Santa Sofía Review

Come with profesional guide, he will show all detail about this mosque, but find official guide

Amazing museum to visit! Worth the money i recommend buy the pass

I have visited this museum 3 times over the last 10 years and I must say there is so much to see and learn about.

Parts of it were closed and under renovation although the staff outside said it wasn't the case before we entered

Its ok. Im not much of a museum or church person but Ive seen plenty around the world, this one did not impress me much. It's around 65 dinar to go into or you can buy the istanbull pass for 185 dinar and see all the other stuff as well

Hagia Sophia was built by the Emperor Justinian. Hundreds of architects worked on the Church and it was built in 5 years and 10 months. Serving as a church for 916 years, Hagia Sophia was then used as a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul by Sultan Mehmet the Conquerer. It has a very special place in the world of art for the magnificence of its construction,architectural style,size and functionality. Very well run tourist place with ease of ticketing and good facilities like restrooms etc. So worth a visit.

So much history in one place. Do you research on Constantinople history before coming to make it a special visit!

Very nice inside and out. Took 10 mins to by pass the ticket line.

Very beautiful place
If you visit Turkey you must to visit it

I was surprised to find out that is a Christian place. It was very expensive but very interesting. They were reforming so there was not much to see, but it was nice.

I was amazing by the grandiosity of this place. If you love islamic art and have a thing for big architecture. It is definitely the place to visit.

It's spectacular...I found it to be mesmerising...it's grand and awe inspiring. It's a symbol of peace and harmony showing that different religions can coexist in complete harmony...the mosaics are beautiful...it's a gem and worth more than one visit. The queue is rather long so if you want to avoid standing in the line just take the fast track it's a bit expensive but because we were with an 18 month old we chose the fast track. The entrance is wheelchair accessible and so easy to take prams too...going to the upper portion is a bit difficult but we found some good Samaritans who helped us with the pram...the walk up is a bit slippery so just be a little careful. There are some mosaics on the upper story so it's worth the trip.

Hagia Sophia is definitly a beautiful piece of art with fantastic structure and interior paintings. At first it has been a church but in the Ottaman era, it has been turned into the mosque by muslims. So you can see symbols of muslims and christians together. It is located in the old part of Istanbul and there are many tourist attraction in the vicinity of that, such as Blue Mosque, Cistern Basilica, etc.

Beautiful historic church and interesting history. A must see if visiting Istanbul. It might be a good idea to purchase tickets in advance because of long lines.

Quite simply a must visit to anyone visiting Istanbul!

Turkish airlines offer free transit tour programmes including this site, which is a magnificent record of religions and history.

Perfect for lovers of Marble work
The uneven floor is covered in slabs of marble and the walls and columns are all sculpted in marble.
Pay particular attention at a Carrara marble door.
Upstairs, from the right hand side of building, you can lift your cameras above the high windows andtake stunning pictures of roofs of Istanbul.
Entrance not expensive 60 Turkish Lira (May 2019)

Fascinating crossover of Roman Catholic to Islamic worship spaces with the coronation spot of Byzantine Emporers thrown into the mix!

The volume on the information TV is too low. Nobody can hear it.

Very impressive and fascinating - be there in the morning shortly before they open, to avoid the crowd

Nice cultural and historical site, a must see in Istanbul

One of the awesome turkish treasures of architecture

Amazing museum to learn alot Roman empire, Christianity and Islam in turkey.very educational tour for adults and kids.

It's one of the most vibrant and beautiful museum in Istanbul which houses both Christianity and Islam.

beautifull place. Great for tourists. First to see in istanbul

The greatest Church of the first Millenium. A must visit for any pilgrim.

One of the seven wonders of the medieval world.
Must visit!!

I was very happy to pray there! Very nice historical place. The recitation of the Quran by the imam plus the monumental view gives a thrilling experience!!!

Expect a renovation when entering. Rumors has it the renovation has been going on for the past 85 years!
Love the golden mosaic
Love the integration between Christianity and Islam. Our tour guide was amazing!

Beautiful place to visit. I recommend a tourist guide to complete your experience.

A blend of History with magnificence, this place is a marvel of human imagination with the Divine.
I was truly amazed to see the architecture from outside. And then taken aback by the beauty inside.
Although it was cold and rainy in Istanbul, this place was a warm seclude with it's shine and Ray's of history emanating from everywhere.
This was one of the main reasons I we're attracted to visit Turkey, and it was as it was expected.
We used the Big Bus tour services to reach here and then took different route bus to roam the rest of the city.

Absolutely amazing. Very beautiful inside out
Must see
Highly recommended

One of the historic place on the world, you'll see the history of 2 biggest religion in the earth in one building. It's so interesting!

What a beautiful museum, could spend hours in there

Too much expensive ticket 60 lira each and the construction is every where

I give 3 stars because entrance fee is 40 try which more than a daily fee of a standard worker in new turkey that's why i reduced 1 star, and i've never been inside that's why i reduced 1 more star but a must see because...

Maybe the unique at least one of the temples has most interesting history. It used to be church in Byzantium era, then after ottomans came it is turned into a mosque then it is turned on into a museum by former Turkish Republic nowadays it is started to be turn into a mosque again during the first years of new turkey. Before it is turned into, i think it is a must see!

Cant wait to see it once its converted into a mosque completely once again. They have done some work since the last time i went here but ofcourse a lot of work is left. Its a must see place!!

Wish the construction didn't obstruct my view within the museum. Otherwise a beautiful piece of restored art. Must visit

Very beautiful site to visit, we enjoyed it. Recommend.

A must visit place if you are visiting Istanbul in the future. The architecture, carved stonework, mosaics, big dome and the associated history to this iconic landmark makes it a good choice to check while you are in the area.

When you get to Paris people ask you "have you seen the Effel tour '' same in China they ask you about the Great Wall here in Turkey the most historic, authentic and obvious the most visited place is Hagia Sophia

A must visit, just a shame there was a lot of construction work going on.

Masterpiece of Islam architecture. Great place if you're a history buff. Beautiful and well maintained clean interior. Cute cats roaming. Always full of tourist. Dont waste money on the tour guide tout.

Absolutely amazing architecture and history. It was crowded even in the off season, but I have wanted to come here for years and years, and I am very glad I did! Don't neglect to go to the upper gallery!

Beautiful and really big building, with great historical value!!!

Haghia Sophia Museum is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum.

It dates from the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the cathedral of Constantinople.

A usual such inspiring place where all religions and civilisations meets & melt...

Lots to see here. Great opportunity to get some culture. Most of the people in the area where friendly.

Hagia Sophia is a beautiful piece of art. I was totally in love with the architecture. Musem has a ticket and you must have to wait in a queue for 30mins to get the ticket in 60lira for each. But, its worth it. Seriously!

Rip off tickets and construction on inside. Otherwise beautiful architecture

One of the most beautiful buildings that I've ever seen. A masterpiece of Byzantine culture and a must-see when in Istanbul!

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Istanbul. If you re into architecture and history, it s definitely worth a visit.

It stood there for many centuries and will outlive all of us. Simply majestic and brearhtaking. To skip the line, take a local authorized guide. You save your time and learn a lot. The history of Bizantia definitely worth it.

Got this combined ticket for 135 TL after standing in a long line at the door of Hagia Sophia Museum, and the ticket allowed me to enter Hagia Sophia Museum, Topkap Palace Museum, and Istanbul Archaeological Museums. But keep in mind that the ticket expires in three days, so plan you purchase and visits accordingly.

Stunning building worth a visit. Queues are horrendous though and not well managed.

Beautiful place reminiscence of old muslim and roman era

Beautiful and Historical Church, Mosque and a Museum! Must visit in Istanbul.

A great history right there. Amazing architecture and painting.
For 40 tl you can visit the whole palace and for extra 30 tl you can get the audio guide or simply take a guide from outside of the museum (extra charge of course). There's a bit of a long waiting line to get in but if you have the museum card (125 tl including 10 museums) you'll be albe to skip the line. P.S. Great gardens outsise between the Sultan Ahmed mosque and Hagia Sophia to take pictures.

So much history in one place give you a real sense of perspective.

Historical place in Istanbul, very good if you are interested in the history because it is a very old building which stayed for long periods of time.
This place was a church then became a mosque so you will see christian and islamic icons beside each other which is very strange to be in the same building .
If you are in Istanbul, you have to visit it

This is a must see if you like either history or architecture

A spiritual place ,i hope the finish the reparation un order to see the whole place.

perfect place, you can stay there for hours staring at this huge place

Long lines to enter and once inside not much to see except for a very big building. Worth visit yes but not at Top Notch one