Santa Sofía Reviews

History in a nutshell, plus the gut feeling once you enter the dome of this monumental building.

Love getting such an awesome experience hard to imagine how thus place was built. Absoutely Beautiful

Everything about this place is a treasure. If you get a chance, go for the evening prayer as the sun is setting. It's just breath taking

Beautiful!!

Hagia Sophia, was an early Christian church and later an Eastern Orthodox church. It was built in 537 where two earlier churches had burned down. After an earthquake Trdat the Architect finished rebuilding it again in 994. Ottoman rulers made into a mosque in 1453. It became a museum in 1935. It is in Istanbul, Turkey. Hagia Sophia is often said to be one of the greatest, and most beautiful buildings in history.

Best places I ever been so far . The designs are at the top of its game ,

A beautiful Christian church, which some very sick minds converted into a mosque.

Amazing museum! This ancient church, converted into a mosque, and now a museum is truly spectacular!

Marvelous architecture and history in the heart of Istanbul

WOW, what an awesome experience. No one can ever explain or express the wonder ypu feel when you see this with your own eyes.even my 16year old son was gobsmacked by the splendor and vastness of this mosque. Definitely un missable when visiting Istanbul.

A magnificent historical site. Seeing it myself is truly stirring up an awe. Take your time to explore and enjoy every details and the history of this place.

Very cool place to visit! So much history! Highly recommend

Very interested learn how is tumble turkey got defeated and came back

Amazing place to visit, especially if you've played Assassin's Creed Revelations.

Very nice place and full of history. They should turn it into a mosque again.

Its pretty nice and stood well over the centuries, could use more paint on the outside tho.

The place is amazing. Too bad they closed the access to the second floor so early. Don't miss the "hole on the stone" cure while visiting it.

Thousand years of history, two cultures into one building!

Fascinating architectural monument. Wonderful experience.

Its an amazing historical site was privileged to have visited it

MUST visit place. Rich cultural heritage of Christianity and Islam, beautifully showcased and preserved.

Awesome. Is an understatement. Please keep it a museum for everyone to enjoy.

Words cannot begin to describe the feelings you get when you enter this truly beautiful place on earth that makes you feel as if you are in heaven. The impressive architectural masterpiece adorned with its intricate mosaics shows you a window into an ancient time of glory. Hagia Sophia means holy wisdom in Greek, it's more than a thousand years old spanning multiple empires and even has Viking graffiti.

Absolutely, a must visit if you're in Istanbul. I would suggest you hire a local guide to tell you all about Hagia Sophia from inside/out.

Astonishing, breathtaking!
You cannot really describe this monument.
I don't think that anyone can visit instanbul and not go there.

I spent a long weekend in Istanbul and seen this magnificent building every day as it was just round from my guest house. It is easily one of the most impressive historical buildings I have ever seen. From the outside you can (and i did) just sit and admire it from beside the fountain. On the inside it is nothing short of breathtaking. I went on a friday morning at 9am sharp and has the place fairly empty, it does get busy as the day goes on and especially at the weekend. I bought the musuem pass here and it more than paid for itself. A must not just if you are in Istanbul but a must to make the trip to see this building.

Very old church converted into mosque during Muslim rule

It is hard to imagine this place was built almost 1400 years ago

This one image speaks to the various cultures and history of this awe inspiring site.
Take it slow and just examine all the nooks around the place. You ll need two visits to truly appreciate the grandeur of the old church and the later masjid.

Good place but not good to five stars rating... we indeed enjoy being there, also it's very crowded.

Rich in history, the Hagia Sofia went from being a Church, to a Mosque and then a Museum. Do yourself a favour and book a guided tour to get the most of out this historic site. It is absolutely breathtaking to behold. A must see when visiting Istanbul. Take your time and admire the architecture and the beautiful mosaics inside the Museum.

A visit to this museum is an absolute must if you visit Istanbul. You can't miss this landmark as it sits right bang in the middle between Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque. Sadly part of the museum was under renovation during my visit and covered in scaffolding, otherwise a really an amazing piece of architecture.

The beauty and grandeur of the Hagia Sophia left me speechless and in awe. While there is so much to comment on it, I must say how humbling it was for me to walk on marble floors which have been worn down at doorways by the footsteps of so many generations of people.

You can feel the history of this place, just magnificent.

I just can t get past that this building was constructed more than 1,500 years ago. They amount of history attached to this building is incredible.

I was really amazed by richness and beauty of this place. Waiting in a line is worth it, is this is a sunny day and you want to get photos with a good light, come here in the end of a day but make sure you will have time (at least 1h) to walk around and make sure to go on the 2nd floor of the church.

Have been to lots of historical buildings, but this one by far is the most breath taking place ever. You can literally spend hours walking around and taking pictures and videos.

Regular tickets are around 70TL($12) but if the line up is too long you can pay 110TL($19USD) to get the fast track and you straight go to the front of the line.

Spend decent amount of time looking at outside of the building as well, since you can find extremely historic pieces.

And if you wanna have the ultimate experience you should visit the Hurram Sultan Hammam as well right be Hagia Sophia Museum.

Definitely would recommend it.

I've visited countless cathedrals in Europe. I've visited mosques in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This cathedral/mosque/museum dwarfs them all in size, and certainly equals them in beauty. Well worth a long visit.

It is overwhelming when you realise how many historical events took place here.

I loved that matching between Islam and Christianity in one place.

Awe!Thrilled and endless opportunities for learning history if you are a diligent visitor!

Despite the efforts to hide the monument and give it a more turkish/islamic color, Agia Sofia still carries its glory from the past!

Absolutely amazing. It is a must see. I highly recommend getting the audio guide.

A must do in Istanbul, great architecture alot of history

Very good and rich history! Going upstairs to take pictures is a must

Gorgeous. Breathtaking experience and worth the ticket price. Everyone should go here at least once!

Incredible construction so beautiful done. Is a must see destination I have been there 3 times. I loose many photos

I was a bit disappointed as lots of maintenance and renovation was needed however it still a must visit place in Istanbul. The museum is well lighted in the evening and a nice view from that area over Istanbul.

A great museum of historical importance, aesthetics, art, architecture, design, grandeur and culture

Great architecture and history. Good for those goig in groups and u definitely need a guide

This basilica would awe you with its grandeur. Especially if you take into account that it is more than a 1500 years old. Definitely a must-visit place in Istanbul.

I expect more to see.. hope to see organized program for visitors in future.

Entrance fee is affordable, especially for students with the MuzeKart and the system is very consumer friendly. For visitors without guides, we can rent a pair of headset and phone which contains explanations to every numbered item within the museum it costs 45TL per set, and we can share them among friends. Facilities are sufficient and convenient, and the Hagia Sophia itself is a stunning view. For better experience, I would suggest learning its history to be able to appreciate each and every intricate details of the building.

I can't get enough of this place , amazing , the entry fee is 60 liras , bit pricey for the rest of the historic places, still very amazing,, if you ever go to Istanbul never miss it believe me you'll feel hollow and left .

It was a wild experience and I was so amazed by the power of both regions coming together also how the place is beautifully built

One of the most beautiful and remarkable architectural wonders. A living piece of history, every corner of this building tells a story. Beautiful exterior but wait until you enter. It will take your breath away! An unforgettable experience.

I didnt visit is when it was a museum. First time I was there now. And yes, I like it.

Absolutely stunning and so much history. Got the audioguide as an app and it was quite informative. I particularly liked the Viking graffiti on the second floor. Some construction going on but this didn't hinder the experience for me. Walkway to second floor is a little slippery

Best place to visit. So mesmerising and beautiful calligraphy I ever saw in my life. I just love this place.

Justiniano, his architects and his workers built the Version 1 of this cathedral in 6 years, almost 1500 years ago. BERlin new airport listen ;-).

Today, I'd like to see it as a symbol for the possible peaceful co- existence of large religions.

5 stars is not enough. This is a unique place and I was absolutely awestruck by it.

Beautiful thank you for letting visitors see this amazing architecture

Best place to anyone who really love about history and art...the art on that place make me interested about art..

I believe this is one of the most amazing buildings in the world. I would travel to stanbul just to see this church. Built by Justinian in the 6th century. It is unbelievable that it still stands after 1500 years and all the earth quakes and wars. When you walk in the building you will be filled with awe. It really gives a majestic feeling. Before you go make sure and read the history of the building. Also, the tour guides that stand out front do a good job. Make sure you use one that has a real certificate proving they are verified to give tours. And make sure you negotiate. If you do a good job negotiating it will only be about 50-60tl per person and that includes the ticket. Of course this may change.

Absolutely charming. It's a gorgeous place that must be visited if you're in Istanbul. It was sad that there was construction going on when I visited, but a great place nonetheless.

Historical place but there should be access for the wheelchair and baby strollers