Bosphorus Tour Options Istanbul

There are 2 private firms in the game. One is a cruise line (a few different options, with the inclusion of short cruise and the islands) and the second is another Bosphorus tour (focusing on the long tour and a hop-on & hop-off Bosphorus tour). During your visit, you can buy your tickets one of them or you can choose one of private/dedicated cruise. If you want to select private Bosphorus tour.

Bosphorus Tour Option Istanbul And Cruises

However, the most cost-effective choice is the cheap Bosphorus tour option provided by the public İstanbul ferry, which is operated by a company called Sehir Hatları. They also make a non-stop, 2 hours “short Bosphorus cruise” that focuses on the central district. The “long Bosphorus cruise” (6-8 hours depending on the weather;) is a full-day event that includes a 3-hour stop at a fishing village. While you technically reach the Black Sea, it’s a long day that includes a few hours of down time. Many visitors focus on the “short cruise” by either night or day.

No matter what Bosphorus tours option you take, your experimentation will be enhanced by a good guidebook to tell you what you are looking at. This kind of guidebooks to be extremely helpful.

Regardless of which craft you take, they all follow the same common itinerary. The craft will hug the west side (the European bank of Istanbul) going north and then will return along the east side (the Asian bank of Istanbul) going south.

Throughout the way, you will go past the Dolmabahce Palace, which was home to the Ottoman Empire between 1856-1922 (before 1856 they were in the Topkapi Palace, which can be seen from anywhere on the Bosphorus in İstanbul).

You will see Vodafone Park football (soccer) stadium, where the masses go to root for the home team (called the Beşiktaş football club). The cruise will cross under the First Bosphorus Bridge, built-in 1973 and linking Europe to Asia for the first time.

The Bosphorus tour will continue past the Rumeli Fortress, built-in 1453. That fortress, along with its mate across the strait, gave the Turks (Ottomans) the ability to fully control the Bosphorus Strait and all ships that wanted to pass. No vessel could slip past these fortresses.

It is rough to dream what Istanbul would be without the Bosphorus. A Bosphorus tour is arguably one of the best things of any visit to Istanbul.

Please click for our Lunch cruise tour.