Sultanahmet: Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern and the Blue Mosque
5 stops- 09:00
Hagia Sophia
Built as a church in the sixth century and a mosque again since 2020, Hagia Sophia is known for its huge dome and the Byzantine mosaics that survive beside the great Ottoman calligraphy roundels. Visitors now see it from the upper galleries while the ground floor is kept for worship, which is why the slot is short; Hagia Irene is a few minutes' walk away.
- Walk, 3 min
- 09:50
Hagia Irene
This red-brick Byzantine church in the first courtyard of Topkapı Palace was never turned into a mosque and is now open as a museum, with a bare interior, a large cross in the apse and fine acoustics. It is a quick stop before the Archaeology Museums just downhill by Gülhane Park.
- Walk, 3 min
- 10:30
Istanbul Archaeology Museums
Three buildings around a garden courtyard hold finds from across the former Ottoman lands: look for the Alexander Sarcophagus, the Tiled Kiosk with its Iznik tiles and the Museum of the Ancient Orient. Afterwards walk back up to Sultanahmet for the Basilica Cistern.
- Walk, 6 min
- 12:15
Basilica Cistern
Steps lead down into the sixth-century underground reservoir, a forest of columns standing in shallow water, with two Medusa heads reused as column bases at the far end. It is cool and dim inside, and the Blue Mosque is a short walk across Sultanahmet Square.
- Walk, 6 min
- 13:05
Sultan Ahmed Mosque
The Blue Mosque takes its nickname from the blue Iznik tiles inside, and its six minarets and cascade of domes face Hagia Sophia across the square. It is a working mosque with a separate visitor entrance, and the old Hippodrome with its Egyptian obelisk lies right beside it for the end of the day.
