Santa Sofía Reviews

Remarkable place. One of the greatest world heritage sites. The Most innovative monument of its time.

Can't find any word to describe how astonished to see Hagia Sophia Mosque in person, absolute a must-see attraction when visiting Istanbul!

amazing. simply AMAZING. thr work they put to make the tulip carpet is unbelievable. if you are wisiting Istanbul in this time of the year you should attend the Tulip festival for sure

Must Visit, Marvel at the architecture of an old civilisation. Rent audio or hire a guide. Some areas under renovation. Bypass the ticket lines and purchase entrance tickets via an atm type machine. Lovely park outside with good seating to relax and enjoy the 2 stunning SultanAhmet and the HagiaSofya. Food available all around and pay to use WC.
Safe and Secure with armed personal around and friendly staff and guides. Don't forget your comfy shoes

If you are in Istanbul Ayasofya (hagia sofia) is definitely a place you must visit. It was initially a church, was then reconstructed in to a mosque and is now functioning as a museum.
There is a strong mix of the two religions; christianity and islam, which honestly creates an incredibly authentic atmosphere. Not a lot of information is provided by the structures however you can pick up a leaflet before you enter.
Entrance fees for adults are currently 30 TURKISH LIRAS.

74 TL for 1 day visit. I visited with my family in Oct. The place is very nice full of history touches. Worth to try.

Im a Christian and i didn't feel so much Christian in there!but its a very big church and it worth visiting.

Think about how 54 meteres dome has been built fifteen centuries ago, don't miss to visit this magnificent architecture.

If you are in Istanbul the Hagia Sophia Museum is a MUST stop!
You ll be surprise with the majestic structure and architecture of the Church.

Beautiful building build in the 5th century. Such an unique experience to be able to see two different religions in one place magnificent. All of the tourists visiting istambul should go here.

An unbelievable site, living history of 1600 years!

A lot of history rests here, and it is magnificent to see the different traditions, cultures, and even religions layered on top of one another here. The architecture is stunning, it's beauty matched by its uniqueness. As with other holy sites, it is important to be respectful and to be mindful of the restoration efforts always underway.

Very very nice thank you turkey for preserving this tresor for humanity

One of the most beautiful structure on the world, it is almost 1500 years old and should be on everyone's list "have to see" in ISTANBUL. It's worth it to know basic about history of this beautiful place before you visit it !!! Then you can enjoy it to its maximum.
To avoid long queue you need to get there before 9am or be ready to pay about 100TL extra to local guide to let you skip the long line. (As we did)

Was here on 23 February 2020. Really amazing with the huge & unique architecture of the Ayasofya...

Place full of history! Christian Church, Mosque, museum - everything in one building

This historic building is currently under restoration so parts of its interior are covered with facades. Regardless, it is beautiful showing signs of the Christianity faith before it was converted into a mosque and it's current form as a museum. Another must see whilst I'm Istanbul.

Beautifully preserved. Must visit if you have time.

An astounding architectural jewel, crucial part of a thousand-five hundred-year legacy, which has undergone numerous changes, and still maintaining its charm.

Very nice place and Avoid dealing with the below person he is taking for touring more than the ticket fee. At the beginning, he told me the touring is free and Tourism Menistory will pay touring feed

Orthodox Church, turned mosque, turned museum, the Hagia Sophia is filled with interesting mosaic's. The main cathedral is massive and gorgeous.

Fantastic museum; lots of history. Buy the Museum Pass card; it will help you to skip the line, and enter in other museums for free (which you'll have to separately pay if you don't have the Museum Pass). Take an hour just to visit this place.

This building is one of the wonders of ancient world ...this was made during Roman times. The size of the building boggles the mind that it was able to be made without the existence of steel scaffolding. It's considered a museum now but was a Roman temple then taken over by Muslims now existing as a museum. You can walk to the top level using a series of ramps of stone walkways. The inside views are breathtaking.

Wow! Probably number 1 attraction in Istanbul. Well worth a visit. It really is awesome. Bring along your own water or other drinks because they're expensive on site. But don't let this put you off, it's great.

A church turned mosque turned museum. Interesting to see combination of different cultures and eras. Wall murals are a must at this place.

A must see. Superb culmination of Islamic and Christian traditions, East and West, byzantine and ottoman era's.

We heard a good and interesting legends from our guide Mustafa. Thank him a lot.

Amazing place .... Beautiful building and lots of history .... It was simply amazing

Doesn't take much time. You can also get closer to the outer structure of the main church.

Awesome edifice! Stunning tiles. Beautiful. A must see.

It was too many people, but the place is really magical. Once you are here you need to visit it.

Must see in Istanbul. Amazing especially at night time.

Impressive historical place and museum. One of the top touristic attractions of the city.

The history makes you go instant calm. Feel at rest i this gorgeaus place#

A church, a mosque, and now a museum. This location has been burnt down twice before Muslims take over the city. Then in 1930s it was turned into a museum. A tour guide is highly recommended. Make sure you get a good guide by asking some simple question that you have learned about this location. Then take your time and visit all the areas of the museum. Best time to visit is early in the morning especially in summer days.

Great museum with alot of history and a wonderful architecture that will blow your mind

There is lots of history and interest for anyone interested in such places. A Must place to visit when in Istanbul... Especially if you are a Bond fan... FRWL... Guess which one?

Amazing structure. One of the few places in world where you see Islamic/Christian heritage. The indoor ticket is a bit expensive though 30 TL.

THE Hagia Sophia Museum. Stunning place with a long history. Makes you want to do more and more research about the place and its past.

Crowded even at this off-peak time. We opted for the museum pass 220Tl per adult that can be used for many museums in Istanbul. That allowed us to use the fast track lane which can be very useful as the queues are long.

We spent easily 2hrs in there.

Nice architecture but n0t worth waiting in the lines.

Absolutelt nice, very historical and interesting..the backside was when we were here there were parts on restoration

May 2019... this place is under major restoration and repairs. Once done up, it will be worth a visit

Steeped in history. 900 years as a church, 500 as a mosque!

Haga Sofia Church is a beautiful Church and always will be although it was converted in to a Mosque then to a museum. It originates from Christianity and nobody can change that

It is a great place to visit but definitely not a museum. It has been originally a church and it's clear from the architecture. Ottomons tried to hide Christian signs, but in some parts they are revealed.

Very nice place. We visited on a Sunday and it was very crowded. It is very impressive to visit this building and its architecture. You feel like a part of history and it is fascinating to dive into this time.

Awesome history, religious artifacts, if queues are not for you, then take a 1 day tour. Many local guides...

Even openend during renovations. Just use your credit card to get tickets and you literally can skip the waiting line. Takes about 1,5h to view the interior which is quite enough. A location with an interesting history. Must see.

One of the most beautiful mosque after the prophets masjid in madina the words can not describe the beauty 10 /10 must visit must see

Beautiful experience .
much to see in the museum

Amazing experience visiting this beautiful place the architecture is out of this world. Such a beautiful historic building.

Historical Architectural and Cultural place to visit

My favourite place to visit in Istanbul, you can feel the history in every detail. Go either early in the morning or late in the afternoon, the queues during the weekend are horrendous. Places to visit inside include the wishing column and the mosaics on the upper level.

5 stars if it wasn't under construction. Also I got in just before it closed but they stopped selling the audio tour 15 minutes before it closed. Ended up getting a guided tour. Guide was fantastic. Amazing history here which you can obviously see from the mix of Catholic and Muslim rules. Suggest going later, very few people there which made for segrrat photos.

This is a very interesting place where 2 religions exists in the same building. 2 religions that have been seen as opposite sides are now existing in peace in the same place

Extremely packed at the line. The fast track seems like a lie because it was just a teenager boy who leads us by cutting the queue. There is no special door for fast track.
The place is grand, there is audio guide available for 30 tr per one headphone, needed passport for deposit. Sneakers are recommended expecially when you want to go up to the second floor.

Iran, isfahan, shiraz was much much more nicer, and tickets was much much more cheaper.

Incredible experience, one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the luck to visit.
My favourite experience in Istanbul!

Worthy to visit more than one time !
buildings of rural imposing size. an impression in every sense of the man.
I recommend that you visit at different times of the day, due to the effect of light....pay particular attention to a bunch of little things that are hard to spot, track, carved runes,Byzantine architectural..etc

A must! It's an amazing mosque-cathedral with centuries of history!

Very unique. The intersectionality of religion. Never seen anything like this in the world.

love the history..under renovation but probabky already completed by now

There is work being done on the inside dome and paintings on the walls. The view is very limited but they still can't cover up the beauty and magnificence of the Hagia Sophia. What is great is that upkeep is being done.

Beautiful place. There are private guides outside and if you pay a guide you do not have to stand in a queue. Our guide was good and after showing us around on the first floor telling us about Hagia Sofia, church from 532 to 1453, mosque from 1453 to 1935 and from then a museum, he left us to look on the upper floor for ourselves.

Impressive building and a great place to understand the history of Istanbul. The renovation works currently underway mean that some parts are not accessible and a lot of your photos will have scaffolding and hoarding in them. However, don t let this put you off visiting.

Perfect and amazing building. It comes from heart of time. This place had different role during time. Church and mosque...