How to Buy Hagia Sophia Tickets & What to Expect

The Hagia Sophia is without doubt one of the most popular sights in Istanbul, and for good purpose – it’s an unimaginable place!

In case you’re planning a visit to Istanbul, ensure that to place the Hagia Sophia in your checklist of must-sees.

Guided Hagia Sophia tickets are comparatively cheap, and there are just a few alternative ways to purchase them. You should purchase tickets on the door, or prematurely on-line. We suggest buying your tickets online forward of time to keep away from any traces or crowds on the attraction. Belief us, visiting the Hagia Sophia is an expertise you received’t wish to miss!

Shopping for tickets for to the Hagia Sophia

Nevertheless, shopping for Hagia Sophia tickets generally is a bit complicated, particularly in case you’re not conversant in the town or how Turkish ticketing works.

To save lots of you some bother (and show you how to profit from your journey!), right here’s a fast information on tips on how to purchase tickets to see the Hagia Sophia. The very first thing you could know is that there are two varieties of tickets: an everyday and free entrance ticket and a guided tour ticket.

The common free entrance ticket will achieve you entry to the Hagia Sophia, however doesn’t embody any info or steering in regards to the constructing itself. Alternatively, the guided tour ticket contains an audio information in addition to entry to sure components of the Hagia Sophia which might be normally closed off to guests. In case you’re trying to study extra in regards to the historical past and story behind this unimaginable piece of structure, we suggest going with the guided tour choice!

Nevertheless, in case you’re quick on time or simply wish to discover at your personal tempo, then getting an everyday entrance ticket would suffice.

You should purchase a guided tour ticket here or a guided tour ticket with a historian here.

Good to learn about visiting Hagia Sophia

Buying Hagia Sophia tickets is a straightforward course of, however there are some things it’s best to have in mind before you purchase.

In the beginning, it’s vital to know that the Hagia Sophia is closed on Mondays.

Secondly, admission to the Hagia Sophia is free, except you want to have a information, telling you extra about this stunning constructing and its historical past.

Then we suggest buying a tour in advance online. Not solely will this prevent time, nevertheless it’ll additionally can help you reap the benefits of discounted charges for teams of 10 or extra individuals. So how do you buy tickets on-line?

Resolve what number of tickets you want. Then merely fill out your contact info and hit “submit.” It’s that straightforward!

If you wish to go to different close by sights just like the Topkapi Palace or the Sunken Palace, then you definately’ll have to buy a multi-site ticket.

After getting your ticket, merely present it to the safety guard on the entrance and luxuriate in your go to!

For guided excursions you’ll have a free admission for kids beneath 2 years outdated. Discounted ticket costs for kids 3 to 7 years outdated (with legitimate picture ID). Audio guides accessible relying on the ticket choice booked.

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Hagia Sophia Spotlight Tour with Information and Audio Information App

It is a ticket for an unique, guided VIP tour of the Hagia Sophia. Ebook your Hagia Sophia Tour on-line now and benefit from the Highlights Tour with included Audio Information App!

Worth: €14.25

Low cost: 5%

• Bestseller Tour
• Prompt Affirmation
• Free Cancelation
• Straight Obtainable

Book here!

How the Hagia Sophia go to works

After you place your order, you’ll obtain a affirmation with the assembly level and particulars for downloading the Hagia Sophia Audio App. Your Istanbul Welcome Card information will meet you on the Hagia Sophia and escort you inside for a 30 minute tour, offering important historic info alongside the way in which. After the tour, be at liberty to ask your information something in regards to the Hagia Sophia, Byzantine Empire or Istanbul. You’ll additionally obtain a Hagia Sophia map to be able to discover by yourself and study extra by audio commentary in your smartphone app.

Essential info

You received’t have the ability to minimize the safety line. Throughout excessive season, the safety examine can take as much as half-hour.

Your benefits

Be versatile – You establish the beginning time and tempo
Particular person Journey – You don’t depending on a bunch!
Person pleasant

Combi ticket: Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Sunken Palace Basilica Cistern and Audio Information App

Worth: €51.30

Low cost: 5%

Bestseller Tour
Prompt Affirmation
Free Cancelation
Straight Obtainable

It’s possible you’ll cancel these Hagia Sophia tickets as much as 24 hours previous to the beginning of the expertise to obtain a full refund.

This VIP combo ticket will prevent money and time because it means that you can simply go to Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Sunken Palace. After your reservation, you’ll obtain a affirmation with assembly locations and instances, in addition to obtain particulars for the Audio Apps. Your information will meet you in entrance of Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern. You’ll skip the ticket traces (besides Hagia Sophia) and luxuriate in a 30 min highlights tour with a licensed native tour information inside every museum. Afterwards, you may keep at every sight so long as you need and hearken to thrilling tales in your included audio information apps in your smartphone.

Book this tour here!

Combo ticket Istanbul is legitimate for 3 days

You possibly can go to all 3 museums in 1 day or at totally different days. Your identify can be on our checklist for 3 days. You possibly can come on the accessible instances, to our assembly factors and go to together with your Istanbul Welcome Card information these prime museums.

Essential info

You possibly can skip ticket traces with guides, however can’t skip the safety line.

Your benefits

Be versatile – You establish the beginning time and tempo
Particular person Journey – You don’t depending on a bunch!
Person pleasant

Sunken Palace: Fast entry with highlights tour + audio information

Worth: €19.95
Length: versatile
Included:
– Fast admission to the Sunken Palace
– English talking tour information
– Audio information
Cancellation deadline: It’s possible you’ll cancel these tickets as much as 24 hours previous to the beginning of the expertise to obtain a full refund.

Book this ticket here!

It is a VIP ticket for the Basilica Cistern. Purchase it on-line to save lots of time by skipping the lengthy ticket traces. Plus, you’ll get a highlights tour and an audio information app!

Afterwards, you may spend as a lot time as you need indoors, listening to the informative audio information app in your smartphone, and discovering the Basilica Cistern at your personal tempo.

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Hagia Sophia customer info

Hagia Sophia is located within the European facet of Istanbul, within the Sultanahmet district (Previous Metropolis), near Topkapi Palace. It’s just a few minutes’ stroll from the lodges in Sultanahmet. Istanbul Worldwide Airport is 20 km away.

Hagia Sophia is open daily besides Mondays.

April 15-Oct 1 it’s open 9 am-7 pm with final admission at 6 pm;
Oct 1-April 15 it’s open 9am-5pm with final entry at 4pm.

Hagia Sophia closes for Ramadan and Eid Ul Adha holidays.

Is the Hagia Sophia barrier-free?

The primary ground is accessible for wheelchair customers.

Nevertheless, the higher ground just isn’t accessible as a result of many steps and cobblestones.

Is images allowed in Hagia Sophia?

Sure, images is allowed contained in the Hagia Sophia.

Nevertheless, using tripods is prohibited.

Is there a costume code to comply with at Hagia Sophia?

Sure, since it’s a non secular web site, all guests are anticipated to decorate modestly. If doable, shorts and sleeveless tops shouldn’t be worn.

Ladies should put on a headband to enter the mosque. Free headscarves will be discovered close to the doorway.

As well as, guests should depart their footwear exterior.

Extra helpful details about the Hagia Sophia

Over time, Hagia Sophia has withstood quite a few occasions and disasters, equivalent to the autumn of highly effective civilizations, fires or earthquakes.

Immediately, this landmark hides loads of fascinating tales. What began because the Church of St. Sophia finally turned the Hagia Sophia Mosque, then it was run as a museum and after a while it was transformed again right into a mosque.

Discover out what makes this well-known landmark so particular right here:

Hagia Sophia is a kind of locations that all the time appears to have one thing new to supply. Irrespective of what number of instances you go to there’s all the time some recent secret ready to be uncovered. It’s half church, half mosque – however its wealthy historical past implies that there’s rather more to find out about this place than meets the attention.

Allow us to take you on a tour by a few of the most fascinating details and figures surrounding Hagia Sophia…

Extraordinary structure and quick building time of Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia was in-built an extremely quick period of time – solely six years! The architects who designed it have been forward of their time, utilizing data of mechanics and arithmetic that was uncommon for the period.

The constructing itself is a very unique design, combining options of a longitudinal basilica and a centralized constructing. It has an enormous, 32-meter foremost dome that hangs from the ceiling, in addition to two semidomes (half-domes) on both facet of the longitudinal axis. When it comes to its format, the constructing is nearly sq.. It has three aisles, that are separated by columns.

There are additionally galleries above the aisles, and enormous marble pillars that help the dome. The partitions above the galleries and the bottom of the dome have home windows that allow in pure mild. This hides the columns through the day, giving the impression that the cover is floating in mid-air.

Hagia Sophia Structure

Hagia Sophia is an awe-inspiring architectural achievement and the primary of its type in Byzantine structure. It remained the biggest cathedral on this planet till Seville Cathedral was constructed. The vestibule situated exterior the japanese a part of the atrium is at present closed off.

To entry the internal atrium, there are 5 doorways one can enter by. From this vestibule, there are 9 doorways main into the nave itself. Entry to higher galleries is made doable by ramps – a typical function amongst Constantinople church buildings beneath building throughout that point interval.

Hagia Sophia Mosaics

The Hagia Sophia was superbly adorned with mosaics through the Byzantine interval, depicting the Virgin Mary, Jesus, saints and emperors or empresses. The historical past of the earliest mosaics is unknown, as a lot of them have been destroyed or coated through the storming of the cathedral. The mosaics reached their peak through the reigns of Basil I and Constantine VII. Throughout the Fourth Campaign in 1204, the Latin Crusaders looted many Byzantine buildings, together with Hagia Sophia. Many stunning mosaics have been eliminated and shipped to Venice.

After the Ottoman occupation of Constantinople in 1453 and the conversion of Hagia Sophia right into a mosque, the mosaics have been whitewashed or plastered. With the restoration of the Fosatti brothers in 1847, the mosaics have been uncovered. However they remained coated till 1931, when a restoration program started beneath the route of Thomas Whittemore.

In 1934, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ordered that Hagia Sophia develop into a museum. The restoration and growth then occurred. Nevertheless, most of the nice mosaics uncovered by the Fosatti brothers have been in all probability destroyed with the 1894 earthquake.

Tunnel of the Hagia Sophia

In keeping with legend, Hagia Sophia was vital for the Vatican. There have been tunnels main from Hagia Sophia to the Princes Islands (Kinaliada). The underground tunnels ran by the town of Constantinople. The massive cistern was situated underground.

The tunnels beneath Hagia Sophia reached the hidden rooms with secret writings that have been hidden there through the sieges. Researchers revealed some tombs beneath the Hagia Sophia. Amongst them have been the tombs of St. Antinegos, the primary individual to be buried in Hagia Sophia, and Patriarch Athanasius.

Resulting in Sultanahmet Sq. and Topkapi Palace are two slender corridors about 70 centimeters excessive, probably utilized by Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II as a hidden escape path to keep away from being seen by residents in instances of hazard or strife.

Historical past of Hagia Sophia

The primary church on the positioning of Hagia Sophia was in all probability constructed by Constantine I in 325, on the foundations of a pagan temple. His son, Constantius II, consecrated it in 360. It was broken in 404 by a hearth that broke out throughout a riot, after the second exile of St. John Chrysostom, who was then the patriarch of Constantinople.

The church was rebuilt and enlarged by the Roman Emperor Constans I, after which rededicated by Theodosius II in 415. Throughout the Nika revolt of January 532, the church was burned down once more. Justinian I used this as a chance to construct an much more magnificent alternative.

Immediately’s construction is actually the identical because the constructing from the sixth century, though an earthquake brought about a partial collapse of the dome in 558 (which was then restored in 562). There have been two different partial collapses after that, after which the construction was rebuilt smaller and bolstered from the skin.

For greater than a millennium, it served because the cathedral of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Nevertheless, it was sacked by the Venetians and Crusaders in 1204 through the Fourth Campaign.

After Constantinople was conquered by the Turks in 1453, Mehmed II had the church transformed right into a mosque. A wood minaret, giant chandelier, mihrab (area of interest indicating the route of Mecca), and minbar (pulpit) have been added. The purple minaret on the southeast nook of the constructing was more than likely constructed by Mehmed II or his son Bayezid II. The slender white minaret on the northeast facet of the mosque was constructed by Bayezid II. The 2 equivalent minarets on the west facet have been commissioned by Selim II or Murad III and constructed by Ottoman architect Sinan within the 1500s.

The constructing was transformed right into a museum in 1935 by Turkish President Kemal Ataturk. Artwork historians imagine the constructing’s stunning mosaics present crucial perception into the state of mosaic artwork within the interval simply after the tip of the iconoclastic controversy within the eighth and ninth centuries.

Hagia Sophia is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Web site, which additionally contains different historic buildings and websites in Istanbul, such because the Blue Mosque.