In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The Basilica Cistern is open every day from 09:00 to 22:00, with a break from 18:30 to 19:30 between the day session (09:00 to 18:30) and the Night Shift (19:30 to 22:00). Tickets are sold at the entrance and online through Passo; the price is shown at checkout, and children under 7 with their family are free. There are 50 steps down and up and no lift. The Museum Pass does not cover it. A reseller’s “fast-track” ticket is valid for the day session only and does not skip the security check. Or book a tour: Walks In Europe’s 3-hour tourad is from €49 and includes the Cistern, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
Hours, sessions and tickets
Sites with the Cistern’s name in their web address that sell tickets are resellers.
| Session | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Day session | 09:00 to 18:30 | Reseller “skip-the-line” tickets are valid for this session only |
| Break | 18:30 to 19:30 | The Cistern is closed |
| Night Shift | 19:30 to 22:00 | A separate session, ticketed separately |
- Buying: at the entrance, on Passo, or on the Cistern’s own site, yerebatansarnici.gov.tr.
- Children: under 7 with their family are free.
- Guides: only licensed, badged tourist guides may guide inside, and groups of more than 8 must use headsets.
- Museum Pass: not valid.
- Queue: no ticket skips the security check.
Tours worth paying for
A visit to the Cistern alone is short, and the tours that include it pair it with Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, a few minutes’ walk away. All three include the Cistern ticket. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.
The Cistern, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, small group
From €49 · 3 hours · 2,182 reviews
Istanbul: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia & Basilica Cistern Tourad by Walks In Europe has pre-reserved tickets for Hagia Sophia and the Cistern, a licensed guide and headsets. If the Cistern is closed that day, the tour goes to the Cistern of Theodosius (Şerefiye) or the Binbirdirek Cistern instead.
The same three sights, with a Cistern tour
From €49 · 3.5 hours · 2,365 reviews
Istanbul: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, & Basilica Cistern Tourad by Katalay meets at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts on At Meydanı and includes the Cistern ticket and a tour of it, Hagia Sophia’s ticket and audio guide, and a scarf and body cover for the mosques.
Topkapı, Hagia Sophia and the Cistern
From €99 · 4 hours · 1,465 reviews
Istanbul: Topkapi, Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern Tourad adds the palace and the Harem to the day. The Cistern is pre-reserved. Topkapı Palace tickets has the palace’s prices and its closed Tuesday.
What to see
The Cistern was built in the 6th century under the Byzantine emperor Justinian I and lies about 150 metres south-west of Hagia Sophia. The chamber is about 138 by 65 metres, with a forest of 336 marble columns in 12 rows of 28, each 9 metres high.
The columns of the Basilica Cistern from the walkway. Photo: Joseolgon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
- The walkway. A modern steel walkway between the columns is the route, with shallow water below.
- The Weeping Column, which the Turkish press lists with the Medusa heads as the parts visitors most want to see.
- The two Medusa heads in the north-west corner. They are carved blocks reused as column bases, and their origin is unknown.
One of the two Medusa heads that serve as column bases. Photo: Nan Palmero, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
How long: a guided Cistern visit runs about 30 minutes inside a longer tour, and GetYourGuide lists the visit as one hour. The order: the Cistern is a block from Hagia Sophia, so take it as part of the Sultanahmet walk. What to skip: nothing; the visit is a single circuit.
Practical information
- Getting there: the T1 tram stops at Sultanahmet, a few minutes’ walk. The Cistern is about 150 metres south-west of Hagia Sophia.
- Inside: no internet connection and flash off, so download an audio guide first.
- Steps: 50 down and up, no lift.
- Night Shift: the later session runs 19:30 to 22:00, after the 18:30 to 19:30 break.
The other Sultanahmet bookings are Hagia Sophia tickets (€25 at the entrance), the Blue Mosque, which is free, and Topkapı Palace. The Sultanahmet walk puts them in order, Istanbul Old City tours compares the guided combinations, and What to book before you go to Istanbul has the closed days for every sight. To sleep nearby, see hotels near the Blue Mosque, and for a bath after the walk, hammams in Istanbul.
Common questions
What are the Basilica Cistern's opening hours?
09:00 to 22:00 every day. The day session runs 09:00 to 18:30, the cistern closes from 18:30 to 19:30, and the Night Shift session runs 19:30 to 22:00.
Where do I buy Basilica Cistern tickets?
At the Cistern's entrance, or online through Passo. The ticket price is shown at checkout. Children under 7 with their family are free.
Is the Basilica Cistern covered by the Museum Pass Istanbul?
No. The ministry's pass does not list it.
How many steps are there at the Basilica Cistern?
About 50 steps down and the same up, with no lift, according to tour operators. A raised walkway runs between the columns.
Can I use my phone or flash inside the Cistern?
Turn flash off when photographing. There is no internet connection inside, so download an audio guide before you go in.
Can a tour guide take me round the Basilica Cistern?
Only licensed tourist guides with a badge may guide inside, and groups of more than 8 must use a headset system.
What are the two heads in the Basilica Cistern?
They are Medusa heads, carved blocks reused as the bases of two columns in the north-west corner. Where they came from is unknown.
