Photo: Myriam Thyes (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sea and islands · Türkiye
A private cruise on the Bosphorus
A private boat between Europe and Asia, past palaces, mosques and old villages on both shores. Best just before sunset.
Istanbul · Türkiye
The experience
The Bosphorus is a strait about 30 km long joining the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and dividing Istanbul between two continents. Seeing the city from the water is the best way to understand it.
We arrange a private boat for your family, leaving from the European side and passing Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortaköy Mosque beneath the Bosphorus Bridge, the fortress of Rumeli Hisarı, built by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror before the conquest of Constantinople, and the old wooden waterside mansions, the yalı, before returning along the Asian shore.
The cruise can include tea and Turkish sweets or a halal meal on board, and can end at a restaurant on the water. We suggest the hour before sunset, when the light catches the domes and minarets.
Public ferries and shared tour boats are also available, but a private boat gives you privacy and the freedom to stop where you like.
Where to stay
Stays close by
Historic palace
Istanbul
Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul
A palace built for Sultan Abdülaziz between 1863 and 1867, now a 5-star hotel right on the water between Beşiktaş and Ortaköy, with gardens and an infinity pool facing the Bosphorus.
Price on requestExplore
Historic palace
Istanbul
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet
A neoclassical building from 1918 to 1919 set around a garden courtyard, a hotel since 1996 and fully renovated in 2022, a few steps from Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
Price on requestExplore
Türkiye
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