Hagia Sophia Tickets & Guided Tour
Few buildings have carried this much history. Hagia Sophia has stood on the same ground for close to 1,500 years, serving first as the cathedral at the centre of Orthodox Christianity, then as the first great mosque of Ottoman Istanbul. It went up in barely five years — extraordinary for the sixth century — and its dome, 55.6 metres high and nearly 32 metres across, went unmatched anywhere in the world for the next eight hundred.
- At the gate
- £29.75
- Allow
- 1h 30m
- District
- Sultanahmet
- Closed
- Open daily
Hagia Sophia, in short
Few buildings have carried this much history. Hagia Sophia has stood on the same ground for close to 1,500 years, serving first as the cathedral at the centre of Orthodox Christianity, then as the first great mosque of Ottoman Istanbul. It went up in barely five years u2014 extraordinary for the sixth century u2014 and its dome, 55.6 metres high and nearly 32 metres across, went unmatched anywhere in the world for the next eight hundred.
What makes it worth your time is not the scale alone. Byzantine mosaics and Ottoman calligraphy share the same walls, one layered over the other rather than replacing it. Roman emperors were crowned here. Sultans met their people here. You are looking at both, at once.
Opening hours
Open daily, 09:00 to 19:00.
What it costs
Entry is included with your guided tour on the pass, so there is nothing to pay at the door and no ticket queue to join.
Getting there
Hagia Sophia sits in the heart of the old city, and public transport gets you close.
From old-city hotels, take the T1 tram to Sultanahmet and walk about five minutes. From Taksim, take the F1 funicular down to Kabatau015f, then the T1 tram to Sultanahmet u2014 two to three minutes on foot from there.
How long to allow, and when to go
On your own, 15 to 20 minutes covers it. A guided tour runs closer to 30 and will point out detail that is easy to walk straight past.
It is an active mosque, so plan around prayer times. Early morning is the calmest slot and the light through the upper windows is at its best.
A little history
Visitors routinely confuse Hagia Sophia with the Blue Mosque across the square. The quickest way to tell them apart is the minarets: Hagia Sophia has four, added under the Ottomans; the Blue Mosque has six, which was near-scandalous when it was built.
Together with Topkapu0131 Palace, both sit on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and all three are within a few minutes' walk of one another.
What to wear
Because it functions as a mosque, dress modestly. Women should cover their head, shoulders and knees u2014 a scarf is enough, and scarves are available at the entrance. Men should wear trousers or shorts below the knee. Shoes come off before you go in.
Frequently asked questions
- It is the largest Roman-era church still standing in Istanbul, roughly 1,500 years old, and it carries decoration from both the Byzantine and Ottoman periods on the same walls. Very few buildings anywhere have served two major religions so completely.
- In Sultanahmet, the historic core of the old city, alongside most of Istanbul's other major sights.
- It is a working mosque, so modest dress is expected. Women need their head, shoulders and knees covered u2014 bring or borrow a scarf. Men should be in trousers or shorts that reach below the knee. Everyone removes their shoes.
- The Blue Mosque was purpose-built as a mosque in the 17th century. Hagia Sophia began life as a cathedral around 1,100 years earlier and was converted later. Count the minarets to tell them apart from outside: four for Hagia Sophia, six for the Blue Mosque.
- Today it is a mosque. It was a cathedral for roughly 900 years, a mosque for around 480, a museum from 1935, and returned to use as a mosque in 2020.
- Yes. Non-Muslim visitors are welcome outside prayer times. Your pass covers a guided tour, so you skip the ticket desk.
- Around 15 to 20 minutes unaccompanied, or about 30 minutes with a guide.
- No. Entry and the guided tour are both included.