Istanbul's Hagia Sophia

On this private shore excursion by Archaeologous you'll see Hagia Sophia, an amazing UNESCO World Heritage site. FREE entrance to ground floor. However, 25 Euros to enter the upstairs second floor. It will leave you with awe and respect as you stand dwarfed and full of wonderment inside Hagia Sophia, the largest building in the world for over 1,000 years.

Your personal licensed guide will educate you on it's history ie: It only took five short years and two brilliant geometry professors/architects to design and build what is now universally considered, “one of the most beautiful buildings in the world”. You, like others, will be amazed at the sheer size of this Byzantine “masterpiece”.

FYI: Closed on Mondays. For 25 Euros entrance fee you can walk up to the upper gallery where you can get a birds eye view of the whole cathedral. There are professional photographs available as the immensity of the cathedral will hinder your photographic experience. Take note of the columns which were brought from temples at Baalbek, Ephesus, Delphi and Heliopolis. After 5 years of construction with 1,000 master craftsmen and up to 10,000 laborers, the church was opened in 537 AD with great ceremony.

 You will notice that the old saying of “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” holds true as the Blue Mosque and the Suleyman Mosques are modeled after the amazing Hagia Sophia. 

Note: Groups of 15 or more people must rent headsets which are 20 Turkish Lira each.