Istanbul Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque | Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour
1 hour and 30 minutes
About this experience
A walk from Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque down to the Roman Hippodrome and two quiet mosques below it, where Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans built on each other's work instead of clearing it away. 8 stops, about 2.3 km on foot, 1h30 at an easy pace. The route starts at Hagia Sophia and ends at Little Hagia Sophia. It is fully self-guided: no group, no guide to keep up with, and no need to arrive at a set time. Start whenever you like, pause for as long as you want, and pick it up again where you left off. Narrated stop by stop in English, in your phone's browser, with a live GPS map of the route.
- Experience type
- Day tour or activity
- Duration
- 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Guide
- English
- Audio guide
- English
- Categories
- Walking tour · Cultural and theme tours · City tours
What's included
Self-guided audio tour of Istanbul, narrated stop by stop. Narration in English. 8 stops, about 2.3 km, 1h30 at an easy pace. Walking directions from each stop to the next. Interactive GPS map with your live position and the route. Opens in your phone browser. No app to download. Lifetime access, so you can replay the walk whenever you like. Start any time you like. No group, no set arrival time. Free Roamer app for iPhone, if you would rather walk it offline.
What's not included
Live guide. The tour is 100% self-guided and there is no group. Entry or admission fees. Going inside is optional and paid on site. Smartphone and earphones. Bring your own, charged. Mobile data, or the tour downloaded in advance, for the audio. Food and drinks. Transport. Tip or gratuity Food and drinks Entry or admission fee
Please note
To start the tour, enter the ticket code from your confirmation on the Roamer redemption page linked there. Do this before you set off, while you still have signal. The tour then opens in your phone browser, with no app to download. Best time: Early morning, when Sultanahmet Park is quiet and the light is soft on both domes, or the last two hours before sunset. Midday is hottest and busiest. The mosques close to visitors around the five daily prayers, and the Friday midday closure is the longest of the week, so plan any interiors around it. Hagia Sophia: since 15 January 2024 visitors pay a separate fee (25 euros, still the listed price in September 2026) and see the interior from the upper gallery, reached by a ramp. The ticket office and visitor gate are by the Fountain of Ahmed III, across from the palace gate. The ground floor is for worship. Checked September 2026. Hagia Sophia’s main dome is under restoration, with scaffolding and a temporary grey roof over it since July 2026 and no announced finish date; the building stays open to worshippers and visitors. Checked September 2026. Topkapi Palace and Hagia Irene are closed on Tuesdays. You can buy the palace, the Harem and Hagia Irene separately or as a combined ticket. Checked on the official Milli Saraylar page, September 2026. The Basilica Cistern is open every day from 09:00 to 22:00, with a break from 18:30 to 19:30. Hours have changed more than once, so check before you go. Checked September 2026. Detour: the Column of Constantine, where the crowd of 1453 expected its angel, stands about seven minutes west of stop 3 along Divan Yolu. The one surviving jaw of the Serpent Column's heads is in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, a short walk north of stop 2. For the mosques, carry a scarf and wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees. Shoes come off inside. The lanes around stops 6 to 8 are steep in places, with uneven paving and narrow pavements beside traffic. Wear sturdy shoes. Sultanahmet is a busy tourist district. Keep bags closed and in front of you in crowds, and politely decline unsolicited guides. The open squares get strong summer sun. Carry water and a hat. Working mosques ask for modest dress and quiet voices. Stay outside during prayer times and follow the lead of worshippers. Public transportation nearby
Itinerary
- 1Day 0
Hagia Sophia: The Building the Conqueror Kept
Sultanahmet Meydanı, Istanbul
The church Mehmed the Second kept in 1453 and made a mosque, seen from the park between it and the Blue Mosque.
- 2Day 0
Imperial Gate and Hagia Irene: The Church That Stayed a Church
Bab-I Hümayun Caddesi, Istanbul
A Byzantine church the Ottomans kept as an arsenal and never made a mosque, inside the first gate of Topkapi Palace.
- 3Day 0
Basilica Cistern and the Milion: Where the Empire Measured From
Sultanahmet Meydanı, Istanbul
The zero-mile marker of the Byzantine Empire, beside the entrance to Justinian's underground cistern.
- 4Day 0
The Blue Mosque: The Answer Across the Park
Cankurtaran Mahallesi, Istanbul
Sultan Ahmed's answer to Hagia Sophia, placed so that the two great domes face each other across the park.
- 5Day 0
The Hippodrome: Where Emperors Collected the World
Sultanahmet Meydanı, Istanbul
The Roman chariot arena where emperors raised an Egyptian obelisk and a bronze column from Delphi.
- 6Day 0
The Sphendone: The Hippodrome's Last Wall
13 Nakilbent Sokağı, Istanbul
The curved Roman wall that held up the southern end of the racetrack above the slope to the sea.
- 7Day 0
Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque: Sinan and the Stones of Mecca
11 Şehit Mehmetpaşa Yokuşu, Istanbul
Sinan's mosque for a grand vizier and his royal wife, with four stones said to be fragments of Mecca's Black Stone set into it.
- 8Day 0
Little Hagia Sophia: The Empress on the Cornice
14-14A Küçük Ayasofya Caddesi, Istanbul
Justinian and Theodora's church from around 530, a mosque since the early sixteenth century.
Meeting point
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul Sultanahmet Meydanı, İstanbul, Marmara Bölgesi, TR
Pick up
Pickup is not provided.
Cancellation policy · Istanbul Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque | Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour
Standard Viator policy
- Cancellation 0–24 hours before departure: 100% cancellation fee.
- Cancellation 24–24000 hours before departure: 0% cancellation fee.
Good to know
Operated by Roamer and sold by AGORA. Your voucher and booking reference arrive by email straight after payment.