Santa Sofía Reviews

Gorgeous mosque retrofitted from a church and built from Roman era marble, 5 years of construction with a significantly larger size than that is of a blue mosque

Hagia Sophia was built in 537 AD and 33 years before the birth of Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H). It was a Christian Cathedral which later converted into a Mosque in Ottoman's era and now a Museum. Its an architectural wonder and has the largest dome of its time. It's an amazing combination of Byzantinian & Islamic architecture. The walkways, the doors, stairs, windows, paintings, mosaics are second to none. Fortunately I went there during off season yet there were 250 tourist standing ahead of me at Entry. The Museum is closed on Mondays, entry tickets for adults priced at 60 TL while fast paced tickets are priced at 90 TL, kids below 8 do not have any entry charges.

If you wanne see the turkish history give it a shot. Amazing mosque

Good.. but not deserve 40 Lira as entrance fees.. there is nothing special.. it's like any masjid

Very nice and historical place with lot of stories to tell

Wow. What a beautiful church and mosque. Amazing experience to visit such a historic place.

There are no artist's artifacts displayed here as one expects to be there in a museum. There are ancient photos and paintings that you get to see apart from the building itself. Must see in Istanbul

Outstanding Byzantine church built when Istanbul was still Constantinople, then it became a mosque under the Ottoman empire, and now a wonderful museum for all to visit.

Interesting place with amazing design, so tall. Very touristic. You can get the ticket very easily. Full of unique stories...

Amazing place. Amazing history behind it. The lines do get a bit long. Recommendation. Hire a tour guide. They re not expensive but worth it . Usually they hang out around the are .

It's very unique. It would be amazing if all the walls weren't stripped from the original pictures and colors

t is a very old building and there are very interesting symbols in it

I recommend getting a museum pass from your hotel, the guides take you through the fast track, the normal lines are massive. And theh have a lot of useful information.

The museum itself was fantastic, you can't miss it.

I was a little underwhelmed at not only the architecture but the 'upkeep' - if you can call it that. Plenty of better places to see in Istanbul, I'd put this to the bottom of your list if you're short for time.

Beautiful Christian church and mosque . Wonderful mix of religions and representation of cultures. Impressive place . A disadvantage is that due to the high influence of tourists there are big lines for purchase of tickets. Thus, think of those in advance and buy them online.
I recommend !

If there's only one place you'll visit in Istanbul, let it be this. In fact, it's worth going to Turkey just to see this. Simply jaw dropping feeling when you enter it the first time. I've been here on three different occasions over the last 3 years and it fills me up with awe every single time. There aren't many places like this in the world. Just go and enjoy!

Great for history tourist not for adventure guy.great for family

Quite impressive. Don't read my review, go read Wikipedia or something and learn about this place.

Because there are available many types items of about our beloved Muhmmad (PHBC)

Very historical and past saved building. All fasilities available for tourists

Fabulous....Enjoyed ..despite some construction going on

Beautiful and peaceful. Sat down and just enjoyed my time there. Really relaxing if spiritualism is your sort of thing.

Great place. But you have to be there early in the morning

A wonderful and lovely place. A living piece of history. Worth to check out!

The jewel of the Bizantine architecture, I guess there is nothing new to say about this mystical place. A MUST WHILE IN ISTANBUL

You may have no idea when the restoration will be finished, but still the must visit place in Istanbul... By the way, if you like to visit museums, please but a museum pass to save your time!

Visited this place 10 years ago, and I absolutely enjoyed every bit and piece of this Ottoman landmark. There's so much to see and do inside, and a trip to Turkey/Istanbul is incomplete without stopping by at the Hagia Sophia.

It s a special historic place, ahead of its time. Built in a way no other building was built up to that point. Because of it, there are some parts of it that are not in line, or symmetrical at all.
If to be visited, always go with a historian guide, it will make the experience so much more to be appreciated.
Museum pass is a great choice for it will bring the price down if you decide to visit this and other great buildings in Istanbul.

Quite Big historical: first it was ROMAN TEMPLE, then a CHURCH & now a MOSQUE with signs of all 3 religions. Thousands of Visitors daily.

Impressive building but maybe lacking that little extra. Would have liked some kind of exhibition showing the history of the building but no, nothing. Also entrance is way too expensive and the queues can be endless.

Incredible place, for me one of most important historical places on earth.

Beautiful museum with plenty to offer on Islamic history

Check out Vikings' runes on the marble bannisters in the middle section of the south galleria. The entrance fee is 60 .

Must see if visiting Istanbul. This place has so much history and beauty it's unbelievable.

Christians and Muslims history in one preserved place. It still give the mosque's aspect. But place is majestic and beautiful

not to be missed - gorgeous and informative with a cute house cat who is an instagram star - you feel the history and are amazed

The most amazing thing about this place is the transformation work between a church and a mosque. Also the different types of marble and how it's used for decoration.

Beautiful monument of christianity and byzantine times. Must see

Beautiful and big museum has a lot of walking all the artifacts but at the end of the day it s kind of boring and kind of expensive for what it is.

The Museum is amazing, but a big part is in restauration at the moment. Even if the queue is big, it is moving quite fast and in about half an hour you are inside. Not working on Monday. The tiket price is 60 turkish lira.

Unfortunately due to much needed and extensive restoration works one does not get to appreciate the true splendour of the place, i have visited before and took family this time so i was disappointed

Beautiful mosque, and a popular tourist attraction. Definitely one of those places you have to see if you visit Istanbul.

The place is AMAZING! The amount of history in it is just baffling, a must if you're in Istanbul! The place combines Christian and Muslim architecture and history and is just an amazing eye opening piece of history.

So so; I expected more in return to the cost.
And there were several under construction parts in my visit time.

A nice historical site, however it's been under renovation for the longest time. So you might have those construction site on the background of your photo. Regular people with little to no interest in history need only about 60-75 minutes to go around and take photos. It's closed on Monday, whereas Topkapi palace is closed on Tuesday. Keep in mind, during certain time there might be ticket queues. Regular ticket price costs 60tl, fast track ticket 90tl.

A must see! It's pricey but you can easily spend 3 hours just taking it all in & learning about the history. Super drafty so dress warmly!! There's a great video loop you can watch and absorb some of the history from after you wander around. It's one of the most amazing buildings in the world, a special treasure to Muslims & Christians but even agnostics such as myself will be moved to tears! Wheelchairs & strollers will have a hard time as there's lots of little steps about the ground floor & can't access the upstairs. Gift shop is small & ridiculously expensive but a fun browse.

Stunning is the closest I can use. The Met is massive, exudes beauty, oozes history, reveres religious artifacts, preserves the past & awakens the future. One of the world's most awe-inspiring museums

Because there were very historical and lovely with the best architecture

You need a one full day to get inside and see all the details, reaching sultanahmet area and start your day , you can start with haggis Sophia and make sure you go till the end and goes up through a very nice tunnels to reach the second floor , once you are there you will see a lot of details and nice phosaypic of old paints as well , then once you finish get a good amount of photos and goes down

Meh, not worth going in (specially taking in consideration the ticket price). The outside is beautiful and will surfice for a walk and some nice pictures.

A "must" on any tourists visit; easy to find, easy to enter and simply magnificent! Worth while checking out the explanation video presentation on the left in the first coridoor upon entering. (we found it at the end of our visit - duh!) and it explains the history, the layout and how Hagia Sophia was expanded over its years. Great stuff.

Heritage .. guide is must here.. otherwise you will not understand the significanc.

I can t describe how beautiful and majestic is this building. It is without doubt one of the most important places in Istanbul that everyone should see. It is huge and full of historical significance and stories, so I recommend to study before going to visit it.It will definitely help you to connect with the history of it. I have seen a documentary on BBC about Istanbul which has a part about Hagia Sophia. Also you can rent Voice of Museum gadgets at the entrance by 20 tl.

Amazing historical object. Must visit when in instanbul

One of the modern wonders of the world that doesn't need publicity. A must see while in Istanbul. Brace yourself for long queues if the visit is not in the early morning.

The only place which was church at first and then was converted into Masjid.
Now finally it's a museum with various artifacts. It holds history of both Christianity and Islam.

It was actually an amazing place to relax and shop. .. I loved it

The Hagia Sophia - Perfect Example of SECULA
RISM, a church, then a mosque and now a museum with all artifacts.

Parts are sadly under renovation as of May 2018 but brilliant nonetheless

The building is incredible that shows the real faith of Constantin or the original faith of turkey . The church is so beautiful that turned into mosque upon ottoman invasion of Costantin and afterward it turned into a Museum. It is a must if you visit turkey. Usually there is a queue to enter the museum.

Very beautiful place. The Ottoman Empire, now Republic of Turkey, has really taken a very good care of this place. Although after more than 1000 years of age, everything is intact and we can still feel like we live in that era. Worth every penny you pay for the entrance, although I think could be cheaper. I think the maintenance of such building at this age cost a lot of money.

The entrance fee is a little expensive. 72TL Per person. The museum is right next to the Sultanahmet station so getting there is rely easy.