The “Sunken Palace” is one of the most striking remnants of Byzantine Constantinople and is the largest of hundreds of ancient underground reservoirs in Istanbul.
Basilica Cistern Tours





Visit Basilica Cistern
Plan a trip to see Basilica Cistern
Price found within the past 48 hours. Click for updated prices.

Carina Gold Hotel and Restaurant
Sultanahmet
Price was ¥234,088, price is now ¥118,189 per person
¥118,189
per person
Feb 26 - Mar 3
found 1 day ago
Roundtrip flight included
Fukuoka (FUK) to Istanbul (IST)
9.6/10 Exceptional! (605 reviews)
Amazing location, friendly people, clean room. Had a great experience!
Reviewed on Dec 16, 2025

Richmond Istanbul
Taksim
Save 100% on your flight
Price was ¥211,655, price is now ¥119,926 per person
¥119,926
per person
Feb 26 - Mar 3
found 1 day ago
Roundtrip flight included
Fukuoka (FUK) to Istanbul (IST)
8.8/10 Excellent! (971 reviews)
The room was clean and very comfortable. The breakfast was substantial and had lots of variety. The staff were pleasant and helpful.
Reviewed on Oct 23, 2025
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Reviews of Basilica Cistern
4.4
Top Destination
3/5 - Okay
Verified traveler
it cost 20 lira and i spent 15 minutes here. it is cool to see the history and a few photo but not worth a second trip.
4/5 - Good
Rusty
Saw aa special on Discovery or Nat Geo and thought this was great. I was a little disappointed after view the show, but still amazed at the work and the craftsmanship that went into building this place. The old saying, they don't build them like this anymore holds true for this place. Probably not a good place for young kids, it is dark and damp and when the tour groups come, it gets crowded quick
4/5 - Good
Verified traveler
Under reconstruction- wait a few years to come.
3/5 - Okay
Verified traveler
This is a quick 15-20 minute visit. It is across the street from the Hagia Sofia. We paid 10 or 15 lira per person to enter. It is dark and wet. Unfortunately, it is very poorly lit. We had been excited to see it since we knew a scene from a Bond flick was shot there, however, you can't really see much of anything. If you use flash, you can get a few shots of columns. There are two columns with Madusa heads for bases. The sign it nowhere near them. Everyone took pictures of blackness looking for them. It was funny because I asked a worker to find out that they were at the very end before turning around and coming back out. If you want to appear really smart and knowledgeable, tell everyone who is bewildered looking for them that they are at then end.
5/5 - Excellent
lee
Went on my last trip here, very interesting and a cool respite for a hot day. Worth a stop.
4/5 - Good
HijabNomani
A lot of it is under construction. Walk to the end to see the Medusa heads.
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