The Basilica Cistern
1168 reviews
April 10
What I saw doesn't match the cost at all, there's nothing to look at, I don't advise it. We took tickets without an excursion, it's probably more interesting with it, but honestly I have no idea what can make an impression.
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January 2
It's just beautiful and interesting. But for me, the price of a visit is unreasonably high. I would not recommend going for this price tag. It's no less interesting to walk around the neighborhood, and for free.
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April 27
History, architecture, landmark. Istanbul has recently become noticeably engaged in remtauration. It feels good.
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September 3, 2024
On the one hand, it is a very cool and atmospheric place, striking in its scope and the miracle of engineering (at the same time in ancient times), but on the other hand it is very expensive (compared to other attractions), since there is nothing else to see in this location except the reservoir itself
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April 7
Let's move on to the classics
What does everyone need to see and do in Istanbul:
The Basilica cistern, the underground reservoir of Constantinople, made a great impression on us! We've never seen anything like this in our lives!
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1
February 11
We followed the navigator and found only the exit) we had to make an effort to find the entrance) an interesting place, good impressions, though tickets are expensive
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1
February 8
The place is atmospheric and beautiful due to the lighting. February 2025 admission costs 900 lira, or 1000 with an audio guide. Many languages, including Russian
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April 15
A unique historical location, a very interesting place. I definitely recommend you to visit.
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August 1, 2024
Great. It's very beautiful and it's nice to be there in the heat. There are long queues for tickets, but you can find a guide who, for a small fee, will hold a queue and tell you everything
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3
March 19
The cannon! My husband and I really enjoyed it. Something incredible. Different lighting adds zest to the photo)
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May 3
As an architectural and historical structure, it is a delight. I didn't like the audio guide, there wasn't enough information to immerse myself in that atmosphere. Everyone's tastes are different, but from my point of view it's worth a visit. On 30.04.2025, a ticket with an audio guide cost 1,500 liras.
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1
April 12, 2024
It's a great place. The mysterious shimmer of water on the columns and high arches, a few sculptures, changeable, but always spectacular lighting ... there are many tourists, but without crowding. The path from the entrance to the exit runs through the entire pool. There are many interesting angles and points for photos. The queue for entry in March was defended in 15 minutes. Union Pay was accepted.
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3
March 20
An amazing historical place. I've been dreaming of getting there for a long time. The tour lasts about 40 minutes, but it's more than enough, and it's worth the money.
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April 22
A mystical place. One of the largest reservoirs of ancient Constantinople. The building is of amazing beauty.
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April 1
Unforgettable vivid and enthusiastic impressions about the power and power of the human mind! The ticket is not cheap, but it is absolutely necessary to see the basilica while in Istanbul! This is a vivid impression for a lifetime!
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January 28
It's a very beautiful place. I recommend a mandatory visit. The ticket price bites a little, but it's worth it.
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September 8, 2024
A must-visit! The queue is moving fast, after the reconstruction, the entire space is open with modern lighting, which is also changing! I definitely recommend it!
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1
December 3, 2024
1000 lire, count 30 euros per nose, for foreigners. Turkish hospitality. The price has increased 3 times since last year. In total, it discouraged the desire to visit. And it's not about the money. Galata Tower is similar, 30 euros per lift. Have breakfast in a Turkish cafe for about 30 euros. Surprisingly, the magnets are still 2 euros, not 30.
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3
February 24
I liked it, it's very interesting to watch. The ticket price for February 2025 is 900 Turkish lira per adult.
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December 30, 2024
I recommend everyone to visit if you find yourself in Istanbul, you don't have to allocate a lot of time in the tourist route to this location.
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February 28
The most atmospheric place in Istanbul, in my opinion. It made a huge impression on me . Don't spare 900 lire, it's worth it.
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October 2, 2024
The place has an impressive atmosphere, but it will not suit everyone.
It's better to go early, before there are too many people. Or vice versa in the evening.
The price bites, but I'm not sorry at all.
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January 7
I liked everything, it was too humid inside, but this is probably not one of the disadvantages, the atmosphere was calm, although the entrance cost about 3000 rubles in the New Year.
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April 14
I was very impressed by the grandiose structure, going down into the cistern, you get into another era, you get into that time, you can imagine how people lived at that time and what an important role the structure played for them.
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April 4
It's a very impressive place, with a lighting system that looks especially impressive. We waited in line for about half an hour. I recommend you to visit.
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1
June 20, 2024
The mystically fascinating basilica cistern! The lighting is changing, there are art objects that are successfully integrated into the interior of the Basilica. I didn't like the fact that tourists throw coins into the water (well, a herd of sheep - one threw it, others also need it). Sorry for the comparison). You can walk with a calm step in 30-40 minutes. On a hot day, it is especially pleasant to go down to the dungeon - it is cool there. In June 2024, the cost of a visit is 800 Turkish lira. We were lucky - the queue at the checkout was small. I recommend visiting for lovers of history and beautiful shots
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February 24
A place for an amateur. If you are not suspicious and are not afraid of gloomy dungeons. Buuuuaaaaaaaa. Sorry, I couldn't resist. In general, I, a 42-year-old boy, liked it.
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December 10, 2024
An unusual and interesting place.
Especially if the guide tells you.
Beautiful pictures are obtained.
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August 25, 2024
An interesting historical place, it was great to listen to the story on the audio guide. You will learn the rest on the spot, I will not repeat the stories here. If you arrive early, there is almost no queue. And so I saw how people were also standing on the street, and it was quite large
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4
March 1
The place is quite interesting, the scale is even amazing, I lowered the rating only because the price, in my opinion, is unreasonably expensive. 1300 liras entrance for an adult tourist
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April 10, 2024
One of the cisterns of Constantinople, along with the cistern of Theodosius, is well equipped and illuminated. The bonus is all sorts of art objects and the head of the Gorgon Medusa and the Column of Tears, which are written about in all guidebooks. Fans of Bond and Dan Brown will be interested to see the filming location of the films (actually, the cistern went for a large-scale restoration after Tom Hanks rowed in a boat between the columns in Inferno).
The tank is worth the money, of course you can go to smaller places for free (khe-khe Nakkash carpet store and in Gulhane Park), but this one is striking in its size and gives a good idea of how everything was arranged.
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3
January 11
An unusual historical place, atmospheric, it was interesting to walk among so many columns.
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April 7
Definitely recommended to visit, the scale and monumentality are impressive. The ticket price in 2025 is 1400 liras.
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February 23
A must-visit. But there is one big disadvantage for tourists, prices are very high. It spoils the whole impression.
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March 31
An interesting place, worth a visit. There's always a long queue, but don't get confused, autumn is moving fast. As a result, we stood for 20-30 minutes. Although the queue went far beyond the bend.
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December 1, 2024
It's worth a visit. The queue is moving quite confidently. It was late in the afternoon. The cost is 1000 liras (October 2024, with an audio guide of 1900, headphones are not provided).
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July 31, 2024
Very expensive! But considering how old she is and how much money she needs to maintain it all, it's probably justified. On a large scale! It goes down and you could go out right away, but there is a fence that will smoothly lead you through a maze through the entire huge room. During the day, we walked in the crowd to the exit, there are more modern installations in the spans. They say that the columns are all different.
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2
January 9
This place made more impressions than other popular attractions did. I recommend you to visit
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June 10, 2024
A must-visit. The first day of rest we went- it was closed. But after a couple of days, it worked. The atmosphere is incredible. It's very fascinating, the photos turn out to be unusually interesting. Listen to a brief history of the tank's origin
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3
January 20
Everything you should know about this place. Enterprising guys have appropriated what they did not create, and they charge tourists a lot of money. And even more in the evening.
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April 8
Of course it's worth a visit, but it's better not in season, because the queues will be insane. And so, it's worth looking at the perseverance and ingenuity of the ancestors.
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April 13
It is very beautiful and unusual, it will be interesting for both adults and children, admission is 1300 lire per person
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November 3, 2024
For 2700r it is very expensive. There are cheaper tanks, and there are 2 free ones (Nakkas and Gulhane Park - there is a label in Google maps) - yes, the rest are smaller and have a different backlight, but it would be better if we did not go for such an amount, it is not worth the money if you have already seen free ones. Up to 1500r would be normal.
The Basilica Cistern in Istanbul is one of the largest and best preserved ancient underground reservoirs in Constantinople. There are art objects here, the lighting changes, columns in the water.
The origin of the bases of the two columns with relief images of the heads of the Gorgon Medusa is unknown.
According to one theory, the heads were brought from some pagan ancient temple and used as building material.
According to another version, they were created for the reservoir to protect it from evil spirits and people with evil intentions, who should have turned to stone when looking at the image of a Jellyfish. It is also possible that the heads were purely decorative in nature.
According to architectural historians, the statues were removed from the facade of a public building of the late Roman period.
The "crying" Column (Column of Tears) is one of the most famous and mysterious columns in the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul.
The column got its name due to the relief images on the entire surface, which resemble tears. It is also noteworthy that this column is constantly wet, as if it is crying.
It is believed that the Column of Tears was erected in memory of the thousands of slaves who died during the construction of the reservoir. According to legend, the tears of those unfortunate people appear on the column.
Through holes in the ceiling, the cistern was filled with fresh groundwater.
The strong vaults of the Basilica Cistern are built using the technique of many cruciform domes and arches, they are supported by a forest of marble and granite columns 9 meters high.
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1
September 13, 2024
We wanted to come in during the day, but there was a very long queue. In the evening, the ticket cost 1400 rubles and there were no people.
Going down, they seemed to be in an underground temple, where opera singing sounded to live music (I should note that because of the echo, the sound was not very good, but the entourage was fascinating). The columns are majestic and diverse, the Gorgon Jellyfish are harmless, modern compositions, light projections - it's all worth seeing for yourself.
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1
March 22
It's not enough, just a half-hour walk. It's probably good in the heat, because it's cool. There is little interactive content and it is quite expensive
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December 13, 2024
Of course, it is worth visiting, interestingly, with lighting, because almost all ancient cities have these cisterns
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3
January 1, 2024
The Basilica cistern in the center of old Istanbul is worthy of every tourist's visit. It is unlikely that you will see such a structure anywhere else in the world. It is located to the right of the famous St. Sophia, in a nondescript one-story building. But you will immediately see a long queue at the ticket offices. Do not be afraid, even in high season, you will complete it in a maximum of 30 minutes. There's always shade on this side of the street, so you won't burn out in the sun. Volunteers are scurrying around, helping advanced tourists to issue an electronic ticket and get into the Tank without queuing. The pleasure is not cheap (about 2000 rubles), but it is worth a visit. More interesting than the numerous mosques (which are also magnificent). The cistern is a huge underground structure for storing drinking water (in the Middle Ages). There's a museum there now. It is interesting with its columns and changing illumination. So I recommend it. You will not wish!
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April 30
There are many cisterns, but this one is the most spectacular. It took me a long time to choose where to take my husband, but in the end I decided not to make any deals. And I didn't lose it, he was very impressed.
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March 5
We wanted to get into this cistern, I was very impressed, I think it's worth a visit, despite the high cost of the ticket-900 lira per person. There was no queue on a rainy day.
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December 6, 2023
The place is truly amazing, with beautiful lighting and unusual sculptures. The acoustics are very good here and therefore classical music concerts are held periodically. I definitely recommend watching it!
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3