Travel Guide
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
Everything you need to know — hours, tickets, tips, and how to make the most of your visit.
Overview
About Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
Named for the blue İznik tiles lining its interior, this 17th-century mosque with six minarets sits directly across from Hagia Sophia. It remains an active place of worship, closed to visitors briefly during the five daily prayers.
Istanbul
Insider Knowledge
Travel Tips
Enter through the tourist entrance on the side, not the main worshippers' entrance.
Visiting is free, but closed to tourists during the five daily prayers.
Modest dress required - robes and headscarves provided free at the entrance if needed.
Remove shoes before entering; a bag is provided to carry them.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
For the thousands of handmade blue Iznik tiles lining its interior walls.
Opening Hours
DailyOpen outside of the five daily prayer times, roughly 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Closed to visitors roughly 90 minutes around each prayer time.
Ticket Prices
EntryFree
Donations are welcome but not required.
AI Powered
Plan a Trip to Istanbul
Lizza, our AI travel assistant, can build you a full Istanbul itinerary — free, in seconds.
Looking for more? Browse travel guides & tips →
Nearby
Must See Attractions
istanbulBlue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
Named for the blue İznik tiles lining its interior, this 17th-century mosque with six minarets sits directly across from Hagia Sophia. It remains an active place of worship, closed to visitors briefly during the five daily prayers.
View Details
istanbulBosphorus Cruise
A boat trip along the strait separating Europe and Asia passes Ottoman palaces, waterfront mansions (yalıs), and the bridges linking the two continents, offering the clearest sense of Istanbul's geography and history from the water.
View Details
istanbulGrand Bazaar
One of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, with roughly 4,000 shops across sixty-plus streets selling carpets, ceramics, jewellery, and spices — a working marketplace since the 15th century, not just a tourist attraction.
View Details
istanbulHagia Sophia
Built as a Byzantine cathedral in 537 AD, converted to a mosque under the Ottomans, briefly a museum, and now an active mosque again, Hagia Sophia's vast dome and surviving Byzantine mosaics make it one of the most architecturally significant buildings in the world.
View Details