It a wonderful mosque and I felt really priveledged to visit. It's a shame so many women tourist flout the rules on wearing head coverings - it's really disrespectful. That apart it's a wonderful experience. The call to prayers is an awesome sound and although I'm not a person of faith - it's a sound that penetrates deep into your... more

Beautiful, grand and elegant. But don't get fooled by Lonely Planet's blue light picture, Blue Mosque is not turning blue at night, except when they perform a light show in summer, sometimes the lights are red too! http://cctravelblog.com/2009/01/25/2008-turkey-blue-mosque-istanbul/ more

Sultan Ahmet Mosque is absoutely beautiful and should not be missed on a trip to Istanbul. It is located directly across from Hagia Sophia in the Sultanahmet District. After entering the main gate, the large front entrance is for worshippers. Visitors should enter the courtyard and go to the back of the mosque to enter. I would recommend to women... more

Easy to find, you can’t miss the six minarets. We had checked an online Islamic prayer calculator, so we knew the approximate prayer times in Istanbul at that time of year. The mosque is closed for 30 minutes or more at each prayer time. The main entrance is for worshippers; tourists go around to the side, where there are plastic... more

Gorgeous and free. Watch for carpet salesmen who try to become your personal tour guide and then lure you to their shops afterwards…just politely tell them you’re not interested and move on). Allow about 20-30 minutes here. The best view is from the outside. We went first thing in the morning and that seemed ideal as there were few people... more

This is nice big mosque. Very similar to Suleymanyie Mosque. more

I would recommend that before entering the Mosque, turn up at prayer time and listen to the call to prayer then have a look around the Cisterns or Haghia Sophia ( 3 mins walk) until prayers end (about 1. hr) Do NOT get an unofficial guide, we did and all that he pointed out was that The Blue Mosque is... more

The Blue Mosque built by Sultan Ahmet I between 1606 and 1616 is located in Sultanhment. I held very high expectations about visiting this mosque and was unfortunately disspointed. I found that the outside of the Mosque is more beautiful than the inside. There were alot of tourist and most women do not cover up despite a large sign at... more

I was disappointed in my visit to the Blue Mosque - much of the tiling and architecture was obscured by the massive black wires holding up the lighting fixture. The atmosphere was more like a market than a mosque. There are other mosques that offer visitors a realistic view. more