Combo: Galata Tower Tickets + Basilica Cistern Tickets with Audio Guide

Your experience

Discover two of Istanbul’s most iconic landmarks with this money-saving combo ticket! Enjoy skip-the-line access to both the Galata Tower and the Basilica Cistern. From city views to mysterious underground chambers, this experience offers a perfect blend of history, architecture, and culture, enhanced by insightful multilingual audioguides.

Getting started

Begin your adventure by heading to the Galata Tower, where you’ll gain direct entry to one of the city's most recognisable symbols. Later, skip the queues and dive straight into the depths of the Basilica Cistern with your fast-track ticket. An included audio guide in multiple languages will help you uncover fascinating stories and little-known facts at both sites.

What to expect

Galata Tower

An ancient watchtower turned modern-day viewpoint, Galata Tower rises above Istanbul’s skyline with its distinctive cylindrical silhouette. Once you ride the elevator to the top, prepare to be captivated by 360-degree vistas of the city.

Features:

• Observation deck: Panoramic views of landmarks like the Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, Bosphorus Strait, Bosphorus Bridge, Suleymaniye Mosque, the Marmara Sea, and the city’s European and Asian sides await you at the top.

• Historical exhibits: Learn about the origins of the Galata Tower, originally built in 1348 during the Genoese colonial period, and its many uses over the centuries as a watchtower, fire observation point, and even a prison.

• Flexible duration: Enjoy unlimited time (until closing hour) at the top to take in the scenery and snap photos at your own pace.

• Audioguide: A multilingual audio guide provides historical background, fun facts, and engaging stories about the tower and the cityscape below.

Basilica Cistern

Step into a world steeped in mystery beneath the streets of Istanbul. The Basilica Cistern, an ancient underground reservoir, offers an escape into the city's Byzantine past. As soon as you arrive, your skip-the-line ticket gets you in quickly, letting you bypass the long queues.

Features:

• Underground wonder: Explore a sunken "palace" of 336 marble columns rising from still waters, illuminated by a soft golden glow.

• Walk through a dream-like setting: Stroll on wooden walkways as you observe water droplets falling from vaulted ceilings and carp swimming through the vast cistern that measures almost the size of two football fields.

• Pop culture significance: Discover the cistern's cultural significance, including its appearances in popular films and novels like Inferno and From Russia With Love.

• Audioguide: Learn about its Byzantine engineering with the multilingual audio guide, available in eight languages.