Basilica Cistern
A sixth-century underground cistern of 336 marble columns, with the famous Medusa heads.
Built under Justinian to store water for the Great Palace, the Basilica Cistern is a forest of columns rising from shallow water under brick vaults. Two Medusa heads, reused as column bases, are the best-known detail.
Following a full restoration the cistern reopened in 2022 with new walkways, lighting and occasional contemporary art installations. The visit takes 30–40 minutes and sits two minutes’ walk from Hagia Sophia.
- →Evening sessions are priced higher than daytime tickets — check before quoting.
- →Floors can be damp; advise comfortable non-slip shoes.
- →Combine with Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in a single morning walk.
Tours visiting this place
Hotels nearby
An intimate luxury hotel in a restored early twentieth-century building, set around a garden courtyard in the heart of Sultanahmet.
A well-run four-star hotel in Sultanahmet, known for its rooftop restaurant overlooking the historic peninsula.
A landmark luxury hotel on the Karaköy waterfront, created from three historic buildings and a new wing within Galataport.
Places nearby
- Hagia Sophia0.2 km
The sixth-century Byzantine cathedral, later an Ottoman mosque — the defining monument of Istanbul.
- Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)0.3 km
Sultan Ahmed I’s imperial mosque, famous for its six minarets and blue İznik-tiled interior.
- Topkapı Palace0.6 km
The palace of the Ottoman sultans for almost four centuries, overlooking the meeting point of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.
- Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı)0.9 km
One of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world — a labyrinth of vaulted streets, hans and thousands of shops.
- Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı)1.1 km
The seventeenth-century Egyptian Bazaar at Eminönü — spices, Turkish delight, nuts, dried fruit and teas.
- Süleymaniye Mosque1.4 km
Mimar Sinan’s masterpiece for Süleyman the Magnificent, crowning the third hill above the Golden Horn.