ON THE RIVER · BOSPHORUS CRUISES

Bosphorus Cruises in Istanbul: The 15 Best Boats

64 river trips  ·  from $6 a head

The Bosphorus is the only strait in the world with a city on both banks, and the cheap public ferry sees most of what the tour boats do. These 15 cover the ferries, the sunset yachts and the dinner sailings, with prices and pier locations.

Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Show with Private Table - Boarding choices and the value of the $28 fare
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Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Show with Private Table

1.Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Show with Private Table

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 62,058 reviews · 3 hours · from $28Our pick

Spend three hours aboard a Mega Lüfer yacht, crossing between Europe and Asia as Istanbul’s palaces, bridges, and towers pass by. You’ll have a private table, a three-course Turkish meal, live folk dancing, flamenco, belly dancing, music, and city lights. Add window, stage, VIP seating, drinks, or hotel pickup when booking.

“It was an amazing experience. we really enjoyed it .all cultural programmes are really good. food is amazing and their service also really impressed which include serving food pick up and drop off. friendly people .”

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Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Turkish Night Show - Getting to the boat between 7:30 and 8:10 PM
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Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Turkish Night Show

2.Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Turkish Night Show

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 12,954 reviews · 3 hours · from $28

Spend three hours sailing between Europe and Asia aboard Turyol Bosfor, with Turkish starter plates, grilled meatballs, fish or vegetarian dishes, unlimited local drinks, and a 1.5-hour Turkish Night Show. Hotel pickup may be added, and attentive servers such as Blake, Elvis, and Sadi have earned praise for warm service.

“We celebrated my father’s birthday there, everything was arranged perfectly from the transportation to the end of the show. The service in the restaurant was excellent and the whole experience was truly wonderful. Highly recommended!”

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Istanbul: Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise Tour with Audio Guide - Eminönü to Dolmabahçe, Istanbul’s grand European shore
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Istanbul: Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise Tour with Audio Guide

3.Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise Tour with Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 4,704 reviews · 1 - 2 hours · from $7

Meet Sea Land Travel Agency beside Istanbul’s Eminönü pier for a two-hour Bosphorus cruise between Europe and Asia. You’ll pass Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortaköy Mosque, Rumeli Fortress, Beylerbeyi Palace, and Maiden’s Tower while enjoying unlimited Turkish tea and Nescafé. Bring headphones and a charged phone for the 11-language audio guide.

“Everything was perfect, the only thing is boarding the cruise can be more friendly for strollers and handicapped people. Rest all was amazing.”

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Istanbul Bosphorus Sunset Cruise on Luxury Yacht - Ortaköy Mosque beneath the first bridge
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Istanbul Bosphorus Sunset Cruise on Luxury Yacht

4.Istanbul Bosphorus Sunset Cruise on Luxury Yacht

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4,465 reviews · 2 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $30Top rated

Cruise from Kabataş along both shores of the Bosphorus on a small yacht with indoor and outdoor seating. You’ll pass palaces, mosques, bridges, fortresses, and waterfront neighborhoods while a guide explains the sights. Tea, coffee, lemonade, fruit, baklava, and cookies are included. Bring a jacket and arrive early for the best seats.

“Great staff, wonderful cruise boat, covered lots of areas, fantastic snacks with tea and lemonades, great experience”

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Istanbul: Bosphorus Sunset Cruise on Yacht with Live Guide - Kabataş departure and the first European-shore views
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Istanbul: Bosphorus Sunset Cruise on Yacht with Live Guide

5.Bosphorus Sunset Cruise on Yacht with Live Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 2,845 reviews · 2h 15m · from $19

Sail from Kabataş for 135 minutes past Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortaköy Mosque, Rumeli Fortress, and Maiden’s Tower. An English-speaking guide explains the sights while you enjoy canapés, fruit, tea, coffee, and fresh mint lemonade. The comfortable yacht has covered indoor areas, though open-deck seating can make commentary harder to hear.

“Aleyna was great from the moment she welcome us, and kept making sure we were OK and had everything we needed throughout our trip. The boat was nice and comfortable, a variety of snacks and drinks were provided, and there is also a bar menu if you wish to purchase any beer, wine or spirits. The tour was good and informative and key locations and monuments were pointed out to us throughout the tour. Very good value for money”

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Istanbul: Bosphorus Sunset Cruise with Drinks & Snack - Kabataş makes the start simple
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Istanbul: Bosphorus Sunset Cruise with Drinks & Snack

6.Bosphorus Sunset Cruise with Drinks & Snack

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,716 reviews · 2 hours · from $8

Set out from Kabataş for a two-hour Bosphorus cruise between Europe and Asia. You’ll pass Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortaköy Mosque, Rumeli Fortress, Beylerbeyi Palace, and the Maiden’s Tower while an audio guide explains the sights. Choose the snack option for soft drinks, fruit, pastries, biscuits, and Turkish delights.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time on board. The staff were incredibly hospitable and kind and the views were amazing.”

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Bosphorus Yacht Cruise Experience: Visit the Asian Side - Bridges, palaces, and Ottoman defenses
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Bosphorus Yacht Cruise Experience: Visit the Asian Side

7.Bosphorus Yacht Cruise Experience: Visit the Asian Side

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,251 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $60

Spend about 2.5 hours cruising between Istanbul’s European and Asian shores with an English-speaking guide, Turkish tea, coffee, snacks, and a short Kanlıca stop for its famous yogurt. Hotel pickup is offered in Sultanahmet, Taksim, Karakoy, and Sirkeci, with drop-off at Taksim or Sultanahmet Square.

“It is a very worthwhile experience and is everything that it says on the booking details. The staff are very pleasant and friendly, speak good English the ship is clean and the snacks are good. All in all an excellent trip. I would thoroughly recommend it.”

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Istanbul: Bosphorus Cruise with Dinner Show - Getting to the orange boat at Kabatas Pier
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Istanbul: Bosphorus Cruise with Dinner Show

8.Bosphorus Cruise with Dinner Show

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 2,181 reviews · 3 hours · from $41

Spend three hours aboard an Istanbul dinner boat, sailing between Europe and Asia past Dolmabahce Palace, Ortakoy, the Bosphorus Bridge, and Maiden’s Tower. Expect a private table, Turkish and international dance shows, dinner, and optional drinks. Hotel pickup is available, or meet the orange boat at Kabatas Pier.

“Really happy with the cruise experience. Mustafa was so kind and served us amazingly well.”

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Bosphorus Sunset Yacht Experience: Istanbul’s Best - Boarding at Kabataş: allow extra time
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Bosphorus Sunset Yacht Experience: Istanbul’s Best

9.Bosphorus Sunset Yacht Experience: Istanbul’s Best

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,181 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $48

Sail between Europe and Asia aboard a 25-meter yacht during Istanbul’s golden hour. Expect tea, coffee, juice, lemonade, fresh fruit, canapés, and clear commentary on palaces, mosques, bridges, and fortresses. Guides including Emre, Nahad, Nahed, and John have been praised for friendly service and engaging explanations.

“I enjoyed this tour very much. The service was great—they served us tea and snacks, were punctual, and provided a lot of information. I highly recommend this tour.”

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Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Show and Private Table - The Bosphorus views from Kabataş to the bridges
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Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Show and Private Table

10.Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Show and Private Table

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,021 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $30

Board a Mega Lüfer yacht near Kabataş for a full Turkish dinner, private table service, and a lively program of folk dance, belly dance, flamenco, whirling dervishes, rhythm shows, and DJ music. You’ll pass the Maiden’s Tower, Ortaköy Mosque, Galata Tower, and illuminated Bosphorus bridges before returning to the dock.

“Over our eight-day vacation, we did many, many tours, and this was one of our favorites. The drinks were flowing, the service was 5 stars, and we met so many cool people from around the world!! It was reasonably priced although the food was just okay. I ordered the sea bass for my main course, and I barely touched it because it was dry. However, there were so many other courses, I was able to find enough to eat. The only other thing that I would recommend is to have less performers and more time/opportunity for the guests to mingle and dance – that was by far the MOST FUN…”

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Istanbul: Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise with Sunset Option - Boarding and finding the right boat
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Istanbul: Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise with Sunset Option

11.Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise with Sunset Option

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 1,973 reviews · 2 hours · from $6Best value

Cruise between Istanbul’s European and Asian shores for 90 minutes, passing Galata Tower, palaces, bridges, and waterfront homes. Departures run hourly, with 4 PM and 5 PM options for sunset light. You get a smartphone audio guide in several languages, but bring headphones and download the QR instructions before boarding.

“Good audio guide and comfortable cruise. We sat on the top deck and enjoyed ourselves!”

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Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Turkish Night Show - Hotel pickup and the ride to the boat
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Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Turkish Night Show

12.Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Turkish Night Show

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,950 reviews · 3 hours · from $28

Spend three hours aboard the Pereme, cruising between Istanbul’s European and Asian shores. You’ll dine on Turkish appetizers, salad, a hot starter, dessert, and a choice of four main courses while passing Dolmabahce Palace, Ortakoy Mosque, Rumeli Fortress, and the Bosphorus bridges. Reham and other staff help with transport and seating, while folk dancers, belly dancers, musicians, and a DJ keep the evening moving.

“the activities were fun and selo was superb too...”

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Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise w/ Drinks & Entertainment - What the three-hour evening feels like
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Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise w/ Drinks & Entertainment

13.Bosphorus Dinner Cruise w/ Drinks & Entertainment

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,852 reviews · 3 hours · from $35

Sail between Europe and Asia aboard the AMOR for a three-hour Turkish dinner show. Expect Dolmabahçe and Beylerbeyi palaces, two illuminated bridges, unlimited soft drinks, and lively folk dancing, belly dancing, and DJ music. Hotel pickup is optional, with English, Arabic, German, Russian, Spanish, French, Italian, and Turkish support.

“We really enjoyed the tour. We had fun times on the boat. We didn't run out of drinks during the tour, whenever we asked for new drinks (and we drank a lot). An observation to be made is that the drink was not cold. Actually we can't find cold drinks anywhere in istanbul, unfortunately. We didn't eat the starter meal because they were already laid out on the table when we got on the boat and the internal temperature at the beginning was really hot, so we preferred to avoid it. Regarding the main course, it was great, we expected for less. The artistic performances were also interesting and the…”

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Istanbul: Bosphorus Cruise w/Audio Guide and Sunset Option - Meeting near Hagia Sophia without losing time
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Istanbul: Bosphorus Cruise w/Audio Guide and Sunset Option

14.Bosphorus Cruise w/Audio Guide and Sunset Option

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 1,758 reviews · 2 hours · from $14

Meet the guide near Hagia Sophia, walk about 10 minutes to the pier, then cruise the Golden Horn and Bosphorus toward the two bridges. An offline multilingual audio guide explains the sights, while open-air decks, indoor seating, and an optional sunset departure give you different ways to enjoy Istanbul from the water.

“It's good trip with reasonable money. You need to be ontime on meeting point. Their is no sign outside Cafe Minared meeting point and if you get their bit early just speak to cafe guy and let them know you are here.”

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Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with Stopover on the Asian Side - (Morning or Afternoon) - Starting near Dolmabahçe Mosque
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Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with Stopover on the Asian Side – (Morning or Afternoon)

15.Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with Stopover on the Asian Side – (Morning or Afternoon)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,657 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $48

This 2.5-hour yacht cruise gives you close views of Istanbul's palaces, mosques, bridges, and waterfront neighborhoods, with commentary from guides such as Nahed, Serdar, or Senol. You will stop for about 30 minutes in Kanlıca on the Asian shore to try local yogurt, Turkish coffee, or ice cream. Hotel pickup is available in Fatih and Beyoğlu.

“A great way to spend a relaxing few hours seeing Istanbul from a different perspective. Great tour guide and lovely snacks provided along the way.”

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Just added to Bosphorus Cruises

★ 4.3Guided Dolmabahce Palace Tour with Bosphorus Sunset CruiseFrom $1595 reviews
★ 4.2Full-Day Tour with Dolmabahce & Bosphorus CruiseFrom $177198 reviews
★ 4.0Bosphorus Dinner Cruise Tavern & World ShowFrom $983 reviews
★ 4.8Dolmabahce Palace Ticket & Bosphorus Boat Tour ExperienceFrom $5810 reviews
★ 4.1Bosphorus Dinner Cruise Tour with Private TableFrom $4216 reviews
★ 5.0Chora Mosque & Balat Walking Tour w Bosphorus Sunset CruiseFrom $872 reviews
★ 5.0Istanbul Bosphorus Sunset Guided Cruise TourFrom $237 reviews
★ 5.0Bosphorus Evening Cruise: Dinner, Shows and Private TableFrom $297 reviews
★ 5.0Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Turkish Night ShowFrom $443 reviews
★ 3.6Afternoon Cruise on the Bosphorus and Golden HornFrom $148 reviews
★ 4.6Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Turkish Night with Live ShowsFrom $2918 reviews
★ 4.4Bosphorus Dinner Cruise w/ Unlimited Drinks & EntertainmentFrom $3529 reviews
★ 3.9Dinner Cruise on the BosphorusFrom $354353 reviews
★ 4.0Bosphorus: Dinner Cruise with Live Performances ExperienceFrom $4456 reviews
★ 4.5Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Dance Shows with Private TableFrom $4214 reviews

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