Tours on the Bosphorus

The Bosphorus is the reason Istanbul exists. Thirty-one kilometres of water join the Black Sea to the Marmara, with Europe on one bank and Asia on the other. It narrows to some six hundred and sixty metres under the old fortress walls.

What is on offer

• The short cruise. Two to three hours up and back, usually with an audio guide and a stop on the Asian side.
• Dinner boats. Three hours with a set menu and a show. The long-running version pairs it with Turkish night entertainment.
• Sunset yachts. Small private boats, an hour or two, timed so the light is behind the bridges.
• The two-continents day. A full day pairing the water with a landing on the Asian shore.

What you pass

Three bridges cross it, from 1973, 1988 and 2016. Between them stand Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi on opposite banks, and the Rumeli fortress at the narrows. The wooden waterfront houses are what Turkish names the shore for.

Practical

• Piers. Most boats leave from Eminönü or Kabataş, and a few from the marina at Ataköy.
• The public ferry costs a city fare and runs the same water. It is the cheapest version of this by a wide margin.
• Wind. The strait funnels northerlies, and short cruises are cancelled outright rather than shortened.
• Warm layer. It is colder on deck than on shore in every month of the year.
• Sunset moves. A time that works in June is an hour and a half wrong in October, so check the departure rather than the listing.