The Hagia Sophia is among the most standard sights in Istanbul, and for good purpose – it’s an unbelievable place!
If you happen to’re planning a visit to Istanbul, make certain to place the Hagia Sophia in your listing 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 advocate shopping for your tickets on-line forward of time to keep away from any strains 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
Nonetheless, shopping for Hagia Sophia tickets generally is a bit complicated, particularly for those who’re not accustomed to town or how Turkish ticketing works.
To avoid wasting you some hassle (and enable you benefit from your journey!), right here’s a fast information on the way to purchase tickets to see the Hagia Sophia. The very first thing you’ll want to know is that there are two sorts of tickets: a daily and free entrance ticket and a guided tour ticket.
The common free entrance ticket will acquire you entry to the Hagia Sophia, however doesn’t embrace any data or steering concerning the constructing itself. However, the guided tour ticket consists of an audio information in addition to entry to sure elements of the Hagia Sophia which might be normally closed off to guests. If you happen to’re seeking to study extra concerning the historical past and story behind this unbelievable piece of structure, we advocate going with the guided tour possibility!
Nonetheless, for those who’re brief on time or simply wish to discover at your individual tempo, then getting a daily entrance ticket would suffice.
You should purchase a guided tour ticket right here or a guided tour ticket with a historian right here.
Good to learn about visiting Hagia Sophia
Buying Hagia Sophia tickets is a straightforward course of, however there are some things you need to take note before you purchase.
Before everything, it’s necessary 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 lovely constructing and its historical past.
Then we advocate shopping for a tour prematurely on-line. Not solely will this prevent time, however it’ll additionally help you benefit from discounted charges for teams of 10 or extra folks. So how do you buy tickets on-line?
Determine what number of tickets you want. Then merely fill out your contact data and hit “submit.” It’s that straightforward!
If you wish to go to different close by points of interest just like the Topkapi Palace or the Sunken Palace, then you definitely’ll have to buy a multi-site ticket.
After getting your ticket, merely present it to the safety guard on the entrance and revel in your go to!
For guided excursions you’ll have a free admission for kids beneath 2 years previous. Discounted ticket costs for kids 3 to 7 years previous (with legitimate picture ID). Audio guides accessible relying on the ticket possibility booked.
Hagia Sophia Spotlight Tour with Information and Audio Information App
It is a ticket for an unique, guided VIP tour of the Hagia Sophia. E book your Hagia Sophia Tour on-line now and benefit from the Highlights Tour with included Audio Information App!
Value: €14.25
Low cost: 5%
- Bestseller Tour
- On the spot Affirmation
- Free Cancelation
- Straight Accessible
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 data alongside the best way. After the tour, be happy to ask your information something concerning the Hagia Sophia, Byzantine Empire or Istanbul. You’ll additionally obtain a Hagia Sophia map so as to discover by yourself and study extra via audio commentary in your smartphone app.
Vital data
You received’t have the ability to reduce the safety line. Throughout excessive season, the safety verify can take as much as half-hour.
Your benefits
Be versatile – You identify the beginning time and tempo
Particular person Journey – You don’t depending on a gaggle!
Consumer pleasant
Combi ticket: Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Sunken Palace Basilica Cistern and Audio Information App
Value: €51.30
Low cost: 5%
Bestseller Tour
On the spot Affirmation
Free Cancelation
Straight Accessible
You could 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 occasions, 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 strains (besides Hagia Sophia) and revel in a 30 min highlights tour with a licensed native tour information inside every museum. Afterwards, you possibly can keep at every sight so long as you need and hearken to thrilling tales in your included audio information apps in your smartphone.
Combo ticket Istanbul is legitimate for 3 days
You’ll be able to go to all 3 museums in 1 day or at completely different days. Your identify shall be on our listing for 3 days. You’ll be able to come on the accessible occasions, to our assembly factors and go to together with your Istanbul Welcome Card information these high museums.
Vital data
You’ll be able to skip ticket strains with guides, however cannot skip the safety line.
Your benefits
Be versatile – You identify the beginning time and tempo
Particular person Journey – You don’t depending on a gaggle!
Consumer pleasant
Sunken Palace: Fast entry with highlights tour + audio information
Value: €19.95
Length: versatile
Included:
– Fast admission to the Sunken Palace
– English talking tour information
– Audio information
Cancellation deadline: You could cancel these tickets as much as 24 hours previous to the beginning of the expertise to obtain a full refund.
It is a VIP ticket for the Basilica Cistern. Purchase it on-line to avoid wasting time by skipping the lengthy ticket strains. Plus, you’ll get a highlights tour and an audio information app!
Afterwards, you possibly can 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 individual tempo.
Hagia Sophia customer data
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 every single day 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 flooring is accessible for wheelchair customers.
Nonetheless, the higher flooring will not be accessible as a result of many steps and cobblestones.
Is images allowed in Hagia Sophia?
Sure, images is allowed contained in the Hagia Sophia.
Nonetheless, the usage of tripods is prohibited.
Is there a costume code to observe at Hagia Sophia?
Sure, since it’s a spiritual website, all guests are anticipated to decorate modestly. If potential, shorts and sleeveless tops shouldn’t be worn.
Girls should put on a headband to enter the mosque. Free headscarves may be discovered close to the doorway.
As well as, guests should go away their sneakers 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.
At this time, this landmark hides loads of fascinating tales. What began because the Church of St. Sophia ultimately grew to become 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 at all times appears to have one thing new to supply. Irrespective of what number of occasions you go to there’s at all times some recent secret ready to be uncovered. It’s half church, half mosque – however its wealthy historical past signifies that there’s rather more to find out about this place than meets the attention.
Allow us to take you on a tour via a few of the most fascinating details and figures surrounding Hagia Sophia…
Extraordinary structure and brief development time of Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia was inbuilt an extremely brief 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 most important dome that hangs from the ceiling, in addition to two semidomes (half-domes) on both facet of the longitudinal axis. By way of its format, the constructing is sort of sq.. It has three aisles, that are separated by columns.
There are additionally galleries above the aisles, and huge marble pillars that assist the dome. The partitions above the galleries and the bottom of the dome have home windows that permit in pure mild. This hides the columns throughout 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 the earth till Seville Cathedral was constructed. The vestibule situated exterior the jap a part of the atrium is presently closed off.
To entry the interior atrium, there are 5 doorways one can enter via. From this vestibule, there are 9 doorways main into the nave itself. Entry to higher galleries is made potential by ramps – a typical function amongst Constantinople church buildings beneath development throughout that point interval.
Hagia Sophia Mosaics
The Hagia Sophia was fantastically adorned with mosaics throughout the Byzantine interval, depicting the Virgin Mary, Jesus, saints and emperors or empresses. The historical past of the earliest mosaics is unknown, as lots of them have been destroyed or lined throughout the storming of the cathedral. The mosaics reached their peak throughout 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 lovely 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 lined till 1931, when a restoration program started beneath the route of Thomas Whittemore.
In 1934, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ordered that Hagia Sophia change into a museum. The restoration and growth then passed off. Nonetheless, 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 accordance with legend, Hagia Sophia was necessary for the Vatican. There have been tunnels main from Hagia Sophia to the Princes Islands (Kinaliada). The underground tunnels ran via town of Constantinople. The large cistern was situated underground.
The tunnels beneath Hagia Sophia reached the hidden rooms with secret writings that have been hidden there throughout the sieges. Researchers revealed some tombs beneath the Hagia Sophia. Amongst them have been the tombs of St. Antinegos, the primary particular person to be buried in Hagia Sophia, and Patriarch Athanasius.
Resulting in Sultanahmet Sq. and Topkapi Palace are two slender corridors about 70 centimeters excessive, presumably utilized by Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II as a hidden escape path to keep away from being seen by residents in occasions 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 possibility to construct an much more magnificent substitute.
At this time’s construction is basically 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. Nonetheless, it was sacked by the Venetians and Crusaders in 1204 throughout the Fourth Campaign.
After Constantinople was conquered by the Turks in 1453, Mehmed II had the church transformed right into a mosque. A picket minaret, massive 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 most definitely 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 similar 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 consider the constructing’s lovely mosaics present important perception into the state of mosaic artwork within the interval simply after the top of the iconoclastic controversy within the eighth and ninth centuries.
Hagia Sophia is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Website, which additionally consists of different historic buildings and websites in Istanbul, such because the Blue Mosque.
Journey Dudes
I am positive you have had comparable experiences I had while touring. You are in a sure place and a fellow traveler, or an area, tip you off on a little-known seaside, bar or lodging. Nice journey ideas from different vacationers or locals at all times add one thing particular to our travels. That was the inspiration for Journey Dudes.
