Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarayi) Tours

Beautiful yet eerie, Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarayi) isn’t your average underground well. Dating back to the Byzantine era, the huge cistern was built in the mid-500s on the former site of a basilica. More than 300 marble columns provide a grand, serene atmosphere to what was essentially subterranean water storage. 
 
The Basics
Located in the Sultanahmet district (Istanbul’s “old town”), Basilica Cistern is easy to visit during a day of sightseeing. Many tours and attraction passes include the cistern along with other top sites such as Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. Measuring 450 feet (140 meters) long and 230 feet (70 meters) wide, the cistern is reached via 52 steps leading down to walkways over the water. Look for the two columns with carved Medusa heads. 
 
Things to Know Before You Go

• Wear comfortable, nonslip shoes to traverse the steps and the often-wet ground.
• The entrance for wheelchair users and other visitors with mobility challenges is at the cistern’s exit.
• As the cistern is underground, the setting is damp and cool. Take a layer if you don’t want to feel the chill.

 
How to Get There
Enter Basilica Cistern from Yerebatan Caddesi (street) in Sultanahmet. It’s a 20-minute walk from the Spice Market, the Eminonu tram station, and the Eminonu pier, where the ferries arrive.
 
When to Get There
The cistern is open daily from morning till evening. In summer, it’s particularly popular in the middle of the day to escape the heat.
 
Where You’ve Seen Basilica Cistern
The basilica has been mentioned or featured in several books and movies, most famously From Russia with Love, one of Sean Connery’s James Bond films from 1963. It’s also a setting in Dan Brown’s Inferno, the sequel to his previous works The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.