While we enjoyed our tour and the guide is certainly very knowledgable and pleasant, we were a little underwhelmed. Starting with the Blue Mosque meant there was no chance to discuss how its architecture related to that of Hagia Sophia. We said we were interested in architectural history but at the Hagia Sophia she added little information on its form, beyond noting the names of the architects and the width and height of the dome. We didn't even get Justinian's famous line about surpassing Solomon! And instead of the Basilica Cisterns we thought we were visiting we were taken to a smaller one that was part of a rug store. You could feel the merchants' ire that we did not stay to peruse rugs. She was great on the Hippodrome and the mosaics at the Hagia Sophia.
Vanessa
Reviewed on:
Jan 30, 2026
