Santa Sofía Reviews

A must visit site in Istanbul. It is very beautiful from inside, shows you the history and how beautiful the art. Prices are fair. Bring a camera to take photos

Fresco fantastic..if the scaffolding is removed it will look great.. the chandiliars were so many

very very nice. historical area. i strongly suggest you to visit there.

Beautiful mix of religion, culture and history in one place. You almost can touch the past.

amazing, wanted to be there without the renew works, will go again next vacation

A historical place witnessed two great empires of the old world!

Beginning as a church, then turned into a mosque and now it's a museum.

Symbols of world piece combined history of Christian and Muslim. There is a worth of visiting especially April when surroundings decorated by national flower of Tulips.

Hagia Sophia is a great architectural beauty and an important monument both for Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque, and now a museum at the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia has always been the precious of its time.

An utterly, stunning piece of architecture which, regardless of religious beliefs, will leave a lasting impact. The whole city is a must-see, destination; the crossroads of Europe and Asia with the subsequent mixing of cultures produces a unique city with so much to see and experience.

Beautiful. Recomend taking a guide, as you will skip all the line ups and get an in depth tour

Place of a massive massive historical importance.
This mosque/church (which was in history), a museum now has some of the oldest painting and decorations including some tomb stones dated 500AD.

Okay when you come to this area you might be confuse which one is Aya Sofea... so the pink one is Hagia Sofia and the opposite is the Blue Mosque... If you want to enter there is entrance fee but just by taking pictures outside is worth the view! Come early in the morning for a decent and peaceful view of the place..you will not regret it!

The great museum to visit. The ticket price was 40 TL with long que. But I meet a registered guide who took me inside without que wait in 70 TL. When I visited with him at the end he sold me Top Kapi Palace museum tickets in 45 TL which was actually in 40 TL. Over all it was good.

Excellent place to be who loves history.. n is interested in transformation of Byzantine to Ottoman culture..

Great experience, can be a bit crowded so recommended to go as early as possible.
Fast track ticket worth the extra money. Save so much time.

I loved the cultural significance and architecture of the Museum. It is one of the very few places that houses artifacts and is also a place of worship for 3 different religions( Islam, Christianity, Jewish), which is a pleasant oddity in the current day Islamic nation of Turkey

Fantastic sight to visit! A must do in Istanbul. Don t miss the balcony as the Byzantine frescoes are tremendous !

Absolutely amazing for what we saw! We got the museum pass so it was fast entry. There was reconstruction happening so couldn't see everything but still worth having a look!

Hagia Sophia Museum is an old and beautiful museum in istanbul.

Mind blowing architecture and such rich history with a side of cats

Hagia Sophia is a tourist hotspot, but it is truly a great place to visit. You can queue for ages to get your tickets, but once inside the wait is forgotten. A magnificent, very special place. Only shame was that they were renovating one half of the structure, so there were a lot of building materials inside.

Wish there was no repairs that we could have enjoyed most.

An excellent case to learn about a place which is converted from church to mosque to museum. Lovely environment. Must visit recommendation

A must see place... what a history , what an architectural miracle....

Historical place beautiful but was very expensive ticket

Nice building, but it urgently needs reconstruction and be closed for it. Inside it looks like on construction site . Half of the interiors covered by covers, reconstruction tower in the middle ,.. Not nice at all. Also is overcrowded by tourists, so you feel like in metro station in Rush Hour. Entrance 100 lira is overpriced. Bus organized Tours should be banned inside.

This is another master piece in Istanbul, just in front of Blue Mosque. It was initially a Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum by Turkish government. It was built in 537 AD at the beginning of the Middle Ages, it was famous in particular for its massive dome. A must visit place while in Istanbul. You have to purchase ticket to enter and for kinds, entry is free.

Impressive museum with a fusion of Church and mosque in the inside. Would highly recommend doing a guided tour

Beautiful museum with fascinating interior
Had a Lovely sunny day with great atmosphere. Had a relaxing day.

Stunning place - scaffolding obscured bored. Mosaics are beautiful.

Awe inspiring. Such a sense of history, a must see.

very beautiful Palace you are not allowed to tour your self but in groups
go early to enjoy

A lot of History and a masterpiece of architecture. The Museum actually has alot to say. Walls and first floor is damaged which is clearly shown as repaired and some paintings have also been repaired. Still This is a beautiful place to visit.

A Marvelous Wonder of the Old World. A must see if you appreciate history, art, and architecture.

Awesome place, but there was a VVIP visit at the time so us commoners weren't allowed in

we bought tickes from get the istanbul card..15 euro per person with a guide..what to say for this monument..it is magnificent,no words..just go and see with your eyes..it is now mixed museum from orthodox and muslim,,for my opinion it is a bit corellated but it remains very very magnificent.

It's absolutely beautiful! Breath taking, I'd come here a million times and still be in awe.

Absolute pleasure for the eyes! I felt like I can visit this place several times and still would love to go again.

It is history, I know.
But it did not catch my eyes.

One of the most beautiful monuments I have visited. Lots of restoration work being done.

No comment about what history in that he have there but really this place
Making stanbul logo best from many thing
Have twice important religion's inside there
like to visit it in Winter
Not much visiter
You can more relaxing there

Hagia Sophia or Aya Sofa as a simple name located near from blue mosque

A truly historic place. A place you can walk around for hours during the day. Queues are not particularly long. Very manageable.

I missed my international flight to visit hagia sophia! That was unintentinal. hahaha
I was fascinated to visit istanbul as I got inspired from Orhan Pamuk's "Istanbul" book. This is a must read book for Istanbul lovers. I tasted the local foods there. Foods are really delicious and had a taste of aristocracy. One day, I would love to write my experience of 8 hours at Istanbul.

Great & memorable place for me!

So crowded...the dark faded lights make it difficult to see the place.

Fantastic place, great building. Got to visit again. Learnt a lot

Just unbelievable creation, long long history and stories here

Very grateful
A place with two history, Christine and Islam.

Amazing history. Beautiful architecture. Love the way different religious icons live side by side.

Very impressive place to visit, but some is still under construction. Cannot take the whole view of the picture.

Fantastic museum but 1500 years ago, a perfect illustration of tokerence and coexistence fitting the ottoman empire. Must see if in Istanbul. Highly recommend a ship the line or private tour

Fantastic, must see, worth waiting in the queue and the admission price. Get there early!

Another great template. Meaningful part is currently hidden by renovation works. I was really disappointed.

One of the greatest architectural feats of all time! The dome, the surviving frescoes, the space dedicated to Holy Wisdom (Jesus Christ)! Be blessed!

Beautiful, rich architecture with massive hanging chandelier lights.

Must see when in Istanbul and for a reason: magnificent!

Just like a good book, I had to read (visit) this place twice in a week. So grand in architecture, history, and meanings. Must visit!

The view from the outside of museum at sunset is amazing.

Historically an amazing place.
Good to see the restorations and maintenance, pity the scaffolding blocked the view.

amazing place with so many history.. great architecture..

More story, but rencostruction never end every year.

Amazing interior. They are currently doing renovations of half of the wall though.