Located just 3-5 minutes apart in Sultanahmet Square, these landmarks are easy to visit together, saving time and effort. Clear signboards make navigation simple.
Explore two of Istanbul’s most iconic landmarks: the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Each showcases distinct architectural styles that reflect the city's layered history. Admire how the blend of Byzantine Christian and Ottoman Islamic heritage themes come to life through intricate designs, mosaic work, stained glass, and beyond.
The best part about visiting Istanbul is that its two iconic monuments are located near each other. With a little planning, you can combine your visit to both places and here’s why you should.
The Blue Mosque has six minarets, which sets it apart from Istanbul's mosques. Four minarets surround the mosque and the courtyard while the other two flank the prayer hall.
You will find verses of the Quran etched by the renowned Diyarbakir calligrapher Seyyid Kasim Gubari onto the mosque's exteriors.
The forecourt features, columns and turrets in the corner domes while the main courtyard (in front of the prayer hall) known as ‘Avlu’ has a beautiful fountain where worshippers perform rituals before their prayers.
One of the key highlights of the Blue Mosque is its ceiling. It features over 20,000 exquisite blue Iznik tiles designed to perfection.
Gifted by the Signoria of Venice, the mosque’s upper-level stained glass windows reflect stunning colors throughout the day.
The Mihrab is a decorative niche in a mosque that marks the direction of Mecca for prayer. The Minbar is a raised platform or pulpit where the Imam stands to deliver sermons.
Each site takes about 30-45 minutes to explore; guided tours last about an hour with additional time for self-exploration.
The best time to visit Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque is early morning (around 9 am) as soon as they open and when the areas are less crowded.
Both landmarks are accessible in some areas but owing to the Ottoman architectural design, some areas might seem difficult to navigate.
Yes, both the attractions allow you to take pictures of the architecture and surrounding areas but please be respectful during prayer times to avoid disturbing worshippers.
Since both the attractions serve as places of worship, don’t wear sleeveless tops or shorts. Make sure you cover your and your shoulders. Women must wear scarves on the premises. You can find them at the entrance or nearby shops.
All beautiful, especially Cistern and St. Sophia Mosque which, however, due to earthquake ilb23 April, we could see today 24 April. Courtesy and professionalism of the Guide. Thank you
Ali was an awesome tour guide! Great experience 👍👍
Everything, the guide's experience, cordiality, friendliness.
Booking a tour was the best thing we did, our guide Ali was great and made the whole tour much more relevant and interesting. Skip the Line tickets make a huge difference and I would highly recommend them.
The tour ran like clockwork. Our guide, Michael, was in the expected place and knowledgeably took the group to each of the three historic locations, explained their context and interesting and historical details. We were allowed our own time in each location before meeting back at an agreed place for the next stop on the tour. No real queues in the 4th week of June on a 1pm booking, but great to skip lines on this tour where possible. Apparently the rules have changes in the Hagia Sophia allowing guides to take visitors around the 2nd level which meant that Michael could explain the Christian and Muslim iconography in this exceptional 6th century building. Ticketing through Headout was easy and predictable.
Our guided tour was great. Our tour guide was a local woman who was very knowledgeable. Made seeing the 3 sights easy. Would recommend!
The tour was well organized, the guide was concerned about the group and very professional. I recommend the combined ticket for those who only have a short time in Istanbul and want to maximize their time.
Thanks to Ali, very professional and kind. Made us feel comfortable with detailed information of each site. Ancora Imparo...he knows, Michela and Roberto
Our guide (Matar?) was super informative. His delivery was relaxed, belying the fact that he has undoubtedly given the same dozens of times prior to our group. He allowed adequate time at each location for us to walk around before moving on to the next site. I would definitely recommend this excursion to anyone interested in knowing about the history of istanbul.
The guide Ali, was incredibly knowledgeable - his guiding added real depth to each of the three sights and he was able to take care of us well, preparing us for any practical arrangements e.g. dress codes, queuing, meeting places, toilets etc.. these details are important! The Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern and Hagia Sophia were fascinating and beautiful places to visit and worth doing with a guide lest you miss key details. I'd do the trip all over again if given the opportunity and the wonderful guide.
Wonderful places not to be missed! The guide was able to pick us things not described in normal guidebooks!I recommend doing it in the morning to find fewer people!
Our guide, Ali, was amazing. So full of cool information but was very proactive for our group in getting us through shortcuts and making sure we were always prepared for thr next thing. Highly recommend!
Murat was an awesome guide. He was easy to understand, led us through all 3 sites at the perfect pace and gave us a wonderful history lesson. Highly recommend this tour!
The guide was nice enough, and knew a lot, as much as I could tell. His microphone connection to our earpieces failed, so that was a major problem. He also needs to say "ladies and gentlemen " less often, it waslike a distracting nervous tic. He must have inserted it 50-70 times in the 3 site talks.
Tour guide very helpful and provided lots of information. Answered everybody's questions. Provided useful information about other places to visit.
Ticketing was easy. Loved the whole experience. Our guide Halek had incredible knowledge and was very friendly. I highly recommend doing this tour, there wee lots of people going 9n their own waiting in long l8nescand nit learning about what they were experiencing so to me to pay for that was well worth it
Nice, interesting tours. The guide takes time to tell the story and even takes photos for those who wish.
The guide was exceptional. His comments, humor and knowledge fascinated me. He even went half an hour over schedule. My expectations were exceeded.
The really nice guide But we still have to queue to get in The group is huge, not great For 100€ knowing that the Blue Mosque is free, I don't think it's worth it at all.
Great guide with plenty of information you can not find in a book or online. Skip the line tickets worked fantastic. Enough time for breaks and toilet.
Guide was knowledgeable and took the time to explain key features throughout the tour. Responded to group questions with great insights.
Great experience! A group not so large that you can't ask questions to the guide and no one got lost despite big crowds. Incredidbly knowledgeable guide who provided a very detailed and interesting tour. A great start to our trip to Istanbul to get a base understanding of Old Town and its history.
I had a great time thanks to the guid who was brilliant, very informative and was able to pass on the information in easy way so you understood , he also had a good sense of humour . The things we saw were fascinating and interesting even though I have travelled a lot over the years.
A very entertaining guide, who ensured that the tour was very exciting, entertaining and entertaining with his great specialist knowledge and many anecdotes! Not having to queue is a great luxury, as the other queues would have taken hours.
The Guide was excellent! Thank you Ms Buse Kiss!
Enjoy expert storytelling, skip-the-line access, and a 5+ language audio guide for 3 of Istanbul’s most iconic sites.
Everything you get at Blue Mosque: Skip the long lines and head straight to the Blue Mosque’s grand prayer hall. Get insights into this stained-glass-lit monument, with an English-speaking guide and an audio guide.
Everything you get at Hagia Sophia: Access the Upper Gallery of Hagia Sophia—an area once reserved for royalty. Avoid the wait and admire its breath-taking mosaics at your own pace, while enjoying a detailed audio guide.
Everything you get at Basilica Cistern: Take an underground walk into the Basilica Cistern’s cool and quiet spaces. Skip long wait lines, and walk in to admire the marble columns and the famous Medusa heads with an expert guide.
Why choose this combo: In just 4 hours, visit three of Istanbul’s top landmarks in one day, with one easy ticket. Skip the long lines with this flexible ticket and explore each site with expert English-speaking guides and immersive audio guides.
Inclusions Basilica Cistern
1-hour guided tour of Basilica Cistern
Skip-the-line entry
Expert English-speaking guide
Audio app downloadable in English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, & Turkish
Hagia Sophia
1-hour guided tour of Hagia Sophia
Skip-the-line entry
Expert English-speaking guide
Entry to Hagia Sophia Upper Gallery visiting area
Audio guide downloadable in English, German, French, Italian, & Spanish
Blue Mosque
Entry and 1-hour guided tour to the Blue Mosque
Expert English-speaking guide
Skip-the-line entry
Basilica Cistern
Tip: Be sure to walk to the far end of the cistern to see the famous Medusa heads—many visitors miss them by turning back too soon.
Floors can be slick in places due to moisture, so wear stable footwear with good grip.
For a quieter, more serene experience, visit first thing in the morning or just before closing when crowds are less.
Skip-the-line tickets help cut down wait time. However, security screenings are compulsory for all visitors and will take time.
Hagia Sophia
Tip: Security checks can take up to an hour in summer (June–August), so plan your visits accordingly.
Only the Upper Gallery is open to visitors; the main prayer hall is reserved for worshippers and not accessible to visit.
Access is paused during daily prayers, so plan your visit between those times.
Tourist entry is paused every Friday from noon to around 2:30pm for weekly prayers.
Visitors are required to dress modestly – so please cover your head, shoulders and knees. Women are also required to wear scarves. If you forget to bring your own, there are scarves available at the entrance.
Blue Mosque
All beautiful, especially Cistern and St. Sophia Mosque which, however, due to earthquake ilb23 April, we could see today 24 April. Courtesy and professionalism of the Guide. Thank you
Ali was an awesome tour guide! Great experience 👍👍
Everything, the guide's experience, cordiality, friendliness.
Booking a tour was the best thing we did, our guide Ali was great and made the whole tour much more relevant and interesting. Skip the Line tickets make a huge difference and I would highly recommend them.
The tour ran like clockwork. Our guide, Michael, was in the expected place and knowledgeably took the group to each of the three historic locations, explained their context and interesting and historical details. We were allowed our own time in each location before meeting back at an agreed place for the next stop on the tour. No real queues in the 4th week of June on a 1pm booking, but great to skip lines on this tour where possible. Apparently the rules have changes in the Hagia Sophia allowing guides to take visitors around the 2nd level which meant that Michael could explain the Christian and Muslim iconography in this exceptional 6th century building. Ticketing through Headout was easy and predictable.
Our guided tour was great. Our tour guide was a local woman who was very knowledgeable. Made seeing the 3 sights easy. Would recommend!
The tour was well organized, the guide was concerned about the group and very professional. I recommend the combined ticket for those who only have a short time in Istanbul and want to maximize their time.
It was very easy to find the guide and get checked in. The guide was very knowledgeable and helped us to really understand the history!
Thanks to Ali, very professional and kind. Made us feel comfortable with detailed information of each site. Ancora Imparo...he knows, Michela and Roberto
Our guide (Matar?) was super informative. His delivery was relaxed, belying the fact that he has undoubtedly given the same dozens of times prior to our group. He allowed adequate time at each location for us to walk around before moving on to the next site. I would definitely recommend this excursion to anyone interested in knowing about the history of istanbul.
The guide Ali, was incredibly knowledgeable - his guiding added real depth to each of the three sights and he was able to take care of us well, preparing us for any practical arrangements e.g. dress codes, queuing, meeting places, toilets etc.. these details are important! The Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern and Hagia Sophia were fascinating and beautiful places to visit and worth doing with a guide lest you miss key details. I'd do the trip all over again if given the opportunity and the wonderful guide.
Wonderful places not to be missed! The guide was able to pick us things not described in normal guidebooks!I recommend doing it in the morning to find fewer people!
You are told so often to please be on time. The event started 45 minutes late and we were there 30 minutes earlier as recommended. But we enjoyed the tour. I only ticked 2 to be able to send the review.
Our guide, Ali, was amazing. So full of cool information but was very proactive for our group in getting us through shortcuts and making sure we were always prepared for thr next thing. Highly recommend!
Our guide was very informative and we enjoyed it all. The only negative is the meeting place needs to have a big flag with Headout on it. Would make it easier to find. We were waiting at the DSign cafe and the guides were at the side of the building partially hidden from view...
Murat was our guide yesterday. He was so knowledgeable and explained things from all kinds of perspectives, history and culture. My husband and I arrived not knowing much about the places we saw. We came home having much more understanding of its history. It was very interesting and made us want to learn more.
Murat was an awesome guide. He was easy to understand, led us through all 3 sites at the perfect pace and gave us a wonderful history lesson. Highly recommend this tour!
The guide was nice enough, and knew a lot, as much as I could tell. His microphone connection to our earpieces failed, so that was a major problem. He also needs to say "ladies and gentlemen " less often, it waslike a distracting nervous tic. He must have inserted it 50-70 times in the 3 site talks.
Tour guide very helpful and provided lots of information. Answered everybody's questions. Provided useful information about other places to visit.
Ticketing was easy. Loved the whole experience. Our guide Halek had incredible knowledge and was very friendly. I highly recommend doing this tour, there wee lots of people going 9n their own waiting in long l8nescand nit learning about what they were experiencing so to me to pay for that was well worth it
Nice, interesting tours. The guide takes time to tell the story and even takes photos for those who wish.
The guide was exceptional. His comments, humor and knowledge fascinated me. He even went half an hour over schedule. My expectations were exceeded.
The really nice guide But we still have to queue to get in The group is huge, not great For 100€ knowing that the Blue Mosque is free, I don't think it's worth it at all.
Great guide with plenty of information you can not find in a book or online. Skip the line tickets worked fantastic. Enough time for breaks and toilet.
Guide was knowledgeable and took the time to explain key features throughout the tour. Responded to group questions with great insights.
Discover Istanbul’s treasures like Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Old Town in one expert-guided tour.
Inclusions
1.5-hour guided tour of Hagia Sophia
Skip-the-line entry to Hagia Sophia visiting area
Expert licensed English-speaking guide
1-hour guided tour of Blue Mosque with entry
30-min Hippodrome & Old Town walking tour
Istanbul Old Town map
30-min guided tour of Basilica Cistern with skip-the-line entry (based on option selected)
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.