Istanbul: Basilica Cistern Skip-the-Line Entry & Audio Guide

Explore Istanbul on your own or with a guide with these tickets and audio guides. Skip the long lines at the Basilica Cistern and stay in touch with friends with an eSIM.

About this activity

Cancellation Policy

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund

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Duration 15.0 minute - 75.0 minute

Check availability to see starting times.

Live tour guide

English

Choose from available dates

Details on this Activity

Itinerary

Visit the Basilica Cistern, built in the 4th century and enlarged in 532 AD, used as water storage during Byzantine times. Listen to your guide as they explain the mystery of Medusa heads from Greek mythology. Explore this cathedral-size cistern, built during the reign of Emperor Justinian I in 532 A.D. to supply water to the Great Palace. It stores up to 80,000 cubic meters of water, delivered via 20 kilometers of aqueducts from a reservoir near the Black Sea. Descend the fifty-two stone steps into the entrance of the cistern. The cistern is surrounded by a firebrick wall with a thickness of 4 meters, coated with a waterproofing mortar. Hear how the Basilica Cistern's water comes from the Eğrikapı Water Distribution Center in the Belgrade Forest and travels through the 971-meter-long Valens Aqueduct and the 115-meter-long Mağlova Aqueduct, built by the Emperor Justinian.

Highlights

Visit the Basilica Cistern with your experienced guide
Listen to the story of Medusa Heads
Recognize a scene in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love
See breathtaking views of Istanbul over the Golden Horn and Bosphorus
Discover the second biggest church of Istanbul Hagia Irene

Know before you go

You will receive your Entry Ticket QR Codes link via separate e-mail from supplier Istanbul Tourist Pass. It is not possible to skip the security lines. There could be a line at the entrance and is mandatory for all visitors.

Includes

Internet with eSIM (limited time) Audio guide Skip-the-line entry ticket for the Basilica Cistern (if option selected)

Reviews from other travelers

GetYourGuide traveler - United States

5 /5

(Written on 2024-10-05)

Wow, I know it may look it in the pictures but it doesn’t even capture just how big and beautiful this place really is. My only complaint was the audio guide sucked. It barely gives you any informatio (Read More)n and you NEED to download it in that while it says you don’t have to, once you are down there you have no reception anyway meaning it won’t work. But besides that- this really is a beautiful sight, and there’s a little cameo in the back which allows for some AWESOME pictures. You’ll know it when you see it. Only takes about 30-40 minutes to see so if you got a little time to kill in Istanbul- I’d def recommend.

GetYourGuide traveler - Mexico

3 /5

(Written on 2024-10-01)

When purchasing the tour, they don't explain that there won't be a guide and that it will be through an audio guide. And that the tour provider has to send the QR code of the ticket and the link for t (Read More)he audio guide. The phones that GetYorGuide provides don't answer and the messages that are sent are never answered.

GetYourGuide traveler - Italy

3 /5

(Written on 2024-10-14)

truly magical place. We could have done without the guide who accompanied us.

GetYourGuide traveler - Belgium

3 /5

(Written on 2024-10-03)

The place is worth the visit. On the other hand, the location system to get your tickets once close to the site did not work at all. I had to contact the organizer to explain the problem and have them (Read More) send me the QR codes by Whatsapp. I had to wait under the blazing sun, while being pregnant… not easy but fortunately the organizer reacted quite quickly. On the other hand, the audio guide, even loaded and installed in advance did not work on the site because no 3G detected, so useless. I was not able to listen to the audio guide during my visit.

Vincent - France

1 /5

(Written on 2024-11-11)

QR code received which is useless

GetYourGuide traveler - United States

3 /5

(Written on 2024-10-06)

It was nice to skip the line with this tour. Our tour guide was great the problem was it was so busy we could only hear about half (or less than half) of what he said. I wish they would offer headphon (Read More)es to hear better.

GetYourGuide traveler - Australia

2 /5

(Written on 2024-10-07)

Instructions on the meeting point were terrible - we received two different meeting point coordinates about 200m apart and could not find our guide at either. We were there 20 min in advance, plenty o (Read More)f time spent looking for them. Then the QR codes didn't work so we couldn't use our tickets either. Luckily the tour company was quick to respond to messages and issued new tickets. So we did a self-guided tour. Took about 15 min to see everything - not much to see. The ticket cost is overblown for the level of attraction. Even if we had our guide, it is so noisy and crowded you would not hear a word.

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