Basilica Cistern Tour: Daily Guided Visits
4.6
36 Ratings
Fatih

Get instant access to top museums and attractions in Istanbul with the Digital Istanbul Museum E-Pass. Enjoy guided tours, skip-the-line entry, and a digital guidebook in multiple languages.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Topkapi Palace Museum - Topkapi Palace Tour Schedule
    • Mondays: 09:00, 11:00, 13:45, 14:45, 15:30
    • Tuesdays: Closed
    • Wednesdays: 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 14:45, 15:30
    • Thursdays: 09:00, 10:00, 11:15, 12:00, 13:15, 14:15, 14:45, 15:30
    • Fridays: 09:00, 10:00, 10:45, 12:00, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30, 15:30
      -…
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What's Included
  • Combo pass valid for three days after first tour
  • Professional guidance in English for 2 tours
  • Entry tickets to Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace (except Harem Section)
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Harem Section of Topkapi Palace
Additional Information

Basilica Cistern Tour Schedule
Monday
09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:45
Tuesday
09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00
Wednesday
09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:30, 15:00, 16:15
Thursday
09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 14:00, 15:15, 16:00
Friday
09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:30,…

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Location
Fountain Sultan Ahmed III
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(36 Ratings)
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Heinz-peter
Apr 10, 2025
Things to do in Istanbul - the cistern very impressive, you must have seen. Skip the Line with Online Ticket The Topkapi Palace ,a large complex with well-preserved palaces, gates and outbuildings. Worth seeing the interior fittings
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yvette_m
Jul 24, 2024
Amazing day in Istanbul - Tour guide for the places visited were very helpful. Amazing day out and great value for money. A must see in Istanbul.
Review provided by Viator
529susannaf
Jul 7, 2023
Perfect organization, good guys!! - Perfect organization, immediate support on what's up for any need, trained and kind staff, always on the spot. The activities correspond with what is proposed and described on the card. Maybe I would have even included the Istanbul Modern museum. We visited Istanbul without queuing up with a prepared and punctual guide. We got to see pretty much every major landmark. Nice cruise with dinner, even though the food wasn't much and we're not big on entertainment, but it was still enjoyable. Beautiful also the day cruise. It was the best way to visit the city, especially in a place where practically no one speaks English.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
214josess
Jun 21, 2023
A must have when travelling to Istambul - It was an absolut pleasure and i was quite surprised about the excellency of the service provided. Although the guides were competent and the tours well prepared the thing that impressed me the most was the prompt responses here in whatsapp and the quality of the app.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wijdaney
Oct 3, 2022
Just amazing - Available, professionnal, and very helpful. I highly recommand the epass services, especially for an Istanbul first visit; they answer all our questions on Whatsapp, in a very brief delay Thank you epass for this beautiful experience (museums, princess islands, bursa, diner cruise …)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Omar_a
Sep 14, 2022
Worth every cent - The operator reached out to us quickly and we had a very seamless process filled with information on all the places we need to to, the guides that we met were all great!
Review provided by Viator
Jyoti_b
May 23, 2024
Peep into history - Our guide was very good and energetic. Her knowledge was commendable. The cistern basilica was amazing. But the meeting points were not very clear especially since there were huge crowds. We didn’t know where to go. But after talking to the office things became better
Review provided by Viator
Salem4224
Jan 16, 2023
5 Days entry package - The advertisement of this package highlighted its benefits in terms of entry fee savings for Aya Sophia and the blue mosque. However, I discovered that there is no entry fee for Aya Sophia, since it became a mosque, and the blue mosque is closed for few months for maintenance. So, the advertisement is in a way misleading. However, the other attractions justify the package although the saving is not as one would have expected.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
637tasb
Dec 27, 2025
Agree with last reviewer, do not go near this company - I agree with the other reviewers. Do not go near this company. I bought a combo ticket today at 3pm. Went to the basilica. It advertises as skip the queue, that was really not the case at the basilica. There was no preference for pp holding this eticket at all. Then got lost trying to find the meeting place for the palace. I attempted to go to the palace itself and was denied entry. Finally , i got to the meeting place at 430pm. I was told by the people that they could not help me, could not even let me enter as all their guides had gone home. Now the palace shuts at 6pm. The last round was at 4pm and the ticket sellers told me that it takes hours to finish inside, so there must be at least a guide inside. Anyway, i was given a whatsapp contact to see if they could help as I was leaving to Izmir the next morning and would not be back for at least 5 days. Anyway, by the time, i went back to buy a ticket myself, it was 5pm and the ticket counter guy told me that there was no way that I could even get to the harem before it shuts. The response i got from the company was that it was stated only valid for 3 days. ZERO help, refused credit or extension for a few more days. How can a company get high reviews when they are so unhelpful? Been here 5 days, spent thousands of pounds shopping and this was the first time that I have been left with a bad impression in Turkey. 5 star reviews cannot be given to this type of company. I have travelled to lots of countries and joined lots of groups and this has to be the most unhelpful company. Do not waste your money. False economy. I will be back to visit the palace but will be buying the ticket directly. Let the palace make some money to contribute to its maintenance and do not let companies such as this one profit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Explore61709614801
Dec 15, 2025
Terrible blood thirsty money grubbing people - I paid almost $700SGD for Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace. Due to an honest mistake, my spouse read the instructions wrongly. He led us to Basilica Cistern instead of the Chimney Bistro, the meeting point. We could not exit Basilica Cistern without going through the whole entire journey, entry to exit, so we walked quickly to meet at Chimney Bistro to make the 4pm (last session, supposed to meet at 3pm) Note that last entrance for Topkapi is at 4pm, and Basilica Cistern at 6.30pm. Upon finishing Topkapi, the ppl in front of Basilica did not allow us to go it and asked to pay for another round of entry which will costs me about $300+ SGD. They were rude and damn arrogant. I just think that the whole city is full of scammers, blood thirsty of money. I will not go to IST ever again nor engaged with any tour agencies, as they will surely and most definitely cut your throat and rob you in broad daylight.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).
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