Duration
1 hr - 5 hr
Open today
09:00am - 06:00pm
Free cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience
Audio guide
Enhance your experience with multilingual audio guide
Guided tour
Instant confirmation
Mobile ticket
Unravel Blue Mosque’s secrets and stroll through Old Istanbul’s historic gems with a guide.
4.2/5
(1,925)
Adrian
Jun 2025Verified booking
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.
Lee
May 2025Verified booking
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.
Gavrila
Jul 2025Verified booking
The tour was amazing, detailed and it also included much needed breaks for water, coffee or just resting a bit. The crowds were ok for this time of year, not too many people, but either way, there was more than enough time to visit and see everything there was to see. It was really nice that we got to visit during one of the prayer times and saw a glimpse of what it means, with the full explanation from our guide. Be warned: you need to walk a lot, as is to be expecteeld, but I totally recommend this tour
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Walk straight into the Blue Mosque with a licensed guide who reveals why its minarets caused a stir and how its architecture enhances prayers.
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Gaze at the vast marble courtyard, elegant cascading domes, colossal columns nicknamed “elephant feet,” and inscriptions hand-drawn by Ottoman calligraphers.
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A guide leads the way through the mosque and an Old City walking tour past the Hippodrome, ancient Obelisks, and Byzantine relics.
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Enhance your journey with a Bosphorus cruise for unbeatable skyline views, take a Hagia Sophia tour to uncover its hidden frescoes, or explore the Basilica Cistern.
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Fun fact: Various verses from the Quran and the words of the Prophet Muhammad adorn the high walls of the mosque.
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- 1-hour guided tour of the Blue Mosque
- Entry to Blue Mosque
- Expert English-speaking licensed guide
- Walking tour around Old City
- Istanbul Old Town map
- 1.5-hour Bosphorus cruise ticket (as per option selected)
- Audio guide for cruise in English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Arabic & Chinese (as per option selected). The audio guide is available for you to download. Instructions will be shared with your ticket. Do bring your own headphones.
- Bosphorus cruise map (as per option selected)
- 1.5-hour guided tour of the Hagia Sophia (as per option selected)
- Skip-the-line entry to Hagia Sophia (as per option selected)
- 30-min guided tour of the Basilica Cistern (as per option selected)
- Skip-the-line entry to Basilica Cistern (as per option selected)
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
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Guests from United States, United Kingdom, Italy and over 69 countries have loved this experienceLynette
Jul, 2025Verified booking
Ticketing was easy, Blue Mosque was beautiful, and our tour guide was excellent. Cenker was very knowledgeable, fun, lively and very accommodating.
Fernier
Jun, 2025Verified booking
The guide's explanations in very good English. The guide's help in contacting the Bosphorus cruise company. The large informative panels on the Muslim religion in English and the booklets in several languages.
Brent
Jun, 2025Verified booking
Our tour guide Buse was amazing. She was very informative and answered everyone's questions with a detailed answer. She definitely made our experience better than if we would have gone without a guide. I definitely recommend doing the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia tour with her.
Ionasc
May, 2025Verified booking
Great spots to visit, the guide was great, giod details and good english. Plenty of time to visit, no rushing. Just enjoyAntoine
May, 2025Verified booking
Our guide Öpücük was very good. We were impressed how smoothly she managed to navigate us in such busy places. We never felt rushed or anything. Just very informed about the places we visited. She always found the best stop and she had lots of time for extra questions. Great job!
What to bring
- Bring your walking shoes, water bottle, hat, sunglasses, and snacks for comfortable exploration.
- Bring local currency or your preferred payment method for meals, souvenirs, and extra delights not covered by the ticket.
- Stay ahead of the game; download the audio app beforehand to dodge any network glitches at the location.
- Don’t forget your trusty earphones for an immersive audio guide experience.
What's not allowed
Hagia Sophia
- The prayer area on the first floor can only be entered by Turkish citizens.
- Strict dress code: Women should not wear knee-length shorts, skirts, or clothing with exposed shoulders or chests. Hair should be partially covered with a scarf. Men should not wear knee-length shorts or clothing with exposed shoulders.
Accessibility
Basilica Cistern
- This experience is wheelchair accessible.
Hagia Sophia
- This tour is not suitable for wheelchair users.
Additional information
- If you do not have a scarf or body cover, you can buy them at the entrance (a scarf is 1€ and a body cover is 3€).
- You can choose to take the Bosphorus cruise on the same day or the next day. In addition to midday and afternoon departures, enjoy a special evening cruise at 6pm, available from April to October.
- While you can breeze through the ticket lines, security screening is standard for all guests. Be prepared for wait times of up to 60 minutes during peak travel periods.
- Hagia Sophia is under renovation, therefore, not all parts of the building are open to the public.
- Due to the Friday prayer, the Mosque will be closed to tourists from 12pm to 2pm. For a smoother experience, it's recommended to visit after 4pm to avoid the lengthy security line anticipated between 2pm and 4pm.
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