Topkapı Palace
The sultans’ palace on Sarayburnu: courtyards, the Imperial Council, the treasury and the terraces over the water. Dated entry, sold online on its own site.
Built in the sixth century to store water for the Great Palace of Constantinople, the cistern lies a few steps from Hagia Sophia. Walkways lead through rows of columns rising out of shallow water, lit from below.
Most of the columns were reused from older buildings, which is why no two capitals quite match — and why, at the far end, two carved Medusa heads serve as column bases, one on its side and one upside down.
What you will see
The Medusa heads
Two Roman blocks set under columns at the northwest corner, the cistern’s best-known mystery.
The weeping column
A column carved with tear-like shapes that is always damp to the touch.
Light on water
The columns reflected in the dark water, one of Istanbul’s most photographed interiors.
Good to know
- Fast-track entry is included: it skips the ticket-counter queue.
- The digital audio guide is an app you download, not a handset collected on site.
- The ticket is for the daytime session; hours can change for maintenance or events.
Istanbul’s other three
Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s cathedral, the sultans’ mosque and a working mosque again today. The ticket admits you to the upper visitor gallery.
Dolmabahçe Palace
A nineteenth-century palace on the water’s edge: the Selamlık, the Ceremonial Hall under its chandelier, the crystal staircase and the Harem.
Basilica CisternBuy tickets