Hello,
We will be in Istanbul on May 15 for a couple of days. Has anyone been to the Chora Church? We are staying in Sultanamit area, and looks like we can take the tram or a ferry close to the church. I have read conflicting information on if the church / mosque is open or not. We are thinking that the lines at Hagia Sophia can be rather long, so this may be a good alternative.
Thanks!
Julie
The last I’ve heard is that Chora Church is closed and will not reopen to the public. Which is a shame because it was an incredibly beautiful church.
Was there in 2011 via RS tour. Sadly no longer open.
Yes lines will be long for Hagia Sophia but in all my years of travel one of the most spectacular places I’ve been privileged to see first hand. Stunning.
We were in Istanbul last June. Got in line a Hagia Sophia 15 minutes before opening and were inside 20 minutes later. BTW, we saved Blue Mosque for later in the afternoon and walked right in.
The website for Chora is here https://muze.gen.tr/muze-detay/kariye and it currently lists status as "under renovation" as it is being converted to a mosque. But check with locals or the TI when you visit, the status could change at any time. This thread from a month ago has a comment that it looked like it was getting closer to being open: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/turkey/chora-church-open-for-tourists
Hopefully you know that the Hagia Sophia now has a 25 euro entrance fee to visit the second floor, and you cannot enter the main (prayer) floor. I don't know what impact that will have on lines but I suspect they're not the very long ones that occurred with free entry.
There is an unconfirmed rumor that the Chora might reopen as a mosque in May. The problem is that the renovation/conversion was originally supposed to include covering all the mosaics, basically everything worth seeing at the Chora. There has been a lot of negotiation between UNESCO and the Turkish government for years, and I don't know what was finally decided.
I wouldn't make any plans to visit the Chora until you can confirm from reliable sources that the site is open and that the mosaics will be visible.
I would highly recommend visiting the Hagia Sophia, regardless of lines, entrances fees or restricted areas. I hate crowds and lines, but the Hagia Sophia is worth it. It is truly magnificent. The mosaics at the Chora were wonderful when I visited in 2015, but the Hagia Sophia is in a different league.
Hello, thank you everyone for your helpful input. So sad if the original mosiacs at the Chora church are covered. We will ask when we get to Istanbul. And, we do plan then to visit Hagia Sophia.
Safe Travels! Julie
