Santa Sofía Reviews

A place where once were a church, then a mosque, and now a museum

t is one of the best places to visit in Istanbul. t was so huge and beatiful.In my opinion, if you visit stanbul you should see this place too.

Couldn't see much because of restoration.. i suggest visit this place in 2021

Somehow over rated I would say. Not worth wasting so much time standing in queue

Really interesting place to visit, maybe from top-10 historical heritage in the world. At least audio guide is must)

It's the most incredible energy that I have ever experienced in my life, the same moment that I have entered this incredible building. It's a MUST MUST see.

Historical place in Istanbul. A must place to visit when in Istanbul.

Hagia Sophia Amazingly Compositions in Architecture due to that Istanbul was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the Ottoman Empire, Its unique integration of architectural formed by the creative genius of Byzantine and Ottoman architects. Hagia Sophia was a Greek Orthodox Christian basilica, later on imperial mosque, and is now a museum

It's a pic of history is a live book in front of me

Staggering. Built by the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian in the sixth century, it was the largest church in Christendom and where most Emperors were subsequently crowned. Later in 1453, after the fall of Constantinople, it was turned into a mosque, and finally secularised into a museum in 1935. As a result it's a mixture of Christian and Islamic iconography.

The dome rises to around 250 feet. Just going up halfway to the gallery and looking down gives you vertigo. The eyes of Jesus Christ on a mosaic in a chapel behind the gallery are cleverly rendered so that they appear to follow you wherever you go.

Absolutely incredible heritage - reflecting the patchwork history of this amazing city, covering centuries, religions, architectural styles, philosophies and art. Couldn't be more impressed. There is lots of details inside which are telling stories of the checkered past of this building. Make sure to read a bit in advance and calculate at least half a day (if you can) so you can value this gem from the roots of our European history. The world shouldn't leave it to Turkey alone to preserve this building. It is a world heritage which is in elements even older than what you see in Rome or Germany - and as such very important to maintain.

Grandiose and stunning orthodox church from Byzantine period. You can enter using your Istanbul Museum pass...

This is best is the world
Some notes :
1. Better to buy museum electronic card to avoid long stay for ticket
2. Get a electronic guide inside there is some thing interesting in it

One of the most beautiful place I've ever seen. Mind blowing visit...There was a long queue but it was worth it!I highly recommend it.

Amazing historical place. A significant part of history

The combination of Christian and Islamic artifacts and history present in this monument is impressive. Architecture inside is inspiring and beautiful

Lovely museum, our tour guide was great so we learnt a lot of the past of this 1500 years old building.

Place with amazing history and stunning interior. Be ready to queue up since there are almost always tens of tourists waiting to enter.

Lovely architecture, and walking distance from the Blue Mosque. Definitely worth the visit.

Discover a piece of human history. Wonderful. Only give it 4 stars because I found that without a guide it is hard to appreciate the site (little information on site to explain)

It's an historical museum... Good to see & thoroughly enjoyed...

Amazing museum with beautiful stone construction & rich with history. Don't miss this one.

As I come from a country with historical strength, although I enjoyed the place but it wasn't new for me... But the enviroment, the streets, people and atmosphere make u feel great... :)

It is a good historical site with beautiful architecture but not at all a museum. There are very few artifacts that do not qualify the place to be called museum.
Do go upstairs if you really want to get a good view of the building.
Do not get the audio guide as it is a complete waste. It just holds bunch of videos that you have to manually browse through. Most of the places and things in there have some discription written on board in turksih as well as English so it's better to keep googling if you want to find out more about any particular thing..
Regular entry ticket is $60 but the line is usually very long. The fast track line is usually a lot shorter and is $90 . There is a security check at the enterence which really slows down the enterence to the aya Sofia.

Peoples have just created a hype.. There is nothing to see.. Its just a mosque

A must-experience monument where history, cultures and religions melt in one.

Unique architecture and history. A must place to visit in Istanbul. Buy tickets online as ticket queue is long. Read up on Hagia Sofia to appreciate the place.

Hagia Sophia, aka Ayasofya, is the most visited attraction in Istanbul. It was built as a church which was burned down and got rebuilt twice before converting into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire. Now, it serves as a museum. Very beautiful architecture and amazing construction. Recommended for all visitors.

One of the most important monuments in Istanbul... not to miss.

Masha a ALLAH what a beautiful Masjid (Mosque). It s very unfortunate to be under construction during my visit. The old mosque architecture and engineering science stands out and speaks volumes. It s so serene to contemplate on the Islamic history of this mosque and what had happened during the Ottoman Empire. I very much respect the Turkish religious and preservation authorities for well taking care of this Masjid and working on renovations to maintain its structural stability and architecture. It is pretty much a historical museum now showcasing the different governing bodies of the city of Istanbul during the old eras. Regulating visitors at the entrance was seamless and very organized. Tour guides are available at a cost at the entrance. Be prepared to pay and admission fee for your visit. regulating the visitors traffic and times of visit. I highly recommend touring this place.

Museum for everyone, there are even cats roaming inside.

1500 year old church, then turned I to a mosque and finally now a museum. Beautiful architecture that embodies the various rulers it has withstood. Amalgamation of Byzantine art and Ottoman scripts, the Hagia Sophia (Turkish: Aya Sofya) is a must visit and the most popular tourist attraction in Istanbul.

It's a masterpiece! Everyone should visit Agia Sofia - which was an orthodox church! Saddly, only 3 to 4 mosaics are saved!!!

Best museum ever. Second floor was opened with the mosaics
Also there is special care for the frescoes urgently needed. Included in the museumpass and the most valuable in the list.

Beautiful place. So many different cultures and styles are combined in one building

I liked it.must have been beautiful as a church.The paintings are so beautiful even today. The Mary with jesus especially.i got a picture from the museum.

A beautiful grandiose mosque. Unfortuantely a part of it is under renovation but you can still see enough on the inside

Fabulous place, truely outstanding, a must see historic place

As you enter the place you start feeling goosebumps on your skin. The building is filled with warm energy. I absolutely loved how 2 different religions are presented in harmony with one another

It was good to see both religions coexisting in one place.

There's nothing special to say. it's a "must see" for every turist in Istanbul. Just think of the age and the size of this amazing building. How much those walls have seen -) It's under rennovation now. But still it's worth visiting. You can still see most of places there. There's usually a long queue, be patient -)

It was being repaired when I visited in early June of 2017, but even then it was beautiful.

Everyone knows what Hagia Sophia represents, so I would just say that I was thrilling to visit it. But, it is most visited place in Istanbul and I could say that in one place there is too, but TOO MUCH people/tourist inside. You can not enjoy and apreciate the interior design because of that crowd. Working hours is from 9 am until 5 pm. You should come early (30 minutes before starting time at the latest) to get in in adequate time. Later you should wait like 1 hour at least. Entrance is acceptable but it should be paid.

It's really gloomy and somehow dark inside I received a negative energy at the very beginning, yet it's really famous among tourist, to me it was just a simple chuch turned into a mosque,however I think those big on indoor sights may like to visit this place once.

a building you must see before you leave this beautiful city!

One of the places in Istanbul that makes it so worth the visit. Really impressive, need to read up beforehand to understand the context and history of the place.

Beautiful site in Istanbul, would recommend audio tour to learn more

You should Absolutely visit this place. Once in a life time experience. Amazing ashtonishing feeling

One of the must see landmark in Istanbul.
It is not closed on Monday as opposed to most museums.
With the MuseumPass you may enter however the line might get very long if you go around mid morning.
Suggest to arrive just before opening hours if you do not like being in the crowd.

The left part of the interior is being restored. So it is kind of hard to get a good picture of this beautiful museum.
Perhaps it will be more wonderful if you plan the trip here a few months later when it is fully restored.

Saw it years ago and it's still as impressive the second time around. Restorations are going on so some parts are covered but still worth a try.

Currently a large section is under construction. Its still impressive to see and worth a visit.

Amazing Museum. Nice historic about how the church was taken over by Mosque. The vibe you get walking into the Museum is unexplainable and when you see the iconic mosaics you tear up.
When we went it was under renovations

The museum has a cute area to snack and cool off. You can by pass the line to buy tickets if you are paying by credit card as well

Beautiful but a big portion is closed and under renovation

Very nice organised place by local body. You must go with good guide to have all information. Please go with sufficient time as you will enjoy your visit to this historic place. If you visit this place during April May then it's really enjoyable.
Mentenence work is on but it doesn't make much difference

One of the best monument in the world... You can feel the history out there... Definitely a must go place in Istanbul...

An amazing marvel of engineering especially considering it s so old. Thankfully, it s still a museum despite the speakers that were added to the minarets in recent days. Also, the restoration does block the view, but there is still much to see, so it s worth the trip.