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Guided tour

Istanbul: Basilica Cistern Tour and Skip The Line with Guide

4.3  / 5
808 reviews
Activity provider:Travelgroup
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Guided tour

Istanbul: Basilica Cistern Tour and Skip The Line with Guide

Activity provider:Travelgroup
4.3  / 5
808 reviews

From US$ 30.68 per person

Discover the Basilica Cistern beneath the streets of Istanbul with a guided tour. Skip the long queues and wonder at the ancient site as you admire the architecture and Medusa heads.

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Reserve now & pay later
Keep your travel plans flexible — book your spot and pay nothing today.
Duration 30 minutes
Check availability to see starting times.
Skip the line through express security check
Live tour guide
English, Spanish, German
Private or small groups available

Experience

Highlights
  • Treat your eyes to the beauty of Basilica Cistern of Istanbul on a guided tour
  • Benefit from skip-the-line entry tickets with a guide and avoid the long queue
  • Listen to informative commentary and learn about the history of the cistern
  • Learn about the engineering and other facts of the building during the tour
  • Explore all the corners of the cistern at your own pace after your guided tour
Full description

Discover the Basilica Cistern under the streets of Istanbul on a guided tour. Be amazed by the stunning architecture of the cistern during the tour and gaze at the Medusa Heads. Skip-the-line and avoid the long queue, as you follow your guide through history.

Meet your guide in front of the exit gate of the Basilica Cistern and enter together. Skip the long lines and enjoy a highlights tour and learn interesting facts about the water cistern with an audio guide.

Marvel at the engineering of the cistern while hearing the history with a downloadable audio guide. After your guided tour, stay and explore the building at your own pace. 

Includes
  • Tour guide
  • Skip-the-line entry
  • Entry fee (if group option selected)
  • Entry fee (if private option selected, approx. €16)

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Meeting point

Meet your guide at the exit gate of the Basilica Cistern. Look for the Istanbul Welcome Card flag. Entry is not possible without a guide.

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Important information

Know before you go

  • You will skip the ticket lines, but you cannot skip the security line
  • During high season the security check can take up to 30 minutes

From US$ 30.68 per person

Reserve now & pay later to book your spot and pay nothing today
Reserve now & pay later to book your spot and pay nothing today
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Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.3 /5

based on 808 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.1/5
  • Value for money
    4.1/5
  • Service
    5/5

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The Basilica Cistern was amazing. The guides, not so much. They were late and very unorganised. They didn’t have enough tickets, which delay everyone further. Also the group was very large and we could not hear what he was telling us about the cistern. May I suggest some personal audio equipment be used, so we can hear, or maybe groups of no more than 10

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September 17, 2023

M
Mylee – AustraliaVerified booking

Helpful?

The Cistern is a very interesting place and it's even more welcoming when there's hot outside. If you'd like to visit tha place make sure to book in advance, as the queue is very long all day. The guide could have shared a bit more historical information about the Cistern but we got the most important parts of it. In overall it was a good experience.

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August 16, 2023

B
Bálint – HungaryVerified booking

Helpful?

The tour was excellent and the skip the line is why I have given you 5 stars as well as the ease of booking. We did struggle to hear the guide as there were 4 of us and so one of us got as close as possible and relayed the information, this did not spoil the tour for us and we would highly recommend.

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June 30, 2023

G
GetYourGuide traveler Verified booking

Helpful?

Product ID: 427059

  • Turkey
  • Marmara Region
  • Things to do in Istanbul
  • Basilica Cistern

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