One of the nicest things about the cistern is that it’s cool down there! After a hot walk above, it’s a nice cool walk through more than 300 columns. The Medusa heads are the star attraction, and they are pretty amazing.

My friends and I thought the ambiance would have been improved by Turkish classical music, Sufi perhaps, rather than the Bach they were playing over a discreet sound system. There’s a café down there, and concerts are held down there as well. It’s a little pricey to get into, 10 YTL (compared to 4YTL for the Mosaic Museum, or 15YTL for Hagia Sophia), but it’s really too fascinating to miss.