short time...

Beautiful piece of history. I bought the 3 day pass for Hagia Sophia, archaeological museum and Topkapi palace. Much cheaper and was definitely worth it.

A former church & mosque turned into a museum. It's full of history.

Beyond beautiful I can't believe something this beautiful exist in real life everyone should visit Turkey just to see this place

A magnificent structure that impresses inside and out. The city does a great job of maintaining the surrounding area that enhances the experience.

Must see place. A beautiful combination of Christianity and Islam.

I loved this holy place. Really amazing arthitecture

Beautiful mosque, recommend getting an audio guide to understand better!

Amazing architecture with a consolidation of both Christian and Islamic icons. Very well maintained but parts of it is under reconstruction

Magnificent in ever manner. As soon as you set your eyes upon it the size and architecture takes your breath away. Same is the case when you enter as you are sent back in time and the realization of its history is impressive. Its is one of the most beautiful man made structures ive put my eyes upon.

Something out of this world. It is awesome, great experience, a most see.

It is not worth the 75 lira (they pump up the price every year). Nothing special to see, unless you are a history buff and you just have to see the Hagia Sofia. It is now a museum, not a live mosque, but museum features are scarce (not counting the overpriced souvenirs).

I would probably go there again cuz it's like a must one visiting, but there is a huge line to see a huge and beautiful building from the inside. That is the net net

Well this is a multiculture place nice and refelcts a lot of the past era

My favorite historical location in Istanbul by far. Loved the amalgamation & coexistance of Christian and Muslim heritage.

Ayasofya museum in Istanbul is moust visiting place in Istanbul from oll i round The world.
Everyone need to visit Ayasofya if he come to Istanbu Turky one of oldest Gigantic Billdig et that time.

It was under construction at the time we visited. A huge line at the entrance. A historic place, but not worth to stay one hour in line. Typical tourist stop

Most beautiful amazing site to see, such history I am happy to have witnessed it.

Absolutely stunning place. Loved praying here, so peaceful. A must visit if travelling to Istanbul

It's an amazing place with such great fusion of religion history

It's an outstanding architecture, plan to spend atleast 3 hours inside and about the same outside

Somehow great
To review the history of different religions using this area as a symbol

The best place to learn religious tolerance. An important place for Christian's and Muslims. A must visit place while in ISTANBUL.

The single most exhilarating experience I've ever had as a tourist.

Historically important building that went through periods of back-forth conversion from Mosque to Church.

Beautiful. Makes you wonder how they built it such a long time ago. Sign up for a guided tour as it allows you to skip the queues

A building that used to be a mosque and a church and now a museum filled with stories and also a wonderful interior.

Very much worth a visit. Officially a museum rather than a mosque, it has its original symbols of Christianity from its first 916 years, as well those of Islam from its subsequent 478 years' history until 1931. Since 1935 it's been a secular museum, so no need to remove shoes or wear a headscarf.
The dome itself is magnificent but don't miss the floor of marble slabs, many of which were cut (using stings of silk) from one large rock and laid side by side forming symmetrical patterns.
I recommend paying the extra for a guide. Lots of information and you skip the queue.