What are Bosphorus Cruise & istanbul Boat Tours?
First of all, let’s start with the activities you can do in the istanbul Bosphorus.
All of the istanbul Bosphorus tours are daily tours. The general structure of istanbul Bosphorus cruises is the same. To see the magnificent view of the Bosphorus and to get historical information about the magnificent historical buildings on the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus and to take magnificent Instagram pictures.
Also, available in some special istanbul Bosphorus tour organizations. Such as marriage proposals, weddings, birthday party and wedding anniversaries.
The differences of istanbul Bosphorus tours vary according to the duration, route, and activities during the tour.
Short istanbul Bosphorus boat tours:
Short istanbul Bosphorus tours can be the right option for those who do not have much time and want to make a more economical tour. These tours usually take 2-2.5 hours and these tours that allow you to visit the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus with a guide.
Bosphorus Boat Cruise
See both the European and Asian sides of istanbul on a 2.5-hour boat cruise of the Bosphorus Strait.
2.5 Hours Luxury Boat Cruise on Bosphorus
Included Free Services in this Tour
Live Guide All TransfersHalf-day istanbul Bosphorus tours:
Half-day istanbul Bosphorus boat tours are 4-4.5 hours, usually with lunch and guided tours. If you want to have lunch on the boat among magnificent views of the Bosphorus, this tour is for you. This tour starts from the European side of the Bosphorus and continues to the shores of the Black Sea and continues along the Asian side.
istanbul Bosphorus and Black Sea Cruise
Bosphorus and Black Sea Cruise with Lunch on the Boat
4.5 Hours Luxury Boat Cruise on Bosphorus
Included Free Services in this Tour
Lunch Live Guide All TransfersFull-day istanbul Bosphorus tours:
Full-day Bosphorus cruises generally take 8-9 hours and while cruising on the Bosphorus you will have an opportunity lunch, snacks and fruit served on the boat. When you join a full-day Bosphorus cruise, you can be sightseeing istanbul Bosphorus Europe, Asia, and the Black Sea coasts. And the live guide will inform you of the historical buildings on these coasts.
istanbul Bosphorus and the Black Sea Cruise
Full Day istanbul Bosphorus and Black Sea cruise with lunch and have the opportunity to swim.
9 Hours Bosphorus Boat Cruise towards the Black Sea
Included Free Services in this Tour
Lunch Live Guide All TransfersAll the tours mentioned above are tours that start in the morning and noon. Now let’s talk about a very special tour in the evening.
Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Turkish Night Show:
Visiting the Bosphorus in the evening is really a very different ambiance. It sounds nice to have a romantic dinner on the boat in the evening, cruising along the Bosphorus. It also makes it much more attractive to adorn it with belly dance, gypsy dance, folk dances, and various entertainments found in Turkish culture and to participate in these fun times and have fun.
Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Turkish Night Show
Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Turkish Night Show is the best way to discover the most popular historical sites on the istanbul Bosphorus strait.
3.5 Hours Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Turkish Night Show
Included Free Services in this Tour
Dinner Belly Dance All Transfersistanbul Sunset Yacht Cruise:
Let’s come to another istanbul Bosphorus tour that has been very popular in recent years. istanbul Bosphorus sunset yacht cruise takes 2.5 hours and it will be a good option to listen to the European and Asian shores of the Bosphorus from a local guide. Snacks, fruits, and various drinks are served on this tour, which is made by luxury yacht. The most important privilege of this tour is to admire the sunset view and reflections of the Bosphorus and take magnificent sunset pictures, especially at sunset, in front of the Maiden’s Tower.
Bosphorus Sunset Cruise
Bosphorus Sunset Cruise is the best cruise that you can see top landmarks of istanbul Bosphorus (Asia and Europe sides)
2.5 Hours Luxury Yacht Cruise on Bosphorus
Included Free Services in this Tour
Snacks Live Guide All TransfersSafe activities during COVID-19 in istanbul
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2026 and 2021, those who love to travel are very tired of lockdown to their homes and watching what is happening in the world with anxious eyes. And they started looking for ways to travel safely, what they can do. It is possible to find many activities that you can do safely in the Bosphorus. Now let’s try to tell you about the safe activities in the Bosphorus.
Private Bosphorus Yacht Cruise:
Because of Covid-19, people are looking for ways to avoid crowds and do safe activities. This is the reason why there is an intense demand for private yacht tours in istanbul in 2026 and 2021. As private istanbul Bosphorus yacht tours are made personally, only family members and a group of friends will join the tour. On istanbul Yacht tours, you can freely do all the activities you want without any restrictions such as eating and drinking, route, time.
istanbul Bosphorus Cruise Price
Let’s give information about the prices of many istanbul Bosphorus boat or yacht tours mentioned above.
The most important factor determining the price of istanbul Bosphorus tours is the duration of the tour and the free services provided during the tour.
Short istanbul Bosphorus tours are the most affordable tour, as there is no food and beverage in the free tour services which take a short time like 2-2.5 hours. istanbul Short Bosphorus tour prices are around 20-25 Euros. The free services offered in the tour package are hotel transfers (Hotel Pick-Up / Hotel Drop-off from centrally located hotels) and a live guide.
Half-day istanbul Bosphorus tours with lunch are guided tours lasting 4-4.5 hours. In this tour package, hotel transfers (Hotel Pick-Up / Hotel Drop-off from centrally located hotels), lunch and snacks on the boat, soft drinks , live guide. The price of these tours, which are called the istanbul Bosphorus lunch cruise, is around 35-50 Euros.
Full-day istanbul Bosphorus tours are 8-9-hour tours with lunch. This tour package includes hotel transfers (Hotel Pick-Up / Hotel Drop-off from centrally located hotels), lunch, snacks, fruit, soft drink, and a live guide. These tours, which have the longest route and duration in the Bosphorus, are called the istanbul Bosphorus and the Black Sea cruise and the price is around 55-75 Euros.
istanbul Bosphorus sunset cruise is a 2-2.5 hour tour with luxury yachts. This tour package includes hotel transfers (Hotel Pick-Up / Hotel Drop-off from centrally located hotels), snacks, Baklava, soft drink, and a live guide. The price of İstanbul Bosphorus Sunset Cruise is 40-50 Euros.
istanbul Bosphorus dinner cruise with Turkish night is a non-guided tour that takes 3.5 hours. The tour package includes hotel transfers (Hotel pick-up and drop-off services from centrally located hotels), dinner (chicken, meat, fish, and appetizers), alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages (you can decide on the beverage option), Whirling Dervish, Turkish Gypsy Dance, Caucasian Dance, Belly Dancer Group Show, Turkish Folk Dance, Rhythm Show, Belly Dancer. Professional DJ Performance. This tour is suitable for lovers of a romantic dinner, entertainment, and cultural tour. The price of the Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Turkish Night is 35-45 Euros.
It is not possible to quote a price for a private Bosphorus yacht cruise. Since it is a special tour package, the pricing is determined only after the customer notifies his request. The route and duration of the tour and the activities to be done during the tour determine the price.
istanbul Bosphorus: why is it so popular?
We gave you information about the activities you can do in the Bosphorus and their prices, Let’s try to inform you, Bosphorus really worth seeing? and Why is it so popular?
If you think that the Bosphorus has been popular in recent years, you are wrong. The Bosphorus, which has attracted the attention of many empires such as Byzantine, Roman, Genoese, and Ottoman Empire throughout history, is a very important strategic natural waterway in the past. The most important feature of the Bosphorus, which is unique in the world, is that it separates the two continents, Asia and Europe.
It is the connection of the Black Sea, Marmara Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. It is the only way for countries with coasts to the black sea to go to the warm seas. This region, which has been so popular throughout history, naturally enabled investments and iconic structures (Galata Tower, Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahce Palace, Ciragan Palace, Rumeli Fortress, Anatolian Fortress, Kuleli Military High School, Beylerbeyi Palace, Maiden’s Tower) to be built in this location.
Millions of tourists flock to this region, wanting to see its magnificent natural atmosphere and iconic historical buildings. For example, the most demand we receive from our customers is the marriage proposal between two continents (Asia and Europe), especially next to the Maiden Tower, which has been the subject of many love legends for years.
The Bosphorus, which separates the Asian and European continents from each other, has a cultural structure that combines eastern and western cultures. Undoubtedly, it sounds very nice to have the chance to see both eastern and western cultures in istanbul and to feel the traces of both cultures on the Bosphorus.
The Bosphorus, which is like an open-air museum with its natural beauties and iconic historical buildings, gives you the chance to take pictures for magnificent social media sharing.
For these reasons, the istanbul Bosphorus has become so popular today and in the past.
istanbul Bosphorus: What should not miss on istanbul’s Bosphorus?
There are so many activities to be done in the Bosphorus that it does not end with telling. Let’s try to make some suggestions about the activities that you must do. The most important activity you will do in the Bosphorus is the istanbul Bosphorus boat tour. But which istanbul Bosphorus cruise is the right choice? We recommend you book Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with the Turkish Night Show, or Bosphorus Lunch Cruise. If you are interested in taking pictures, you can choose istanbul Sunset Yacht Cruise, where you can take magnificent pictures at sunset.
Well, if you want to do different activities other than tours, you should definitely have a romantic dinner at the Maiden’s Tower, visit the magnificent Dolmabahçe Palace, take magnificent pictures of the Bosphorus at the top of the Rumeli fortress, have breakfast in the garden of Küçüksu Palace.
istanbul Bosphorus: What Is The Best Time To Visit?
We recommend that you visit the Bosphorus, which offers a different atmosphere and riot of colors in every season, especially in the spring months. Redbuds, which grow spontaneously in the rare nature of istanbul, decorate both sides of the Bosphorus with their flowers in pink from mid-April to mid-May, and these months, the Bosphorus fascinates everyone with its magnificent view.
However, if these months do not fit into the travel plan, we recommend that you visit the summer and autumn months. We do not recommend that istanbul Bosphorus tours in the winter months. Because of the tours made indoor of the boats in winter, you will not able to see the beauty of the Bosphorus.
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