Basicilca Cistern Skip The Line Ticket with Audio Guide

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Overview

What's Included

✓ Included

  • Basilica Cistern skip-the-line entry ticket with all-day validity
  • Audio guide on your smartphone in 11 languages

Itinerary

1
Stop 1
Visit the Basilica Cistern, originally built in the 4th century and expanded in 532 AD, a vast underground reservoir from the Byzantine era. Discover the atmospheric chamber, its forest of marble columns, and the famous Medusa heads inspired by Greek mythology. Explore this cathedral-size cistern, built during the reign of Emperor Justinian I in 532 A.D. to supply water to the Great Palace. It stores up to 80,000 cubic meters of water, delivered via 20 kilometers of aqueducts from a reservoir near the Black Sea. Descend the fifty-two stone steps into the entrance of the cistern. The cistern is surrounded by a firebrick wall with a thickness of 4 meters, coated with a waterproofing mortar. Hear how the Basilica Cistern's water comes from the Eğrikapı Water Distribution Center in the Belgrade Forest and travels through the 971-meter-long Valens Aqueduct and the 115-meter-long Mağlova Aqueduct, built by the Emperor Justinian.

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Good to Know

  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

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Handpicked hotels near your tour — book with confidence.

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ISG Sabiha Gokcen Airport Hotel

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Radisson Blu Bosphorus Hotel Istanbul

Radisson Blu Bosphorus Hotel Istanbul

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Miracle Istanbul Asia Airport Hotel & Spa

Miracle Istanbul Asia Airport Hotel & Spa

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