BOSPHORUS · ISTANBUL
The strait where two continents meet.
The Bosphorus splits Istanbul between Europe and Asia, gliding past Ottoman palaces, fortresses and waterfront mansions on both shores. Sunset sailings, dinner cruises, daytime sightseeing and private yachts, all along the strait.
Only on the Bosphorus
Three crossings you can’t make anywhere else.
Plenty of cities run a river cruise. Only Istanbul sets you between two continents, past Ottoman palaces at the waterline, on a strait that runs from the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea. Start the trip with these three.
Asia and Europe
Cross between two continents
No other city is built across two continents, and the best Bosphorus cruises do more than point at the far shore. They cross it. You sail with Europe on one side and Asia on the other, and the standout trips actually stop and let you step ashore on the Asian side before heading back.
- 1 Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with Stopover on the Asian Side – (Morning or Afternoon)
- 2 Istanbul: Bosphorus Cruise with Stopover on the Asian Side
- 3 Istanbul: Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with Stopover on Asian Side
After dark
Dinner under the bridges
A whole evening on the water. A meal served as you glide past floodlit Ottoman palaces and under the suspension bridges, with live Turkish music and folk dance on deck. Both shores light up at once, one continent on each side of the boat.
- 1 Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Show and Private Table
- 2 Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise w/ Drinks & Entertainment
- 3 Istanbul Bosphorus Dinner Cruise: Live Folk Dance & DJ Experience
Golden hour
Sunset over the skyline
For about an hour the low sun turns the domes, minarets and waterfront mansions to copper and the strait to gold. Sail west and the whole skyline is backlit. It is the photograph everyone brings home, and the easiest hour to fall for the city.
- 1 Istanbul: Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise with Sunset Option
- 2 Istanbul: Bosphorus Yacht Cruise at Sunset with Snacks
- 3 Luxury Sunset Yacht Cruise on the Bosphorus – Refresh & Relax
The big night out
Start with the cruise everyone books.
If you spend one evening on the water, spend it here. Dinner under the floodlit bridges with a full Turkish show, and the trip more visitors book than any other on the strait.
The classics
Istanbul’s Most Popular Bosphorus Cruises
Sunset sailings, dinner-and-show evenings, daytime sightseeing and private yachts. The trips most visitors book first.
Choose your cruise
Which Bosphorus cruise is right for you?
Four ways to sail the same strait. Pick the one that fits your evening, your budget and how much of the day you want on the water.
Every kind of cruise
Or pick how you want to sail.
Daytime for the palaces in full light. Sunset for the photo. Dinner for the whole evening. A private yacht if you want the strait to yourselves, plus sailing trips, lunch cruises, audio-guide loops and the rest.
The everyday classic
The sightseeing loop.
An hour or two up the strait and back, with a recorded guide naming each palace, mosque and bridge as it slides past. The simplest, cheapest way to see the whole shoreline. These three are the pick of them.
A smaller boat
The yacht days.
Wooden decks, a dozen people instead of two hundred, and room to stretch out as the shoreline drifts by. Some stop on the Asian side, most pour something cold. Three to sail in style.
Dinner with a floor show
When the deck becomes a stage.
Whirling dervishes, folk dancers and a belly-dance set between courses, the bridges lit overhead. Louder and livelier than a quiet dinner cruise. The three crowd-pleasers worth the table.
Two sights, one ticket
Pair the strait with the old city.
Trips that bolt a Bosphorus cruise onto Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Dolmabahçe Palace or the Spice Bazaar, so a morning on land ends out on the water. Three that do the pairing well.
Asia and Europe
Step ashore on the other continent.
Most cruises just turn around at the second bridge. The best ones cross to the Asian shore and let you off, for tea in Kadıköy or a walk along Üsküdar, before sailing back to Europe. Two continents, one afternoon, one boat.
See the two-continents cruises →Just added