Guided tour

Istanbul: Basilica Cistern Skip-the-Line Guided Tour

4.3  / 5724 reviews
Activity provider:Istanbul Tourist Pass®
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Guided tour

Istanbul: Basilica Cistern Skip-the-Line Guided Tour

Activity provider:Istanbul Tourist Pass®
4.3  / 5724 reviews

From US$ 30.66 per person

On this 30-minute tour, visit the 4th-century Basilica Cistern and discover the mystery of Medusa heads from Greek mythology.

About this activity

Free cancellation
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Duration 30 minutes
Check availability to see starting times.
Skip the ticket line
Live tour guide
English

Experience

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
Full description
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.
Includes
  • Entry ticket to Basilica Cistern
  • Skip-the-line access
  • Professional guide
  • Free time at the monument
  • Hotel pickup

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Meeting point

Meet at the Sultanahmet BusForUs stop in front of the Hagia Sophia. Look out for the red double-decker buses. The guide will have a flag with the Istanbul Tourist Pass logo on it.

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Important information

What to bring

  • Passport or ID card

Know before you go

  • Please note: this attraction cannot be visited without the guide
  • All children will be asked to present their valid passport at the entrance of the museums in order to validate their age
  • You cannot enter with a suitcase.

Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.3 /5

based on 724 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.4/5
  • Value for money
    4.1/5
  • Service
    4.5/5
  • Organization
    4.4/5

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A great tour. The guide was friendly, enthusiastic and had a lot of knowledge on the history and local area. It was worth paying to skip the line and have the guided tour. We only waited a short time for the guide to get the tickets from the booth and we were in.

July 20, 2023

S
Sarah – United KingdomVerified booking

Helpful?

Our tour guide Emre Eriskon was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the history. A great story teller with some dry humour. We had a lovely lunch at Konyali restaurant at the end of the tour recommended by him. It was tourist prices but a beautiful outlook and we shared a table with 3 other people from the tour we just met. Highly recommend the experience.

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June 26, 2023

A
Anna – AustraliaVerified booking

Helpful?

I would highly recommend the 9:00 Skip the Line tour of the cisterns. We were the first group in for the day, allowing us an uncrowded visit. Our guide was excellent - he gave us the fascinating history of the cisterns then we had time on our own to explore. Highly recommend!

June 1, 2023

L
Lori – United StatesVerified booking

Helpful?

Product ID: 192903

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