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.

Plan a trip to see Basilica Cistern

Price found within the past 48 hours. Click for updated prices.

Zagreb Hotel

Istanbul City Center

₩2,783,518

per person

Dec 28 - Jan 2

found 10 hours ago

Roundtrip flight included

Atlanta (ATL) to Istanbul (IST)

7.8/10 Good! (537 reviews)

Really nice enjoyable stay. The staff were great and friendly. Breakfast was delicious and lots of choices. Room was spacious with a comfortable bed. Neighbouring rooms were a bit loud at times, but didn't affect the overall stay. Would happily come and stay here again 🙂

Reviewed on Oct 7, 2025

Carina Gold Hotel and Restaurant

Sultanahmet

₩3,147,423

per person

Dec 27 - Jan 1

found 1 day ago

Roundtrip flight included

Atlanta (ATL) to Istanbul (IST)

19.2/10 Exceptional! (601 reviews)

Good friendly staff, clean modern rooms, great location but the central AC was off (1st week of November) which was uncomfortable for us as had to leave window open which lead to excessive traffic noise and the odd mosquito.

Reviewed on Nov 8, 2025

Richmond Istanbul

Taksim

₩3,216,868

per person

Dec 27 - Jan 2

found 1 day ago

Roundtrip flight included

Atlanta (ATL) to Istanbul (IST)

8.8/10 Excellent! (954 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

Reviews of Basilica Cistern

4.4

Top Destination

5 - Excellent

428

4 - Good

212

3 - Okay

74

2 - Disappointing

8

1 - Terrible

7

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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