Santa Sofía Review

A Great place to visit. Normally on everyone's to do list in Istanbul. The Architecture and Interiors are stunning.

Beautiful mosque.. loved visiting. There are two floor. Should visit the upper floor as well. From the 1st floor the view is good..

A beautiful mix of cultures, symbols and architectural styles, a must see.
For the price, however, I would expect the audioguide to be included or to jefe more detailed information on the panels inside.

Beautiful architecture. Ridiculous prices for tour guides and rental headsets so didnt get the history

Awesome and historical place.
60 TL per person for the ticket.
Very nice place.

Simply gorgeous place and a testament to the genius of the Byzantines. Real shame that so much of the art on its walls and ceilings was lost after its conversion to a mosque.

Beautiful however lots of scaffolding.. the way to go to the second floor is cool

If you didn't visit it during your stay in Istanbul, thats mean you didn't visit Istanbul..its closes on Mondays..make sure to take a tour with instructor to get to know the place.

Hahia Sophia is really a historical place and I recommend everyone visiting Istanbul to come here and I recommend them to come as soon as it opens which is 9:00 AM

A fantastic day out with lots to learn and an abundance of photo opportunities. An incredible historic site.

Hagia Sophia is one of the best attraction in Istanbul. I have seen many Islamic as well as Ottomans used belongings.
It is a former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal basilica, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Built in 537 AD at the beginning of the Middle Ages, it was famous in particular for its massive dome.

Extraordinary place, a most for serious travelers & impressive architecture.

Never have I ever been in a place with such a high ceiling (as tall as a 10-15 storied building).

Such a historical place. I always wanted to visit here when I was little. Lots of stories I heard about this place. It was once a church then converted into a mosque which later, converted into a museum to satisfy both Christian and Muslim.

Holy Quran Sure Al-Baqarah 117;
Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, "Be," and it is.

The architecture is spectacular and amazing. I enjoyed walking in the outdoor and looking at those perfect architecture building. Unfortunately the time i went it was being renovated so i couldn't visit all the interior spaces.

Beautiful experience to see the glamour of Hagia Sophia and the ethnic charm and serenity

A marvel; In September 2018 there were some areas hidden from view because of restoration, eg the Viking graffiti balcony. The restoration scaffolding has moved from where it was two years ago.

Awesome place you must visit the day you come to Istanbul

When I visit, the Building still under renovation. But still manage to see everything. Lots stories behind of marmer. You will see many cute Cats

Can not believe that this building still stand untill now. Great!!!

Neglected. It's so sad to see inside cats walking . I didn't like that it was museum but it hasn't any information about the building etc . It's not worthy . You can see the pictures on google

The line to enter can be long, but seems to shorten considerably around 5PM which give you 2 hours to enjoy this incredible building in relative peace. My favorite feature is the 8 red granite pillars quarried in Aswan Egypt and installed in Baalbek Lebanon temple complex where they stood for 700 years before being salvaged after the earthquake for 550 AD to become part of Aya Sophia

This is the best place to visit in Istanbul, as this belongs to an ancient monument. Best time visit this during the spring season. Hagia sofia was a transformation from a church to a Mosque and now a Museum.

This is a huge imposing mosque very old with a big history. Definitely a tranguil place to pray you salah. Highly recommended.

It's a beautiful building with an amazing history, but I don't think it's worth the long lineups and the entrance fee.

Worth the wait to check this off my list. Absolutely astonishing what man can accomplish.

The size of the dome is breathtaking. The architecture and details of the building is amazing. It's a must see in Istanbul.

it smells in there and i never went to the place. it also has bad bathrooms

nothing to add to all previous comments. outstanding.

Grand building makes you wonder how clever were those people who built such magnificent structures without any engineering calculations and those buildings have lasted centuries.

It's small and don't have enough assistant tools for tourists. The current constructions cover a big seen.

Packed full of history.... A must visit for anyone in turkey

Major repairs in progress inside (May 2019) but still fantastic place. Go up to balcony using ramp starting in nearest left corner as you enter. Read up about putting your thumb in a hole in the wall. Note the "altar" is moved 5 degrees to right as is steps etc so now points towards Mecca rather than due East because was changed from church to mosque (now museum hence entry fee).

Must see...ticket little bit overpriced but I hope that price will help with quicker restoration. Scaffolding is still there from my last visit (4 years ago). Restoration cover all over place, killing that historical feeling.

One of the best buildings in the world. We had an excellent guide Omar.

Very historic and awesome views, a must see in Istanbul.

I spent all afternoon, and I can't believe it already have more than thousand years in Istanbul
It is the impressive historical architecture

Stunning place. A fusion of Christianity and Islam. Centuries of history to behold.

It's a beautiful example of how different cultures and times have contributed to the monuments we now witness

One of the greatest architectural sites in the world every man and women should see this marvelous place
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It's great and historical place. Here you can feel the spirit of several religions. It's huge building very beautiful inside and outside. I think it's really famous place in the world.

Despair and absolute respect, one of the most important orthodox Christian temples of the world heritage, unfortunately the New Turks do not respect and do not care as they should ... !!!

So, this place is immense and amazing. We went in with a tour and didn't spend long enough here. This church was built right at the start of roman Christianity.. So theres amazing mosaics and also features pillaged from roman temples. Big Red column from the temple of apollo and also artemis from epheses. Wow!

so happy I finally got to Istanbul's Hagia Sophia Museum. This museum is a very historic monument to the Romans and Turks. a historical legacy that is still neatly guarded by the Turkish state government. I hope this historic environment can be maintained forever in Turkey.

The no.1 place to go. Great coming together of pre-islamic era, Islamic rule. A step away from the 21st centenary and s step back into 17th centenary Istanbul

Most unbelievable historical building, a must see bucket list destination.

Must see place. You have to buy your tickets for 40TL by standing in the queue. .(..longer queue during the holiday season) If you are not used to queues , then for an additional 100TL ( negotiable may be) you can have your own museum guide (who can speak in the language of your preference.)

The museum offers audio guides for 30TL. You can get one of that and enjoy the history of the museum.

Don't waste your money if you are not interested in history.

Instead enjoy the beautiful sight of the Blue mosque or indulge in some Hamam (turkish massage) or just wander around the fountain and get some fridge magnets at the stores or walk into the bazaar for a quick look at carpets and spices ...all at the Sultanahmet square.

Oh and don't be disappointed if you don't get to see the Blue mosque. .its closed for the visitors until May . And only prayers can be offered here. Due to some renovation work I was told.

Don't buy spices near the square. If you are looking to buy authentic spices then head to the spice market . EGYPTIAN BAZAR.

Tremendous historical building mixing christianity with Islam

Well worth the visit lots to learn, beautiful place.

The history behind this beautiful place is mind-blowing. Definitely in the top 5 museums to visit in Turkey.

Looks beautiful!!! I hope it returns to a Catholic Church one day. Would love to go to Mass there!

What a beautiful museum with such a rich history. Make sure to get a guided tour by an official guide if you're not aware about the history. Trust me it makes a huge difference!

Not much to see given the ticket fee.. But one shouldn't miss out on the history while visiting this area

The history behind this place is amazing and so interesting inside. There are scenes in the 1963 James Bond movie "From Russia with Love" filmed inside. Looks exactly the same now as it does in the movie.