Basilica Cistern

Basilica Cistern

Basilica Cistern
4.5
Historic SitesAncient RuinsArchitectural Buildings
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
About
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Admission tickets
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₹2,661.63
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Sultanahmet
With so many unmissable attractions within a mere stroll of each other – and all set around the site of an ancient Byzantine hippodrome – Sultanahmet is an overwhelmingly popular tourist destination, and a prime location for visitors to be wowed on a truly epic scale. Beyond the wonders of the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and more, this relatively small area of Istanbul somehow manages to retain an air of peace and calm. It offers visitors a significantly less celebrated but nonetheless pleasant network of quaint lanes and side streets, majestic panoramas of the Bosphorus, and an impressive assortment of accommodation options for all budgets and tastes.
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See what travellers are saying
  • Cathia B
    Bonn, Germany24 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Basilica cistern, to be done before 7 p.m.!
    Very nice place, too many people. For information, we went to visit the cistern at 8:30 p.m.: price 1000 LT. There are 4 of us. We leave without visiting, a little disgusted. Actually, you have to visit before 7 p.m., it's 600 LT. Do not get fooled
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 19 February 2024
  • Clifford H
    Chicago, Illinois4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Subterranean Marvel
    Basilica Cistern is an impressive world underground. The dimly lit pathways lead to a breathtaking reservoir, adorned with ancient columns and of course famous Medusa head. The eerie yet enchanting ambiance makes it a unique and must-see attraction in Istanbul, echoing with centuries of history.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 20 February 2024
  • CHARLES A
    Kaiserslautern, Germany238 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An amazing look at ancient architecture
    We were amazed at the architecture here. This was built to provide water to the city. It was well worth the cost. If you are overheard as a tourist (foreign language, foreign clothes, etc) some shop keepers will give you free advice and then "meet" you as you exit to try to take you to their shop to buy carpets and jewellery.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 21 February 2024
  • PressMember
    Berlin, Germany2,083 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A must-see!
    The "Sunken Palace" has been extensively restored and now presents itself spectacularly with an impressive play of colors. Highly Instagrammable! It's best to come early (we were here at 9 a.m.), then the magic comes across even better when you have the Sunken Palace to yourself.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 24 February 2024
  • Eloyfr
    Buenos Aires, Argentina1,407 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Short and highly recommended visit
    Even with a guide to guide us a little about its very interesting history, this attraction can be visited in a very short time. I recommend doing it early in the morning as soon as they open so that the crowding of people does not take away from the charm of the atmosphere they managed to achieve. The changing light and sound work is excellent.
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 28 February 2024
  • Antonello
    La Spezia, Italy1,440 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Must see!!👍
    Definitely one of the most unique attractions in Istanbul. Its uniqueness and the atmosphere inside make it an unmissable stop. Perhaps the entrance ticket is a little expensive for the parameters of the city, but nothing particularly obscene. I can only recommend it. Tram 1 stop (the tourist one, so to speak) Sultanahmet Square. I attach photos. Greetings.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 March 2024
  • GAR
    983 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Ancient wonder
    It’s hard to believe that the basilica cistern is 1500 years old. It’s amazingly well preserved and clean. The walkways are a one way system so the attraction is very easy to navigate. The lights switch between white, green and orange which allow for a range of photo opportunities. Try to book your ticket in advance if you can as the system for buying tickets on the day is chaotic
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 4 March 2024
  • DublinPJ
    Brighton, United Kingdom340 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Basilica Cistern World Heritage Site
    This is the absolute highlight of Istanbul. The engineering that began circa 250AD is so impressive when you think that city plumbing only came to London circa 1830s. It is impressively, beautiful, serene, calming and the lighting makes you think you're on a movie set. James Bond used it as a location once.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 4 March 2024
  • bkurtakova
    Sofia, Bulgaria172 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Breathtaking
    Breathtaking underground reservoir, constructed and built more than 15 centuries ago to provide and filtrate water for the area around. The water was reaching the reservoir through a 100m long aquaduct. The subterrainean reservoir is supported by more than 300 huge marble columns, each nearly 10 m high, arranged in 5 m distance from each other. Amazing piece of the Byzantean architecture and art. Not to be missed! Would definitely go back.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 5 March 2024
  • Peanuts31
    Bristol, United Kingdom71 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Impressive
    Never been to what is effectively a big storage tank for water . But very impressed re the architecture . 12 yr old was charged an adult price so £45 for three persons . Didn’t resent as this place is quite unique to discover Istanbul is a dry city .
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 6 March 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles32,333 reviews
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These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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mehmet a
Istanbul, Türkiye26,316 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Family
Although the Basilica Cistern, one of the historical buildings of Istanbul, is open every day of the week between 9:00 - 22:00, it is still busy. If you have the opportunity, I recommend you visit the Cistern, which attracted great attention from local and foreign tourists after the restoration, on weekdays and in the morning.

The lighting turns into a riot of colors at regular intervals. The natural ventilation inside is excellent, photography is allowed with flash, 33 TL for students, 88 TL for Turks, 660 TL for foreigners. Museum card is invalid. These prices are valid until 18:00, unfortunately after 19:00 in the evening they are 250 TL
Google
Written 13 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mojoblue717
Manchester, UK3,355 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2024 • Couples
This is a very interesting place, and one you'll enjoy more if you read up on the history of the Istanbul Cisterns before you come here. Regretably since it was featured in the Bond film "from Russia with Love" & Dan Browns "Inferno", it's as much a must visit for the Instagram crowd, as for genuine lovers of Culture. Its quite a large room, with lots of interesting features, but obviously sanitized since it first became a major tourist attraction. I gather that in October 2023 it cost 450 Tl to enter, now its 950Tl, and more if you book through an agent. Being one of the most popular attractions in Istanbul the queues can be enormous, so my tip is to get ther before 10am( it opens at) The "jump the Q" & tout prices can be very expensive, for what is only an attraction lasting 45/60 minutes at the most. At on time you toured this place by boat, but the water level has been considerably reduced and walkways put in, which makes getting round quite easy. Word of warning for the not so mobile, there are a lot of steps in and out, so look out for the lifts. Lots of photo opportunities here and the lighting changes & art pieces all add to the effect. A MUST VISIT when in Istanbul
Written 7 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

hatijyoumaki
Saitama Prefecture, Japan509 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Couples
It is an underground reservoir built by Constantine I in the 6th century, whose waters seem to have been used for Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace.

It was 140 meters long, 70 meters wide and 8 meters high, and more than 300 columns were brought from the Greek temple.

I went there on Sunday evening, so there was a huge queue of more than an hour in line, but I had bought an online ticket, so I was able to enter immediately without waiting in line.
The prices don't change that much, so we recommend buying online tickets in advance here.

At the back was a statue of Medusa's head from Greek mythology.

Outside the exit, there is a suspicious person who seems kind and talks to you in Japanese, and you have to be careful about talking about your uncle who is a Japanese connoisseur.

It costs extra at night and is quite expensive, so I recommend going during the day.
Automatically translated
Written 18 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Наталья В
1 contribution
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2025 • Family
I give the object 5 stars (the attraction is good, despite the inflated price), I take off stars for the cashiers for their scam when paying for tickets. Be vigilant at the cash register and carefully recount the lira that you give the cashier. Or better yet, prepare the money without change. I gave the cashier more money than the tickets cost and began to wait for the change. After that, he gave me the tickets and pretended that the payment was finished. I told him that I was waiting for the change, and he began to deny that he had to return anything to me. Then several people came out, pretended to watch some cameras, then at my request they recounted the cash register. After the recount, they went back to watch the cameras (here I hoped that they found their mistake). But no, they dragged out time, one of them came out and said that I gave the amount without change. In total, 20 minutes of wasted time and a ruined mood.
Written 6 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lemuretto
Pavia, Italy2,498 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
The visit to Sultanahmet can be considered complete if, in addition to the mosques, you visit one of the attractions that distinguish this wonderful city. We visited the Basilica Cistern for the first time several years ago and returned to see the new look of this very particular monument. Evocative and fascinating, the play of light that changes color enhances its beauty even more. The walkways allow you to easily discover the cistern, and the presence of few people played in its favor. We went before dinner, perhaps it is a less crowded time, in any case it is worth queuing and entering even if the ticket is not cheap. I don't know if it was a coincidence, at the end of the visit we found a buffet with many appetizers available to visitors.
Google
Written 17 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sam H
Dunstable, UK43 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Friends
My friend and I visited this place on a whim! It looked like it would be good and the fact there was quite a long queue when we passed earlier during the day just meant it must have been a popular tourist site. We literally got of the tram and noticed a very small queue, thought may as well. We paid approx £25 for a ticket each. You do have to got through a body scanner to enter before purchasing a ticket. Once inside you are free to spend however much time you want. As you enter the main entrance to go underground to see the structure, you will be met with iron stairs. The lighting isn’t too great but it is under ground! However, anyone with kids in a buggy, this isn’t going to be easy for you or wheelchair users as you need to get in via the stairs. It’s the same when you leave, you have a number of high stairs to get up before getting up to main ground level. Pushchair and wheelchair users be warned!
We did see a dad carrying his pushchair down the stairs but I did think that was brave given how dark it was!
Anyway, once inside, you are basically met with a series of pillars that aline perfectly in different angles. You have designated walkways to explore the different areas. There are a few different pieces dotted around in the water, visitors are not allowed to enter these areas. You can view from the walk way. You will find a few plaques around with some facts. We only saw the jellyfish type thing and a cluster of some type of sea plant. For what we payed, I don’t think this was worth it at all. You can take some nice photos when lights change but apart from that, I didn’t really think what we saw was worth paying that much for. What made it worse was the constant dripping water from ceiling! The musky smell inside was very noticeable right from the start and all you could hear was the echoes of screaming kids and chatter! Oh and you could see what looked like nasty, slimy gunk on the pillars! Certainly wasn’t my cup of tea, but if you like this kind of thing, then do it!
We literally spent about 10-15 minutes inside because once you see one pillar then you’ve basically seen them all! As you leave, you have a tiny souvenir shop you go through to exit. Would I do again no! Would I recommend, definitely not! If you genuinely like old architecture and just want to tick this off a list, then perhaps do this.
Written 2 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MarcusHurley
Calne, UK10,886 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Family
We then followed our well worn path to Haigha Sofia and then the Basillica Cistern. We were in total shock to see the length of the queue - over 90 minutes - and we had to be at our next tour in 2 hours.

There were various 'official guides' patrolling the queue in evident delight at the size, peeling people off that could pay their fee to skip the line. I had a quick look online and the price they were charging was still less than any of the online skip the line tickets so we opted for one of those. Today was turning out an expensive day!! The cistern is one of the hundreds under the old city but certainly the largest and best preserved and was in use for around a thousand years until the Ottomans upgraded to moving water rather than stored water for health reasons.

The guide was good at explaining the history and restoration of the building and after he left we wandered around and took photos although it was massively crowded compared to when I visited with Deb about 15 years ago. There were several art exhibits down there with varying degrees of relevance but the medusa statue was good. The cistern is really rather awe inspiring both for the beauty of a structure that was not designed to be seen and the longevity - a thousand years!!
Definitely book in advance or get there early though, we paid £70 over the counter price to skip the 2 hour queue!
Written 29 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LauraValensi
London, UK112 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2024 • Couples

We visited on a busy Saturday morning without any pre booking. There are basically 3 queues leading into the same entrance: one for people without tickets, one for people with online tickets and one for groups. The queues were moving quickly, we only had to wait for 20 minutes and paid 900 lira (around 20£)for the entrance tickets.
This place, tucked away below the streets of Sultanahmed, is absolutely stunning, a fascinating masterpiece of architecture. Originally built to store and filter water, nowadays a museum. Take your time to stroll through the forest of columns and observe the lightshow, lights are changing frequently and create a spooky glow.  Watch out for the medusa head and tear weeping column. The medusa head is upside down so it can't turn visitors into stone. 😉
Written 3 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carolin M
Berlin, Germany136 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2025 • Couples
Beautiful cistern, great light, super exciting old story. The entrance fee alone is far too high. I understand that everything needs to be maintained, but 25€ is simply out of proportion. A ticket to the Louvre costs 22€ and you can spend much more time in it... Too bad.
Automatically translated
Written 18 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TOR S
Lillestrom, Norway95 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Couples
A unique place you won't find anywhere else! An underground water reservoir reminiscent of an enormous cathedral inside. Very reasonable winding up of anyone who wants to visit the place, you walk around and spend approx. 45 minutes on the hike. There is a lot of interest in the place, we recommend the "skip-the-line-ticket" which can be bought online, then you will avoid an enormously long queue in the high season. If you are looking for something very special, this is a must.
Google
Written 15 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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BASILICA CISTERN (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

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