For nine hundred years the largest enclosed space in the world, then a mosque for five hundred, then a museum for eighty-six, and since 2020 a working mosque again. That last change is the one that matters to a visitor, because it split the building in two: the prayer floor is free and the visitor route is not.
What it costs
There are two ways in and they are not the same door. The ground floor is a mosque and admission to it is free, as it is at every mosque in the city. The upper gallery — the Byzantine mosaics, the Deesis, the view down into the nave — is a separate ticketed visitor route priced for foreign visitors in euros, and it is one of the more expensive single admissions in the city.
The distinction catches people out constantly. If you have read that Hagia Sophia is free, that is true, and it is also true that the thing you probably came to see is upstairs and is not.
When to go
Earliest opening or the last hour of the day. The middle of the day in summer is a queue in full sun with no shade in the square.
As a working mosque it closes to visitors around each of the five daily prayers, and Friday midday is the longest closure of the week. Those times move through the year with sunrise and sunset, so they are not a timetable you can memorise — check the day you go.
Getting there
Sultanahmet on the T1 tram, which runs from Kabataş through Karaköy and over the Galata Bridge. From the Asian side, take the ferry to Eminönü and walk up, or Marmaray to Sirkeci. The tram stop is called Sultanahmet and the building is directly in front of you; there is no wrong exit to take.
If you only have an hour
Go in at ground level, stand under the dome, and look up at the four seraphim and the great calligraphic roundels. Then walk to the apse end and look back — the length of the nave is the point, and it does not photograph. If you have bought the gallery ticket, the Deesis mosaic is the one to spend your time on.
What people get wrong
Two things. The first is turning up in shorts: it is a mosque, so shoulders and knees covered, shoes off, and hair covered for women. Scarves are usually available at the door but do not count on it.
The second is treating the free entry as the whole visit and then feeling cheated at the gallery gate. Decide which you are doing before you queue.
Nearby
Ticketing arrangements, prayer-time closures and opening patterns as published and checked on 5 September 2026. These change without much warning — confirm with the place itself before you travel. More sights, and how they fit together, in Landmarks & Sights.