Istanbul Basilica Cistern Skip-the-Line Ticket (Audio Guide or English Guided Tour Option)

Head down into the Basilica Cistern
with a skip-the-line ticket

Enter the Basilica Cistern without waiting in the ticket line and explore freely for about an hour. Descend into the cool, dark underground space beneath the busy streets, where columns rising from the water seem to stretch on endlessly.

See the 336 columns and the Medusa heads

Walk through the maze-like cistern of columns and arches and learn about its architecture and history. You can also see the Medusa head carvings, whose origins historians still debate. Take in the mysterious atmosphere with the gentle echo of dripping water.

Visit with an audio guide or an English-speaking guide

With the ticket + audio guide option, you explore on your own with a digital audio guide in Chinese, German, English, French, Italian or Spanish. The English guided tour option includes the ticket and an English-speaking guide who explains the site as you go. With the ticket-only option, you visit on your own without a guide.

※ The Basilica Cistern is underground and can only be accessed by stairs.