Istanbul Classics and Highlights! Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi and more!
Istanbul
Price: $125
Min age: 1
Rating 4.95 / 5 [315 ratings]
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A masterpiece of Byzantine architecture, this world-renowned 6th-century marvel encapsulates the essence of the lost Ottoman Empire in stone.
With a great dome and marble columns adorned with frescoes and glittering gold mosaics, the Church of the ‘Holy Wisdom’ was the last major creation of classical antiquity and the centre of the Byzantine world for 1,000 years. Initially a cathedral, then a mosque, it’s now a museum as well as a functioning mosque – and a must-see in Istanbul.
Take the tram to the Sultanahmet station; from there, it’s just a short walk.
There a number of local operators who offer guided tours of the Hagia Sophia, usually as part of a wider old-town tour – useful for skipping the queues, although some tours do feel rushed. Just make sure you climb up to the gallery for views down over the interior and to see the best mosaics.
Women need to cover their heads, shoulders and knees.
The mosque is open all year round, seven days a week, except during prayers (half an hour after the call to prayer). Also avoid the main services on Friday mornings and early afternoons, unless you’re a Muslim.
If you can go early in the day, when it first opens, to avoid the queues and the crowds. Or go a couple of hours before closing, as the crowds disperse and the lights come on. Also try to avoid July and August and weekends and holidays throughout the year, when it’s packed.
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