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.

Trademark Collection by Wyndham Operla Airport Hotels

₩1,227,693

per person

Apr 9 - Apr 14

found 1 day ago

Roundtrip non-stop flight included

Seoul (SEL) to Istanbul (IST)

8.2/10 Very Good! (508 reviews)

Hotel was very nice and huge. The room was spacious as well as Clean. The shower didn’t have a door so the floor would be soaking wet once the shower was turned on.Other than that our stay was great. The breakfast buffet was wonderful, the highlight of my stay. The staff was cordial but they didn’t speak English. I met a doorman Enrique Lui on our second to last day who was able to speak to us in English. He showed us how to take the bus and the train which was a major help to us. Thank you Enrique

Reviewed on Feb 24, 2026

Hampton by Hilton Istanbul Airport, Arnavutkoy

₩1,469,820

per person

Apr 9 - Apr 14

found 1 day ago

Roundtrip non-stop flight included

Seoul (SEL) to Istanbul (IST)

9/10 Wonderful! (1,084 reviews)

The hotel ia a badic airport hotel with clean rooms. The breakfast buffet is execllent with lots of fresh fruit. The best part is the hote staff, especially the front desk both at check-in and check-out!!!

Reviewed on Feb 23, 2026

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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