Byzantine landmark and working mosque, Sultanahmet
EUR 25
Foreign visitors buy a ticket for the upper-gallery route at the visitor entrance, as of Oct 2026; worshippers enter free.
Is it free?Not for foreign visitors, who enter on a paid route to the upper gallery. Worshippers come to pray on the ground floor.
Visits pause around each daily prayer, longer on Friday midday, so weekday mornings are usually a good choice.
From the upper gallery, gold Byzantine mosaics sit close by while Ottoman calligraphy roundels fill the hall below.
Foreign visitors follow a route to the upper gallery, which gives a view down into the main hall and close looks at the gold mosaics. Look for the scene of Christ with the Virgin and John the Baptist, and the imperial portraits along the walls. From above you can also see the great Ottoman roundels with their calligraphy, the mihrab and the light falling from the windows around the dome.
On Sultanahmet Square facing the Blue Mosque, with the Basilica Cistern just across the road.
Modest dress is expected, as at any working mosque. Follow the guidance at the entrance on covering up and on shoes. Foreign visitors take a separate paid route to the upper gallery, as of Oct 2026, while worshippers pray on the ground floor below.
Hagia Sophia is again a working mosque, so visits pause around each prayer and for longer around the Friday midday prayer. Worshippers use the ground floor, while foreign visitors keep to the upper gallery route, as of Oct 2026. Weekday mornings usually leave the most flexibility.
In our plans: Day 1, “Hagia Sophia & Blue Mosque”. Hagia Sophia sits at the heart of Sultanahmet, facing the Blue Mosque across the square, with the Basilica Cistern across the road and Topkapı Palace behind. That makes it an easy anchor for a morning on foot.
Foreign visitors buy a ticket for the upper-gallery route at the visitor entrance, while worshippers on the ground floor enter free, as of Oct 2026. The Tours section lists guided options, and the Book box on this page shows partner tickets and current prices.
Morning · 30–45 min
Morning · you are here
Morning · 3–4 h
Afternoon · 2–3 h
Next stop: 9–12 min walk
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