Kariye Mosque Tickets and Tours

Chora Church Museum Skip-the-Ticket-Line Entry with Audio Guide

Must See in Istanbul!

Visiting the Chora happened to be a true highlight of my time in Istanbul! The atmosphere and experience in this church filled with 14th century mosaics and frescoes exceeded all my expectations. The Chora is indeed the Sistine Chapel of Istanbul ( Constantinople)!

Roman Byzantine Heritage of Istanbul

Informative and Fun Tour

Unsal is a well informed and helpful tour guide as we went through Byzantine monuments such as the city walls and Chora Church/Kariye Mosque. He speaks very well and was very prepared for our tour with pictures and took on all of our questions spanning thousands of years of Istanbul history. He was flexible for our pace and our interests too, which made for a very dynamic private day tour around the city. Food options he recommended along the way were very good as well. I would surely recommend him!

Private Chora Museum, Balat and Patriarchate Church Tour

Chora - a MUST see in Istanbul

The mosaics and frescoes in the previous Chora Church (now Kariye Mosque) are breathtaking. A must for Orthodox and any other Christians to see. Many are fully intact. Our guide, Erdem, did a great job explaining the images from all viewpoints- Christianity, Islam and even some Jewish. He explained the biblical stories and how similar images are found in Hagia Sophia and Cappadocia. His explanations were wonderful. From there we walked us thru Balat and eventually to the Church of St George at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. At the end, he helped us onto our first tram ride and explained the best way to take a ferry ride on the Bosporus. It was a great day spent in Istanbul. Thanks Erdem.