Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya)
- Address: Aya Sofya Meydani, Istanbul
- Hours: Open daily 9:30am - 4:30pm. Closed Mondays
- Admission: 20 TL
ATTRACTION Keywords:
Holy Place,
Must-Do Experience,
Religious Experience,
UNESCO Heritage Site,
Monument - Historical,
Mosque
Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) Reviews
We've found 27 Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) reviews from Viator.com travelers and members: what they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved. It's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
Review by Julian E, April 2013
Doing what: Istanbul Small-Group Walking Tour: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar
This was probably the best tour of the ones I did on my trip to Istanbul and Athens. Our tour guide was beyond friendly and excited about showing us all of the cool sites that we were going to see in our full day. The small group walking tour was great because it was limited to a certain number of people so it was easier to follow and listen to our guide with no problems at all. We got to see and tour the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and the Topkapi Palace. The tour also included lunch at a great restaurant in the middle of the day. Our guide was very friendly and very gracious and warm with all of our questions and observations on the trip, even helping to take photos for people who wanted to remember the amazing sites that we were visiting. I have done a number of Viator tours and this one was probably the best one because the guide was so great. She really had a great deal of knowledge to past and when I even brought up a story that another guide had mentioned, she didn't shoot my story down but rather seemed genuinely interested in learning this new information and excited to research it as she might have learned something new herself. I would say that if you go to Istanbul you absolutely must do this tour because it covers four of the most visited sites in Istanbul in great detail and its so helpful to have someone showing you around and explaining what it is you are looking at, especially in the Topkapi Palace which has so many parts and rooms and things to look at. I would highly recommend this tour and hopefully you end up with the great tour guide that we had.
Review by Nilan J, March 2013
Doing what: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
This trip is great and value for money. I recommend to anybody who is on a busy schedule. Hagia Sophia is one of a kind. Everything was very well organized. We had a nice tour guide called Derya she was very knowledgeable and was ready to answer any question that we may have. We had a satisfying lunch and people were very hospitable. I never felt we were rushed at anypoint during the tour, in fact had enough time to take some good snaps. Istanbul has something for everybody.
In addition to this tour I would highly recommend to all folks visiting Istanbul to take Bosphorus cruise at night! Amazing..! Thanks Viator, Neon, and our Guide Derya
Nilan Jay
Review by Bruce P, Australia, March 2013
Doing what: Private Tour: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour including Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace
This was an excellent tour. Our guide (Tibet) took us to all the key sites, and we managed to avoid all of the queues. The tour also included a fabulous lunch at a hotel near the Hagia Sophia and Tibet also took us through the bazaar. Well worth having the private tour which also included pick up and return from our hotel.
Review by Patricia M, March 2013
Doing what: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
Omar our tour guide and we had a Blast! He is very knowledgeable and kept us moving at a comfortable pace. I think this was a great way to see and Feel Istanbul! I loved the Bazaar and Haggling with the store owners! Food was great ! Thanks for the Memories! We took tour on Mon, as we toured Hagia Sophia on Sun on our own , so it was great to see the Chora !
Review by Blanca, United Kingdom, January 2013
Doing what: Istanbul Small-Group Walking Tour: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar
I really enjoyed this tour, which was the perfect introduction to Istanbul, including all the top attractions which can´t be missed! I was really impressed by the Blue Mosque, it was probably my favourite. And Topkapi Palace and the Hagia Sophia were also definitely worth seeing. The guide was really knowledgable and made the tour and explanations very interesting. We were in a very small group, which was great as it almost felt private! Really recommend this tour!
Review by Blanca, United Kingdom, January 2013
Doing what: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
This tour was the perfect introduction to Istanbul, including all the top attractions which can´t be missed! I was really impressed by the Blue Mosque, it was probably my favourite. And Topkapi Palace and the Hagia Sophia were also definitely worth seeing. The guide was really knowledgable and made the tour and explanations very interesting. Really recommend to do it on first day to Istanbul!
Review by Gene L, October 2012
Doing what: Private Tour: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour including Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace
Excellent guide, great tour of the palace, Blue Mosque, and Hagia Sophia. I would (and have) recommend this tour and this tour company company to my friends!
Review by Trisha, September 2012
Doing what: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
Be prepared for a lot of walking but also for a lot of very interesting sites and sounds. Topkapi is amazing and has so much to offer. The Blue Mosque is beautiful and definitely a must to see, as is the Hagia Sophia. Unfortunately by the time we got to the Grand Bazaar, we were all a little tired and very hot but it gives you a little taste of the bazaar and certainly makes a future visit to the bazaar a little easier. The lunch that we had on this tour was exceptionally good and made for a nice break in the middle of the day.
Review by Berry4, France, April 2012
Doing what: Private Tour: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour including Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace
We booked a full day tour in Istanbul with our two teenagers. We were very pleased with the level of professionalism of our guide, Vulcan. He was clearly knowledgeable of the history of the city and his English was very good. We learned so much from him that otherwise we would not have experienced on our own or with a large group. The tour was very well organized and included a nice lunch with a view of Hagia Sophia. We casually mentioned that we'd like to have a lesson on the making of Turkish carpets and he immediately set up a visit to a reputable carpet wholesaler in the area and accompanied us. For our family, having a real expert on the history of the sites, one who truly loves his country and its culture, made the tour very enjoyable and memorable.
Review by Peter, Australia, September 2010
Hagia Sophia is one of those places in which you can't help but be in awe. It is easy to see why Byzantine Emperor Justinian all those centuries ago was blown away when he saw the interior of the church/mosque/museum. Just the size and space of the building is overwhelming. My tip is to get there as soon as it opens to try to beat the tours from the cruise ships.
Review by HARRY J, Puerto Rico, August 2010
Doing what: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
We saw so much in so little time. Every place we went to was very beautiful and impressive, and we got all the history background thanks to our guide. We took the tour on Monday and Hagia Sophia was closed all museums closed on Mon. Our tour guide took us to the New Town instead. We had to add a simple tour on Tuesday for Hagia Sophia.
Review by Anonymous, February 2010
Doing what: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
It was a good tour, I was lucky to have a very good group of people. The tour was very organized and the guide was excellent. The time given in Hagia Sophia was very short as we could not explore the upper floor. Overall i enjoyed the tour.
Review by Claudia A, April 2013
Doing what: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
This is a great way to get an overview of the city. Don't do this tour on Mondays because Hagia Sophia does not open on Mondays. Our tour guide was a little dry. A little more interaction from him would have been nice. But, overall it was a good tour.
Review by Ruby C, December 2012
Doing what: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
The tour was informative and interesting but there was quite a bit of walking as it was hard to get around a bus in the crowded streets within the timeframe. However, the website should advise the day Hagia Sophia is closed so tourists can decide whether they want to plan their trip around that day
Review by Amir, September 2012
Doing what: Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
The english speaking guide's commentary was good. It was good that I bought the viator voucher because the line outside Hagia Sophia was unusually big. Visit to the carpet factory and spice bazaar should be dropped.
