Santa Sofía Reviews

Absolutely beautiful. A must see if travelling to Istanbul.

I haven't been in the Sistine Chapel yet, but I've seen the Taj Mahal and some beautiful medieval cathedrals in England. The Hagia Sophia is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. Even with the restoration work going on inside, we didn't encounter anything else in Istanbul that was quite as beautiful as the Sophia's interior. This would be my second highest priority for visiting after Topkapi Palace, and before the Roman underground cisterns, Galata Tower and Suleiman Mosque.

A must see attraction when in Istanbul. No problems getting in. I would strongly recommend that you read it's history before you actually enter the building. There is so much to see but without any understanding of it's history you could be disappointed. You however must not miss it.

Mesmerizing lightings inside the church. Worth the visit ..and should be experienced.

Nice place but right now about 40 to 50% under renovation

It is the most important place for Muslims after the three Masjid al Harams.

Not a good experience when me and my family went. To much work.

It's been under renovation for ages... Once completely renovated will be amazing....

Visited with a guest on 25th of Oct. 2018. It is of great historical importance not because it's a "big church" but for two other reasons. 1. It was built in 4th century and it is the earliest of churches at that size and technology 2. It hosted both Christian and Muslim religion followers for 6 centuries. The cues are long and the lighting inside is a bit poor. Do not miss it if you are in Istanbul.

Superb tour,if you're in Istanbul you must see this multi faith place of worship.

Every tourist in Istanbul must visit here,very good for photography

Fabulous place to visit and appreciate! The age of this place and the work that s been done on it by people from both the Christian and Muslim faiths is amazing. It s good to see the Christian frescoes preserved on the upper level and the walk up the ramps is fascinating... smooth stones from the many who have done the walk already.

Add to a day visiting the main sites which are very close to each other

Terrific architecture from over 1000 years ago. Breathtaking.

This place is full of history. How Ottoman Empire convert it from church to masjid. This place will mesmerize you.

Another great example of stunning architecture in Istanbul. It has a deep historical value as a church and mosque but tickets are a bit overpriced.

What a beautiful mosque with so much history behind it. Amazing architecture. I got to see this amazing mosque in such a beautiful city Istanbul.

Beautiful. Such a bummer that it's on maintaining or something.

Beautiful buidlig but the refurbishment is still ongoing. The audio guide is humourless and incredibly boring. Seriously, history is interesting... Why is this so dull?

I found this place more impressive than the blue mosque. You get to appreciate the architecture more and I really liked the artwork and design.

A extremely special cathedral turned mosque, probably one of the grandest I have ever seen. The entry was 72 Turkish Liras per person and visitors are warmly welcomed to visit. If you do not want to queue for the tickets you can get the fast track for 110 Turkish Liras. The architecture is absolutely out of the world and you can still witness evidence of the past history of the conversion. The museum is rich in history and conveniently located in the heart of the old town opposite The Blue Mosque, so you can literally hit two birds with one stone.

In awe at the grandeur of the place. It hard to imagine how the ancient people managed to build such a magnificent piece of artwork. Every aspect of the place just makes you go speechless. Don t forget to head up to the second floor (about 5 stairways up) to check out the beautiful retains murals of Christ and Virgin Mother Mary.

This 1500 year old impressive architecture is a must visit. UNESCO heritage site.

Breathtaking but large amount of restoration and construction going on which do detract from the places majesty.

Amazing place!!!!Beautiful byzantine architecture!!!

Orthodox church, converted to mosque during the Ottoman period, nowadays a big museum

Still under renovation, must visit when you are in Istanbul

Awesome frescoes and amazing facade. The place is known to be a church and a mosque both. A mix of Christianity, Judaism and Islamic architecture comes in one form. The gallery above is astonishing. The blue mosque and Hagia Sophia are an amazing place to be when in Istanbul.

Very huge place that has been built many centuries ago. We had fin discovering the whole historical monument. I really recommend visiting this place as it is one of the icon places to visit in istanbul
It is well preserved and a lot of work is being done to preserve such a historical monument.

One of world's top wonders. The Center where christianity and islam can meet.

Beautiful historical grand unique Islamic and Christian past

You pay 60 TL ticket to enter. It is nice to be there once .

When you enter the sheer scale of the interior takes your breath away. The height of the domes are breathtaking. Having been both church and mosque has influenced architecture and decoration. There are some beautiful mosaics on the upper floor. It is technically a museum but the building is the artefact. Wonderful to view from outside at night.

beautiful place with long history. Hope I could go back when they finished their refurbishment.

4,5 stars and our personal guide lifted it up to 5. Well done.

One of the unique most Church + Mosque in the world

If you go to Istanbul you will see this, I hope, but like everything a guide giving it's history, different rolls over time and findings helps understand and appreciate it. Downside is that restoration is taking place and restricts some views and access.

1500 years back church was build by the Roman empire and after saltanat e usmania come to turkey and roll all over here make this building as a museum.it was a tallest and really unique structure building and still this building make people amaze.

The place is under restoration. Scaffolding blocks a big portion of the building

Hagia Sophia Mosque is very beautiful but the place for Waddu is not facilitated by the management.

Hagia Sophia - One of the most fascinating place in Turkey...

Hagia Sophia is one of the best and most beautiful place I've visited and by far my most favourite place is Istanbul, second to the Topkapi palace.

This beautiful location portrays peace and oneness of mankind, where one can observe both Mother Mary with Jesus on the same wall as the names of Allah and the Prophet Mohammed.

The architecture, lights, art, mosaics, unbelievably marvellous and we are in awe as we took every step.

There was some renovation work going on s well, but that didn't take away from the beauty of this MUST VISIT beauty, the Hagia Sophia.

Astonishing place to walk around and enjoy in peace and quiet.

It is a great place to visit once again, after like 30 yrs...

The history and culture of this place is mind blowing!! Loved it. Only downside was that half the area was cordoned off for renovation work. So missed seeing the place in its entirety. Do visit the place.

Speechless! The architectural wonder made at 537 ad. Made in 5 years from Greek architects Anthemios and Isidoros! 10 head masters having 1000 workers. 10.ooo working for a great purpose! So proud! A miracle that we still have! Don't miss it!

Nice museum with cathedral and Islamic design. Both can be seen inside

Great experience, but just make sure you have enough time to explore it properly.

It's amazing to see the mix between Islam and Christianity in one place

The best place I have been in Istanbul , get the audio and enjoy knowing more about the place

muslimanebi saertod ar uprtkhildebian,am udides t adzars da uakhloes ramodenime ts elits adshi,srliad gakreba martmadideblobis k vali aia sopiashi

Muslims do not care at all, this great cathedral and in the next few years, the Truth of Orthodoxy will disappear in hagia Sophia((

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Beautiful Monument detailing rich history from 530 AD. Definitely go for a guided tour to understand the religious significance of this Monument. It's definitely not just any museum, felt more like a religious place.

I love this place. So much culture and history in the air.

Its under renovation at the moment from inside but do see christianity and islam coexistence at one place. An unique experience.

Beautiful historical spot and a must visit! Be prepared for a long line, bring a hat and some water, take your shoes with you and spend some time admiring the internals. Also be aware or renovations, which might cover a considerable portion of the building (I guess you just need some luck there)

It is a place of great hystorical importance and very special

Hagia Sofia is a must see if you are in Istanbul! I saw most of it within an hour. The only downside is that it can be pretty crowded, but it's worth it for the incredible architecture and history!

History and also architecture of the building is so amazing.

I don't imagine one would come to Istanbul and not see the Hagia Sofia, so save yourself the time of reading the reviews and just go.

Must visit, simply extravagant. While it's not a mosque or church, you can see that it used to be both. A Harmony of Christianity and Islam that is a must see.
The enormous floating dome and hanging lights are also very impressive.
Fun fact, the huge gold medallions hanging on the walls were meant to be removed at one point, but it turns out the doors were too small to fit them, so they left them there.

One of my favorite places in Istanbul! Visited twice. Avoid weekends if possible because of the lines or come early. On my second visit, we came in at around 5.30 pm and left by 7pm as it was closing, we had the place almost to ourselves ! Magical.

Best with no people inside. Try to make it early in the morning

A beautiful place to go to while you are in Istanbul.

Beautiful and important building. I recommend visit with guide. We had great guide Barish.

Well placed information panel. But it have a long queue for security check on the entrance.

The Hagia Sophia is more than 1400 years old. Twice it stood as a Christian church and then converted into a mosque in 1453 by the Ottoman Empire and then opened as a Museum by Kemal Ataturk (The founder of modern day Turkey) in 1935. The Hagia Sophia Museum has to be on the itinerary of anyone visiting Istanbul. Steeped in rich history, with beautiful architecture and atmosphere this is an experience not to be missed.

A must see. Restoration is ongoing but still worth the visit.

One of the most beautiful places to see in Istanbul.

The Hagia Sophia is an amazing spectacle. It's magnitude & design leave you in awe.

Beautiful mixture of early Christian and Islamic art and architecture