Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

About

Once a church, now a mosque, with stunning mosaics and intricate details

Why go

• Makes history feel closer
• Icon of the city
• Architectural wonder

Must try

• See the Viking graffiti carved into the marble balustrade
• View Christian mosaics and Islamic calligraphy
• Pray inside during Zohor prayer time
• Visit the upper gallery
• See the Christ Pantocrator mosaic

Pro tips

• Buy tickets in advance, skip-the-line options available
• Go early mornings on weekdays, avoid Fridays
• Visit between 8 and 11 am to avoid crowds
• Go early to beat the crowds
• Book online for upper gallery access

Good to know

• Headscarves are provided for women; men should avoid sleeveless attire
• Dress modestly, cover hair before entering
• Non-muslims can't go into the main hall

Save places like this with mio

mio turns the TikTok and Instagram travel videos you save into a map of places to go. Share a video and mio pulls out every spot in it, tips included.

The tips on this page came from travel videos people saved to mio.

Save this place in mio

Rating

4.8 / 5 (134056 reviews)

Opening Hours