🌙 Hagia Sophia

Istanbul, Türkiye

Best time: April–May for the tulips, or September–October

Built in 537 with a dome that seemed to hang from heaven, it has been a Byzantine cathedral and an Ottoman mosque. Gold mosaics and giant Arabic roundels share the space.

Good to know

• It is a working mosque: closed to visitors at prayer times, and women must cover their hair.
• The Blue Mosque and Basilica Cistern are a short walk away.