Istanbul Mosques Walking Tour: Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque

Overview

Available languages

German

Portuguese

English

Italian

French

Turkish

Spanish

4 hours

Mobile ticket

Discover Istanbul’s art, architecture, history, culture, and faith in some of the city’s most beloved places of worship

Visit Hagia Sophia, one of the country’s most iconic landmarks

Snap photos of the Blue Mosque and learn how this grand building got its nickname

See Suleymaniye Mosque, an architectural masterpiece designed by renowned architect Mimar Sinan

Enjoy the intimacy of a private/small group tour

Last-minute booking is available for the meeting point option

Hagia Sophia information.

To enhance your experience and avoid long queues, we require that all visitors, whether on a group tour or a private tour, purchase skip-the-line tickets in advance. For that matter, we will send you a link where you can purchase it after confirming the booking. Queues can delay the tour up to 2 hours.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Not recommended for pregnant travelers

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

As this tour includes visits to religious temples, the itinerary may be adjusted, extended, or shortened due to changes in prayer times throughout the year.

Museum cards are not accepted.

Hagia Sophia upper gallery is accessible by stairs, it's not recommended for tourists with mobility issues.

Knees and shoulders must be covered. Headscarf is mandatory for women and can be purchased at the entrance.

It is strongly recommended to purchase Hagia Sophia skip-the-line tickets (25 EUR) in advance. The activity provider will assist with this process by sending you a purchase link via email if you don't select the inclusive option. Customers without skip-the-line tickets may face a queue of 1-2 hours at the site.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

Built in the sixth century A.D. by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, this famous mosque was originally an Orthodox Christian cathedral in early day Constantinople (now Istanbul). In its nearly 1,500 years, this iconic landmark has been used as a Catholic church, mosque, and museum. To enhance your experience and avoid long queues, we require that all visitors, whether on a group tour or a private tour, purchase skip-the-line tickets in advance. For that matter, we will send you a link where you can purchase it after confirming the booking. Queues can delay the tour up to 2 hours.

1 hour • Admission Not Included

Blue Mosque

The mosque was originally named The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, after Sultan Ahmed I who built it. Back in the early 1600s, mosques were built only by sultans who had achieved success in war. Despite having no colorful achievements to his name and against his counselors’ advice, Sultan Ahmed built this grand edifice that would serve as his most lasting legacy. Today, it is nicknamed the Blue Mosque due to the blue hue coming from the blue tiles outlaid in geometric patterns and floral designs in the mosque Note: "Blue Mosque will be closed for renovation from January 1st, 2023. Instead, you can visit another iconic Istanbul Mosque: Yeni Cami (the New Mosque)"

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable

What‘s Included

English and Turkish, Spanish, Italian, German-speaking tour guide (please, select the option)

Local drink at a historical Madrasah (depending on the package selected)

Lunch or beverages

Personal expenses

Hotel pick-up and drop-off

Hagia Sophia (unless inclusive option selected)

Options

Italian Private Tour Entrance

Italian Private Tour Entrance: Italian Guide with Entrance fees included

Spanish Guide Private Tour

Private with Spanish Guide
Entry not included.: Hagia Sophia Entrance fee (EUR 25) is not included. It is strongly recommended to purchase skip-the-line tickets in advance.

French Private Tour Entrance

French Private Tour Entrance: French Guide with Entrance fees included

Italian Guide Small Group Tour

Small Group Tour : Includes Entrance Fees

English & Turkish with entry

Group Tour with entrance fee: Includes Entrance Fees with a bilingual English and Turkish Tour guide. Drinks not included.

Join In German Guide

Small Group tour in German: Entrance fees not included

Italian Guide Private Tour

Private with Italian Guide
Entry not included.: Hagia Sophia Entrance fee (EUR 25) is not included. It is strongly recommended to purchase skip-the-line tickets in advance.

Spanish Private Tour Entrance

Spanish Private Tour Entrance: Spanish Guide with Entrance Fees included

Portuguese Guide Private Tour

Private Tour
Entry not included: Hagia Sophia Entrance fee (EUR 25) is not included. It is strongly recommended to purchase skip-the-line tickets in advance.

Portuguese Private Entrance

Portuguese Private Entrance: Portuguese Guide with Entrance fees included

English and Turkish Group Tour

Entrance fee not included: Bilingual English and Turkish tour without Hagia Sophia Entrance fee included (EUR 25). Drinks not included.

English Private Tour Entrance

English Private Tour Entrance: English Guide with Entrance Fee included

Spanish Guide Small Group Tour

Small Group Tour : Includes Entrance Fees

English Guide Private Tour

Private Tour
Entry not included.: Hagia Sophia Entrance fee (EUR 25) is not included. It is strongly recommended to purchase skip-the-line tickets in advance.

German Guide Private Tour

Private Tour
Entry not included.: Hagia Sophia Entrance fee (EUR 25) is not included. It is strongly recommended to purchase skip-the-line tickets in advance.

Join In German Guide Entrance

Small group tour in German: Entrance fees included

Reviews

5.00

22 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

The beauty and history of Istanbul.
Explore66906243712,,May 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We chose the tour of the mosques, 4 hours practically flown with our guide Dafne Ozlem Ozduran, very good and very prepared. We immediately found ourselves in tune. Dafne speaks great Italian and it was really a pleasure to visit mosques and more. A big hug to Daphne, Oriana and Hebe.
Guided tour of Blue, Hagia Sophia and Soleiman mosques with Ferhat guide.
Martín G,,May 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Beautiful visit to the most iconic and historic mosques in Istanbul! Sites full of importance and our guide, Ferhat, told in detail all the events, additional spots and description of the characters involved in the stories of these places. A kingpin! It made us get into the stories! Greetings from Argentina, Martin and Alexandra.
An unforgettable experience in Istanbul with the guide Çınar
naimaamsif,,Apr 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Today we enjoyed one of the best tours we have ever done. Our guide, Çınar, was exceptional: friendly, helpful, always attentive to every detail and our needs. His explanations were clear, interesting and very enriching, not only about the palaces and mosques, but also about the history and culture of Istanbul. He gave us invaluable tips to make the most of our stay in the city. The organization was impeccable and the food, simply delicious. We feel cared for at all times. I recommend this tour without any doubt: not only for the places visited, but for the human and professional quality of Çınar. A guide to ten!
Excellent at will
Escape28888477060,,Apr 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Halil our guide was great he guided us through the city while meeting our questions and needs. He was particularly attentive to the needs of our gravely ill daughter and adapted his pace to her. Thank you so much for the time you gave us!
I did go on my own. The...
Karina P,,Mar 16, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
I did go on my own. The lady who explained was very knowledgeable and was ready to answer questions and help with pictures
recommended!
Miriam M,,Sep 22, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Our guide was very prepared, patient (as my father walks very slowly so we had to slow down several times) and very fluent in italian. We really appreciated the tour.
Wonderful Istanbul experience
Tabitha M,,Sep 16, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Emrullah was a wonderful guide, very informative and pleasant experience. The mosques were very beautiful and guide is knowledgeable. Highly recommended!
Informative and interesting tour!
Jessica G,,Sep 14, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Highly recommend this tour! This is the only tour I found that also included the Suleimaniye Mosque, which is a must-see, in my opinion (just as beautiful as the Blue Mosque, but much less crowded and spectacular views of the city from the hilltop). Emrullah was a fantastic guide who knew the history of each mosque. He gave us interesting insight into the architectural details as well, and pointed out things we would not have noticed on our own (such as Viking graffiti in the Hagia Sophia). He was also great about changing up the schedule when we had to make a slight unplanned detour and making sure we still saw everything we wanted to, as well as taking many pictures of my husband and I with these incredible sights. Overall, we are very happy we did this tour of these major sites as we feel like we got so much more out of our visits than if we had just strolled in on our own. A few tips to get the most out of this experience - wear modest clothing (shoulders and knees covered), bring your own headscarf (for the ladies), wear comfortable and supportive walking shoes you can easily slip on/off, wear sunscreen if you sunburn easily, and definitely buy the tickets for Hagia Sophia ahead of time as that ticket line is crazy. (If you don’t get that link through your confirmation email, reach out to TripGuru and the chatbot will send you the form to fill out so your guide can reserve your Hagia Sophia tickets ahead of time).
Mosques of Istanbul: Hagia Sophia, Suleymaniye & Blue Mosque private tour.
Gavin T,,Jul 15, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
We enjoyed the experience but as tourists despite having paid to get into the Hagia Sophia Mosque (Ground Floor) it was only for the museum. This is not clear on tour instructions which are misleading. Our guide (Faruk Bodur) was excellent. He was friendly, very accommodating and knowledgeable. We have rated this as a 5 star experience because of the quality of our guide. Thank you Faruk.
Engaging and relaxed
Tom L,,May 31, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Great tour, our guide Muhammed was very friendly, polite and funny, he made the tour engaging and it was great to learn about all the little things you would miss without a tour guide. We would highly recommend to anyone visiting Istanbul.