Basilica Cistern Visiting Hours & Ticket Price (2025 Update)

Basilica Cistern is essentially an underground water reservoir dating back to the 6th century. However, thanks to its Roman architecture, it gives the impression of an underground palace. The Basilica Cistern not only showcases the engineering genius of the Byzantine Empire but also offers a rare glimpse into the city’s layered history.

In the rest of this article, you’ll find many practical tips for planning your visit. As someone who has worked as a licensed tour guide in Istanbul for over 20 years, I have gathered here the questions my guests ask most often — and the answers that will help you get the best out of your time at Basilica Cistern.

📸 Don’t forget to bring your camera — inside the Basilica Cistern you’ll find yourself surrounded by an endless forest of 336 ancient columns, glowing under green and red lights. Look closely at the bases of some columns and you’ll discover the mysterious Medusa heads carved into stone, one of the cistern’s most unforgettable sights.

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Basilica Cistern 2025 Visitor Summary

Below you can find the Basilica Cistern visitor summary updated for 2025, including entrance fees, visiting information, and skip-the-line tickets.

• Ticket Price (09:00 – 18:30): 1500 TL (approx. 32 Euros)
• Night Shift (19:30 – 22:00): 2000 TL (approx. 42 Euros)
  – During the Night Shift, special events and live music performances are occasionally organized.
• Opening Hours: 09:00 – 22:00 (Open until late!)
• Museum Pass: Not valid (Municipality-run museums are excluded)
• Skip-the-line: Online tickets highly recommended (yellow box below)
• Location: Sultanahmet, Istanbul
• Last Updated: August 2025

History of the Basilica Cistern

The history of Basilica Cistern dates back to the 6th century. Built by Justinian, the most famous ruler of the Byzantine Empire, the cistern was one of Constantinople’s most important water resources.

The Historical Peninsula on which Constantinople was founded was a place known for its scarcity of water resources. Lack of water became a major problem as the city’s population grew.

A Roman Aqueduct was built in late antiquity to bring water to Constantinople from the mountains of Thrace. A part of these aqueducts built by Emperor Valens can still be seen in Istanbul.

Many cisterns were built in the city to store the water coming from this aqueduct. The largest of these was the Basilica Cistern, and it carried water to monumental structures such as Hagia Sophia and the Great Palace.

The Basilica Cistern takes its name from the Stoa Basilica, the public square under which it was built. The ceiling of the cistern is supported by 336 reused columns from the ancient Greek period. The cistern is 138 meters long and 65 meters wide. It covers nearly 1000 square meters.

1. Byzantine Cisterns in Istanbul

Most of the Byzantine cisterns in Istanbul are found in and around Sultanahmet. Theodosius Cistern, Cistern of Philoxenos and Basilica Cistern can be visited as museums. In addition, there is the Sarnic (Cistern) Restaurant and the Nakilbent Cistern located under a carpet store.

There are many articles on this website for those who want to trace the Byzantine heritage in Istanbul. For example, in this article you can find a list of the most important Byzantine buildings in Istanbul.

2. Rediscovery of the Cistern

It is hard to believe that such a distinctive structure could be forgotten for a long time. However, after the Ottomans conquered the city in 1453, the cistern was lost for a long time.

The Ottomans repaired the Valens Aqueduct and continued to bring water to the city through the Roman system. However, they did not use the cisterns. They connected the water pipes to the public fountains they built on the streets and provided water in this way.

For this reason, most of the Byzantine cisterns underground were forgotten. Byzantine historian Petrus Gyllius, who came to Ottoman Istanbul in the 16th century, made the rediscovery of the cistern.

3. Famous Movies Filmed in the Cistern

Unforgettable scenes of many famous movies were filmed in Basilica Cistern. The first major film to feature the cistern was the 1963 James Bond movie, From Russia with Love, starring Sean Connery.

The final scene of the movie Inferno, based on Dan Brown’s novel, was also shot at Basilica Cistern. The famous actor Tom Hanks played the leading role of this movie, which was shot in 2016.

4. Medusa Heads in the Cistern

The Medusa Heads hidden in the farthest corner of the cistern will be the most interesting part of your visit. Since most of the columns in the cistern are taken from other structures, their lengths are different. For this reason, you will see stone blocks of various sizes under each.

The largest of these stone blocks are placed under the two short columns at the end of the cistern. The face of Medusa, a mythological creature, is engraved on these giant blocks, which cannot be noticed at first sight.

You will see that one of these Medusa Heads is placed sideways and the other is placed upside down. Many historians consider this to be due to the superstitions of Byzantine society.

Medusa has been a powerful figure since ancient times because it is a monster that turns people into stone. They didn’t want to face her, even if she was going to be submerged in a cistern.

Basilica Cistern Entrance Fee 2025

The entrance fee for the Basilica Cistern in 2025 is 1500 Turkish Lira per person. Please note that the Museum Pass Istanbul is not valid at the Basilica Cistern. Information about ticket prices was last updated on September 7, 2025.

As of 2025, there is also a special program called “The Night Shift”. While the cistern can be visited at standard prices until 18:30, it remains open for special events between 19:30 and 22:00, and the ticket price for this evening experience is 2000 TL.

Basilica Cistern Opening Hours 2025

The Basilica Cistern is open daily from 09:00 AM to 06:30 PM in 2025. The site welcomes visitors every day of the week. Information about visiting hours was last updated on September 7, 2025.

In addition, the Basilica Cistern offers evening access under the “Night Shift” program. From 19:30 to 22:00, special concerts and events take place, and tickets for this experience are sold separately at 2000 TL per person.

🏛️ Would you like to discover even more museums in Istanbul?

Our city is home to nearly 40 fascinating museums, each with its own unique story and treasures waiting to be explored.

Visit the Museums of Istanbul category

and start planning your next cultural adventure today!

How to Get to the Cistern?

Basilica Cistern is located in the heart of Sultanahmet, Istanbul’s most touristic district. For this reason, it is very easy to reach the museum. You can walk from distinctive structures such as Hagia Sophia or Blue Mosque to the cistern.

In order to get to the Cistern from Taksim Square, you must first go to Kabatas with Funicular F1. If you take Tram T1 from Kabatas Tram Station, you can reach Sultanahmet Tram Station in 15 minutes.

It will take only a few minutes to walk from Sultanahmet Tram Station to the cistern. The Theodosius Cistern, another Byzantine cistern serving as a museum, is also located very close. You can get there on foot from the same tram stop.

Conclusion

Basilica Cistern is among my favorite historical monuments as a local guide. A marvel of Roman architecture and engineering, the cistern supplied water to Constantinople for close to a millennium.

After visiting historical monuments such as the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, you will feel like you have traveled to another world when you go down to the Basilica Cistern. Because the atmosphere of the cistern is so fascinating.

Written by Serhat Engul