Getting There
Getting to the Basilica Cistern is pretty easy; it's centrally located on the Historical Peninsula, in the Old City of Istanbul. That’s why it is easily accessible by public transport. See below for getting there, as well as other options:
>> Plan your visit
More Options:
Basilica Cistern is located in the Sultanahmet district, you can easily walk to Basilica Cistern from many of the major hotels in the area. The walk will take about 5 minutes from the Blue Mosque and about 20 minutes from the Grand Bazaar.
The nearest train station to Basilica Cistern is Marmaray Sirkeci Station, just a 15-minute walk away.
Alternatively, the closest metro station is Vezneciler station. From there, the cistern gates are a 30-minute walk away.
In order to get to Basilica Cistern, we recommend taking the tram T1. You can get off at either Gülhane station or at Sultanahmet station.
Both stops are 7 minutes (650 meter) away from Basilica Cistern.
The bus stops closest to the palace is at Sarayburnu or Akbiyik Station. Take the buses 28T, 30D, 46Ç, 47E, 99A, BN1, EM1 and get down at one of these stops. From Sarayburnu station, it is an 18-minute walk to Basilica Cistern; from Akbiyik, it is an 11-minute walk.
If you're looking for a convenient way to get to Basilica Cistern, you might think about taking a taxi.
However, we don't recommend this option because it's not easy to access the Sultanahmet area by car/taxi, and you will still have to walk a good distance when you arrive.
Since the area is not easy to access and there are no parking spaces at the Basilica Cistern premises, we do not recommend this option.
Paid parking is a 15-minute walk from Basilica Cistern, so you still would have to walk quite a bit to get to the Basilica Cistern.
Location of the Basilica Cistern
Location: Alemdar, Yerebatan Cd. 1/3, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey