Hagia Sophia Entrance Fee in 2025: Everything You Need to Know

Hagia Sophia Entrance Fee in 2025

Hagia Sophia Entrance Fee in 2025 is set to reflect recent changes in Turkey’s tourism policies. According to the latest tourism news, from March 1st, 2024, entrance fees to all touristic sites will be stated in euros. As our country has lately been dealing with high inflation, we were not too surprised by this move of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The Rich History of Hagia Sophia

• Built between 532 and 537 CE, the Hagia Sophia operated as a Christian cathedral for more than 900 years.
• It became a mosque after the Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople in 1453.
• Centuries later, authorities turned it into a museum in the 1930s, before redesignating it as a mosque in 2020.
• From 2020 until very recently, it could be visited free of charge.

Hagia Sophia is a part of our Istanbul Tours. You can explore our Istanbul Private Tours here.

Hagia Sophia Entrance Fee in 2025: New Regulations

The Hagia Sophia entrance fee in 2025 is set at 25 euros. Here are the key details:

• Free of charge for children under the age of 8, accompanied by an adult presenting a valid passport or ID.
• Only Turkish citizens who come to pray will be able to enter free of charge, from the gate on the park side of Hagia Sophia, which has been the main entrance for years.
• Foreign tourists will be required to use the new tourist entrance gate, which leads only to the upper floor galleries, while the ground floor will remain open exclusively for worshippers.

Preservation Concerns and UNESCO’s Role

These changes opened a new debate regarding the primary purpose of the Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. In July 2020, the government stripped it of its museum status and designated it as a functioning mosque for Muslim worship.

UNESCO officials and archaeologists expressed concerns that the uncontrolled flow of visitors was damaging the historic building. However, officials state that the new changes may help address these issues. Security cameras, an emergency announcement system, and fire detectors have been installed in the building to enhance preservation efforts.