Basilica Cistern Skip The Line Ticket With Audio Guide

It was a scam. The line was bigger than the conventional

Once you locate the person with the white flag it is so easy to follow him into the cistern. He may be escorting someone inside when you arrive so don’t panic. Wait a few minutes and he’ll be back!

Stunnng place to visit, so atmospheric and the architecture is incredible. However, disappointed with the skip the line booking. I booked the night before, but when I got there the next morning, it wasn’t busy, so would have just walked in anyway. However, I appreciate visitor queues are unpredictable. It also mentioned an audio guide which I never received. Therefore felt I’d spent extra money on nothing, so wish I had taken a risk with the queues and paid on the day.

Beautiful place. The operator was on time. I was waiting for 9am so smaller crowds. The guide was there right before 9 to give us our ticket, and we were the first to come in the cistern. I was able to take good pics and video minus the crowds.

We all enjoyed walking around the Basilica cistern. We booked online with Get your guide. Heads up. I screenshot the QR code tickets and booking info only to find they wanted to see the email. WHY….I did not have internet so we had a problem. Eventually hotspot phone to access mail….Was not happy about this. With that I lost my saved audio tour access. You don’t have internet coverage underground.

The audio guide is good but is a real faff to use, not very user friendly. You can't download it prior even though you think you have. It doesn't download to your phone. As others have said you need it open prior to go into the Basilica. There was a change to how tickets are distributed which is abit odd, ie finding the lad with a flag in the street who then gives you a paper ticket. Bizarre I know. All was good though and we got in without a problem. Went at 930am and was lucky as there were no queues. Awesome experience, worth visiting.

Stunning visit. I didn't realise that water would be dripping on us, but made no difference the cistern is well worth visiting.

Incredibly beautiful and amazing site. Buy tickets beforehand and be sure to download them while you have WiFi. Same for the audio guide.

Great experience! Loved visiting the cistern. I HIGHLY recommend the"skip the line" ticket. It's well worth it! The only thing I'd like changed is the audio guide because the wifi isn't good and it's hard to operate the audio link. It's prefer to have s manual, old fashioned guide device over using or phones. Otherwise it's a great experience!

I booked this "skip the line" tour with Trip Advisor. I received several e-mails in advance stating "inside is your ticket". When we reached the Basilica Cisterna, the receptionist said that only vouchers with QR codes could be accepted but my voucher was a bar code. The tour company kindly provided a helpline number. I called the number but it just rang out. 🤨

SUPER crowded on a Sunday as locals get free entry. Once inside, no Internet access and audio guide was unavailable. Made worse by the crowd all taking selfies or family group photos as they get to the bottom of the stairs, we couldn’t wait to get out. Was cool to see but not for the cost/hassle. Would have been great to learn more of the history.

Definitely worth a visit. Lots of people but the history of the place made it such a treat. Especially since we had never been in one before and probably wont ever be again.

Talk about feeling like you stepped through to an ancient time and an ancient world. Breathtakingly beautiful at every turn. Highly recommend!

Do not but just go stand in line - this company did not send me a ticket and I had to get help and wait 30min for my ticket to be sent.

Tickets delivered on time. Allowed us to skip line to buy tickets for cistern and we walked in the priority security line for tour groups with our private guide. Made our day much smoother.

The skip the line was definitely worth it. The regular line was large, even on a rainy day. The cistern itself was beautiful and the audio guide companion gave good historical and contemporary information.

Be sure to download the audio tour before entering and go early in the day. Beautiful and unique experience.

To skip long lines get your tickets in advance and make sure your phone has good connection for audio tour guide. Once you enter basilica cisterns will take your breath away . Walking above crystal clear water surrounded by dozens of Pilars makes you wonder how is such beauty possible .Then there is Medusa sitting all alone in her beauty greeting visitors and offering perfect selfie moment . This is definitely must see place in Istanbul

If you watched "Phantom of the Opera" -the scene on the water was probably filmed here. For me--it again causes me to admire the engineering greatness of the Romans

It is a nice experience and lovely lighting but the ticket is extremely expensive for what you see , they should keep the prices down.

This is a lovely attraction. We were able to stroll leisurely through the cistern and take fabulous photos. It seems a bit pricey But! all four of us adults believe it was well worth the entrance price, absolutely gorgeous photos!

Surreal and more interesting than any hole in the ground has the right to be. Genuinely huge and all the columns are different, repurposed from elsewhere. Beautifully lit and presented. Occasionally damp.

Absolutely beautiful!!🤩 Definitely a must see site in Istanbul. Easy to access on the tram and near other historical places. Don’t miss it.

What an amazing site- it was so easy to enter despite a long waiting line (we had skip the line tickets) and I was able to move at my own pace, enjoying all aspects.

Very convenient experience. Received tickets prior to visiting, avoided waiting in line to purchase tickets at the counter

It was Ono the best aspirin ever seen in Istanbul very recommend lots of history and very secure with the security good price

We got there early and we didn’t have to wait in line. We enjoyed the place because there were only a few people there. There were a lot of people in line so we were glad to have booked a ticket ahead of time.

It is just wonderful. I went with my four years old and she loved it too. Lights are changing and that gives different vibe to it. We were amazed.

Amazing! The audio guide is well worth getting. Make sure you download before ad the tour is underground. The whole visit only takes about 30-40 minutes. Lighting is terrific making for great photos.

Getting the ticket online made it easy. No line for ticket holders at 4pm. The cistern is a marvel with the reused columns, loved it

Very easy to book tickets through Viator. The experience itself was amazing. The cistern is stunning inside and the architecture is fantastic. There are walkways throughout. It is quite dark when you go down the stairs to the cistern so be mindful. We were there late October and it was still busy, even with a skip the line ticket (essential) there was a long queue. In high season go early! Download the voucher and the pdf with the barcodes on and screenshot/save them as the internet is not always consistent in Istanbul. It took me a fair few minutes to get mine on screen. It can be a bit chaotic trying to to find which line you need - just keep asking people in hi vis and watch out for ‘helpful’ locals- they watch for when you leave and are quite persistent to get you to their shop, usually to sell you a carpet. All part of their culture - but you need to give a firm ‘no’ … or be prepared to haggle!!

Amazing experience descending into the cistern. Well worth the price. Would recommend it to anyone visiting Istanbul.

Tickets sent electronically about 24 hours prior to our arrival in Istanbul. We were able to go whenever we wanted to visit the Basilica Cistern and skipped the lines - very easy and worth the trip!!! Only problem was that the audio did not work due to poor internet connection underground.

A ‘must see’ in Istanbul. Loves this place, exceeded my expectations and cannot recommend highly enough. Purchasing the tickets through this provider made entry easy and saved a huge wait prior to entry.

Lovers of architecture and history will appreciate this museum. There is something to see at every turn. A photographer's dream. Go early in the morning to avoid crowds and really enjoy this unique space .

Worth it to skip the line! Saved us about 1 hour. Little hard to find, right behind Hajia Sophia, just look for a line of lots of people on sidewalk. Take your time inside for lighting to change. Engineering marvel!

Interesting place. Definitely want skip the line tickets. Never did manage the audio. Look at reviews and story of Cistern before you go.

Never sent the ticket to me. Tried multiple times. Called for help & couldn't get through. Staff at Basilica Cistern had to text the provider, and they finally sent tickets to her. Painful!

Recorded messages were informative and well synchronized with their physical locations on the aviator map. Greatly assisted our understanding of the venue.

We thoroughly enjoyed the history and beauty of the Basilica Cistern. It was awe inspiring and well worth the time and cost to see this amazing place first hand.

A must see in Istanbul. We were absolutely stunned to see this amazing underground cisterna built by the Romans right in the center of town. The numerous columns and amazing hydraulic engineering to collect water and distribute through the city is incredible. Do not miss the Medusa heads and the legend about laying them upside down and sideways to protect the workers

Having traveled to over 90 countries & many tours, this experience I had the biggest issue with getting the tickets & finally entering the place.. It was terrible. ( it states " tickets will be issued 24hrs prior to your booking") . Our time was 0900hrs ( opening time ) but after lots of contacts with the Booker ( received auto replies)so then I went higher up in the chain having to detail booking refs etc, I finally got some answers. Tickets were then sent at 1800hrs the night before our 0900hrs entry time ( that's 15hrs prior to entry not 24hrs). I should not have had to " hussle " for such info or tickets. To top it off when we finally got there at entry point my phone run out of power , ( yes my fault that- as night charger was not properly connected ) but my partner also had no wifi( we had to go away & get it sorted). What a overall bad experience. The Cistern its self is great, but the overall experience was just a big hassle & in my view ( with one thing leading to another) we had a bad time .

Skip the line gives you access to the cistern without waiting and without so many people!just do it!

This was one venue where the jump the que actual worked. It’s difficult to imagine a structure like this enduring over the ages. The cistern well worth the visit.

This is an amazing experience, stroll the hallways of this beautiful place and see the amazing architecture and elegance of what was an acueducto.

I bought the ticket here and visited myself. Great and easy even as a solo first time visitor. You should try it……….. One of the ancient side to visit

Great not waiting in line to purchase tickets. Went before 10 am and no line for security. The water and columns are beautiful

A must see when visiting Istanbul amazing site also used as a location for several movies like James Bond and The last Da Vinci code movie Inferno also known as the sunken palace in Turkish built as a vast underground water storage facility to ensure Constantinople was always supplied with water The cistern roof is supported by 336 pillars 26 feet in height The nearest Tram station stop is Sultanahmet look for Yerebatan Samci on local map highly recommended

Was nice to see, but not as impressive as all the pictures show. Waters are not blue like we were expecting.