From cruise port in Istanbul to Hagia Sophia

I was in Istanbul recently. I saw a couple of cruise ships docked in the Galataport area, but I don't want to assume that's the only cruise docking area in Istanbul (though it may be). Can you provide the full name of the area where your ship will dock?

Hagia Sophia is now a mosque, which means it closes for prayers 5 times a day. Prayer times vary seasonally. The closure can be quite long (more than an hour). You can probably find specific information online by checking not too long before you arrive in Istanbul. If you arrive during a period when the mosque is closed, you'll probably need to queue up on the south side (between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque) before entry. The line moves fast, but first you have to find the end of the line and get to it; there will be a lot of barricades. Ask one of the policemen; their English may be limited, but they'll know what you want based on where you are.

Hagia Sophia, like all mosques, has a very strict dress code. Google for information so you're prepared. I've seen signage prohibiting leggings, bare midriffs, bare arms, bare lower legs. You must cover your hair. I'm not sure how much of that applies to men (they definitely don't need to cover their heads), because I'm female. No one minded that I was wearing full-length slacks rather than a long dress, though observant locals were in long dresses. Everyone must remove his/her shoes before stepping onto the carpet. There are shelves to place them on, but there will be many, many people at Hagia Sophia, so you might like to carry a heavy plastic bag with you to put your shoes in.

Assuming you are at Galataport, walk to tram line (Tophane stop), buy a ticket (15 Turkish lira for a ride, some machines take credit cards) and take it to Sultanahmet stop, then walk to Hagia Sophia. https://maps.app.goo.gl/LYkmvLwsFKyRj9iW7 If you're not mass transit friendly, "easiest" way is probably to take a cab, there will be plenty waiting on your business right outside the port. Just make sure they use a meter and take your preferred payment method.

As acraven has described, depending on the time of day you may not be able to get right in, especially when cruise ships are in town. In September the lines midday on a weekend were exceptionally long. BTW, you also have to go through a security screen (scanning bags and metal detector) which is part of the reason for the wait. Inside the mosque there are also crowd control barriers - depending on how close to prayers you visit and the crowd level, you may not be able to go in to the main space very far, or you may get directed in a one way route. I went twice and it was a different set up each time.

The entire area around Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque has security barriers, so you may have to work your way around until you find an entry or exit point (thus the Google map linked above may not be completely accurate). When I visited, one authorized entrance was fairly close to the Sultanahmet tram stop (At Meydani Cd street), but I suspect they move it around depending on the season and crowds.

Here are the prayer times for Istanbul to help with planning. Note for Friday prayers the closure is longer. https://namazvakitleri.diyanet.gov.tr/en-US/9541/prayer-time-for-istanbul