Entry fee for Hagia Sophia

Yes, I can confirm 25 euro entry. Second floor access. I was there in October.

Yes, we were there in August, the tickets were 25 euro. Non Muslims are restricted to the second floor, which wasn't as big of a deal as I thought it would be. Highly, highly, HIGHLY, recommend getting there at least 15 minutes before opening to get in line. At opening, go in and do your photographing and enjoy the views, and then go back when its busier to listen to the audio.

The entry fees for several government-operated sites have increased substantially since I was in the city in September/October 2023 [<< year corrected]. Don't trust any fee-related information you find in a printed guidebook, and keep in mind that stuff posted on the internet tends to live on forever.

This is the official website for the Hagia Sophia mosque which includes hours and links to official online ticket seller https://muze.gen.tr/muze-detay/ayasofya

Opening hours, Tickets Hagia Sophia is open to visitors every day,
opening hours from 09:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in 2024. Visiting area of
the mosque is closed to visitors between 12:30-14:30 due to Friday
Prayers. Admission tickets can be purchased from the ticket booth and
online (Skip-the-Line) through official seller DEM MUSEUMS with below
link. There are no Museum Passes available for visiting the Hagia
Sophia.

It is currently 25 euro to visit the second floor, but that could change at any time so confirm just prior to your visit. I went there before they closed off the first floor access, so one thing to double check is whether the mosque dress code (head coverings for women, modest clothing) is required upstairs (perhaps someone who has visited recently can weigh in).

BTW, there is also a Hagia Sophia history museum, which is not the same thing (but is sometimes covered by museum passes).

FYI. Haggia Sophia history museum is not covered by museum pass. Neither are Basilica Cisterns.

Last week when I went there it was 25 € and they also accept Turkish lira

The Basilca cistern is interesting and a different experience than the other things you will see in Istanbul. Just know, that relatively speaking it feels a bit expensive. Also, it costs more to see it in the evening. I'm not sure what time the price changes. We were happy we visited, but we would not have paid the evening price.

Thanks Carol for the correction on the museum pass for the Hagia Sophia museum - it was covered when I was there. It goes to show that checking for current conditions before departure is a must!

Yes, headcovering for women, there in October 2024

Yes to seeing basilica cistern, my favorite stop in instanbul

You will need to by the ticket from the office
If you have a pass it doesn’t work

I have been reading through the posts and I am rather confused.

It looks like we can visit the Hagia Sophia mosque at 25E and this fee allows you to visit the museum too.
When I looked at the official site for purchasing the tickets, there is premium megapass (bestseller) for 148 Euros which says you can choose 4 top attractions and the Bosphorus cruise, Blue Mosque and transportation is thrown in for "free". The attractions we can choose from are:
Hagia Sophia
Topkapi Palace
Basilica Cistern
Dolmabahce Palace
Asian Side Walking Tour
Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour
Turkish Bath / Hamam
Dervish Ceremony
Dinner Cruise on Bosphurs
with Turkish Night, Food & Drinks

So with this megapass, we can visit the Hagia Sophia mosque but not the museum which is separate from the mosque. Is that right? Same with the Basilica Cistern? We can visit the Cistern but not the museum?

Is it worth visiting the museums at these two places?

Has anyone purchased this pass? If so, which of these attractions would be worth choosing?

The Topkapi Palace for sure. You could spend nearly an entire day there. The Dolmabahce Palace is also a worthwhile stop, but it's north of the Golden Horn and takes a while to reach. My impression is that most folks going to Istanbul don't have enough time to cover a great deal of its geographical area. I'd have the same time-required concern about the walking tour of the Asian side of the city, though I enjoyed walking around there myself.

Some sort of cruise on the Bosporus is recommended; I have no idea what the dinner cruises are like in Istanbul. I'd rather separate my eating from my sightseeing.

Rick has a long list of ranked sightseeing recommendations for many major cities, including Istanbul, on this very website. Go here and click on "At a Glance": https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/turkey/istanbul. Although my tastes don't always match Rick's, I think he does an excellent job of pinpointing the sights likely to be the most interesting to the most people. Note that he lists Dolmabahce Palace, but it's a one-triangle sight.

@dtamca1, unless things have changed, the 25euro for the Hagia Sophia does not include the museum. I believe that one of the passes may include the Hagia Sophia museum, but not the mosque, itself. In my opinion the Hagia Sophia Mosque is a must see. I didn't see the museum, but I cannot imagine seeing the museum and not the mosque, itself.

Looking at your list of sights, in my opinion the pass does not include what I'd consider some of the best sights. We thought the Kariye Mosque former Chora Church was stunning and well worth your time. It was 25 euro.

There are a couple fabulous sites that are free, Mosque of Suleyman, Blue Mosque, and Rustem Pasa Mosque. I mention because if you try to cover everything on the museum pass, you might not have time for these three amazing mosques. They are each very different in design, and there are nice views of Istanbul from Suleyman.

We enjoyed the Topkapi Palace, and would consider that a "don't miss", like acraven, we spent a full day there.

From memory, mentally adding up the prices of the attractions you list, I don't feel the pass is a good value. That said, I don't know if the pass is for a specified time period (I would guess it is) and I don't know how long you plan to be in Istanbul. I am definitely a cynic, but I don't trust these organizations that sell the passes to be completely honest when they say what is the "best seller". Further, I admit I haven't talked about Istanbul to lots of people, but I don't recall hearing anyone from the forum or elsewhere that has purchased the pass.

I believe the pass is a relatively new or considerably changed product. The economics of sightseeing in Istanbul have changed considerably since I was there, but my gut reaction is the same as jules's--I doubt its money-saving potential for the typical visitor.

It is my understanding the the Hagia Sophia "museum" is more of a virtual reality experience.

Thank you everyone for your responses. They are very helpful. Yes, I have arrived at the conclusion that the mega pass would not be worth it. So back to reworking the itinerary again. :-)

Geography is one of the main reasons I'm leery about big-city sightseeing passes. I think it's difficult to grasp how much of the pass running time might be spent just traveling from one place to the next.

Another thing to consider is how much of the visitor's time will be spent seeing free attractions or just walking around, experiencing the city. Just as London has many large, wonderful museums that are free, Istanbul is full of interesting mosques, most of which are free to visit (though a donation is nice), and picturesque neighborhoods.

Skip the Dinner cruises and just ride the ferry like locals. You'll see the views and experience the Bosphorus. Food on these cruises is never that good and their expensive. The ferry ride is very inexpensive. Just use the Istanbul kart. We went to Kadikoy and Uskadar. I just spent Thanksgiving in Istanbul. It was fantastic! Have a great time. We did a food tour in Kadikoy that was the highlight of our trip. I suggest doing that and skip the dinner cruise.