Enjoy Istanbul’s Bosphorus:2-hour Daytime, Sunset & Night Cruises

no frills just the cruise which was what we wanted as didn't want a meal or any drinks. The cruise takes you up the Bosphorous and is definitely worth doing in order to see all the sights from the water. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because we couldn't really hear or understand the lady who was telling us about where we were and what all the sights were. It might have been better with an individual audio guide of some sort and maybe a map...

Great way to experience Istanbul. The guide was very informative. They were very accommodating when I asked to change my ticket to an earlier time on the same day. Would definitely recommend this cruise

We were disappointed in this cruise. There were only eight passengers until they picked up about 20 more on the Asian side. Our disappointment was that the narrator was too frequently not understandable. She also only narrated the high points along the way and provided little background.

Nice cruise in Bosporus. Lasted 2 hours. Useful if you are short of time. Easy instructions to locate the vessel.

We had a beautiful cruise and the weather was good. But bring a jacket or sweater. It gets cool and a little breezy.

All good except smell of boat exhaust- it was okay if you were inside though, just not up top. Boat was clean and well kept.

Great views of the city can be seen from the cruise. Guide explained every corner of the river . Thanks again

Good cruise. Got to see parts of Istanbul that you wouldn’t normally see. Guide was knowledgable but difficult to hear

Taking a one-hour Bosphorus ship trip is one of the most efficient and memorable ways to experience Istanbul’s iconic skyline. Cruising along the strait that connects Europe and Asia, the voyage offers breathtaking, panoramic views of grand waterfront mansions, historic fortresses, and landmark sights like Dolmabahçe Palace and the Bosphorus Bridge. While a short one-hour duration means you only cover the lower section of the strait, it is perfect for travelers tight on time. The open-air deck provides excellent photo opportunities. Overall, it is an affordable, relaxing, and highly recommended introduction to the city.

What a wonderful experience and highlight of our short trip! Such a beautiful and inexpensive way to see the beauty of Istanbul from the bosphorus strait. Loved seeing the sights during daylight, sunset and dark. Highly recommend!

Sera and Ferah were amazing! 🤍 They captured the most beautiful pictures and paid attention to every little detail. They were both so kind, professional, and made us feel comfortable throughout the experience. We couldn’t be happier with our photos and highly recommend them! ✨

Sera&ferah did a good job patiently taking the pictures. It was a good experience.

To be honest, it was hard to give a review for this experience. I booked a 2 hour river cruise for myself, husband and son for 3 pm. I received a message that the cruise for that time was canceled and that I could join a different cruise time that day or request a refund. I chose to take the 1:00pm cruise time. It was so crowded with the other tour groups that were booked and they also served a meal to this large group, which made it impossible to sit inside. It was very cold and windy and we had to stand outside for the entire 2 hours in the cold and wind because there was no room inside. It felt like the trip was overbooked. I understand that some people want to be outside the entire time, but it would have been nice to have an option. At one point, we went inside to try to get warm and sat down at a table with 4 seats near the front, but apparently this table was used for clearing the dirty dishes from the meal they had served and one of the employees asked us to move so we had to go back outside in the cold and wind. I feel like this could have been planned a bit better to ensure the comfort of every passenger.

Sort of boring once it was dark. Hard to understand the commentary. Tea was good, cookies ok. Crew friendly. Probably better in daylight.

We just did the cruise without any added meals etc, but it was a lovely way to seethe Bosphorus at Sunset and it was great value.

Highly recommend the sunset cruise! Would recommend bringing an extra layer in case the wind is chilly.

A great way to see this amazing city. It would be impossible to see the sights by land. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable. Very well priced tour suitable for alll ages.

You can get on the boat sooner if you want to. We were 30 min. early and got on the boat. Lots of room, snacks, coffee, tea (you pay for it). Informative tour guide explanations.

Great cruise, and 2 hours covered the entire coastline. A must-do activity! Good price for this cruise.

Nice boat ride. The coastline at sundown was stunning. The ride was a little long and make sure you bring a jacket or a sweater.

Amazing views around the Bosphorus. A must see for everyone who’s travelling to istanbul. We sat on the upper deck which I highly recommend.

Confirmed the stop you have to reach for basphorus. We have very good time and saw beautiful sunset enjoy a lot. Staff is very nice and helpul. Amazing experience ❤️

Easy to book. We took sunset cruise, which was a good mix of daylight views and evening lights. Unlike some cities’ piers, Istanbul’s are not clearly marked for each company’s location. Thankfully the tour sent us a photo of the boat by WhatsApp so we could find it. The guide spoke Turkish, English, and Russian, so it was quite useful to a wider range of visitors. There was a soft drink sales point on the boat but it was locked up and unstaffed. Overall, worth it.

Musa our Guide was very knowledgeable and we thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour. He spoke excellent English, we would rate him 10 out of 10 & fully recommend him

My first time in Istanbul and I was traveling solo. After looking at reviews for tours I decided to kick off my trip with this 2-3 hour cruise. It was a great way to get a summary of the city and see, first hand, the Europe side vs. Asia side. They were also so helpful in directing me to an alternate pick up location since I was running late as there was a mis-communication with my hotel person guiding me.

Awesome and very relaxed sunset cruise and alot to see about two hours. Highly recommended and the staff is friendly

Really beautiful experience, especially the sunset boat! We booked again to do the Twilight boat since we have someone else coming to visit us and we thought this would be a nice way to see the city. Really great value. I’d recommend getting there early if you want a good spot at the beginning, but about 45 min or so into the boat, everyone spread around.

We did the two-hour sunset cruise and really enjoyed seeing Istanbul from the water. It was quite crowded and sometimes difficult to hear the commentary, but for the very reasonable price, it was a great way to see the city after arriving by plane. They also provided tea and cookies during the cruise. Tip: Try to sit toward the front right side of the boat for the best photo opportunities. If you don't get a good seat, don't worry—about halfway through our cruise, many people went downstairs, which gave us much better opportunities for pictures on the way back. Overall, an inexpensive and enjoyable way to get your first look at Istanbul!

Had a lovely time on the boat tour. Sunset was the perfect time for this as we got to see it in the light, watch the sunset then see it in the dark. Was quite hard to hear the guide from where we were sitting but what she was saying was interesting.

We sat at the front of the boat and the sound system was not working so we had to go downstairs to get any idea of what was going on. It was not the cleanest of boats. The toilets were actually disgusting. Not a great standard. We booked the twilight tour but the sun had gone down by the time they last all the latecomers on to the boat.

Good value for money, the trip at 18:00 is perfect but do take a coat. Some of the best seats in the boat are the side, looking directly to the shore, the problem is there is no speaker in those rows, only for the main deck.

Very enjoyable and pleasant boat tour. I chose this one because the boat wasn't too big, which was nice. And because the seats looked better. And that turned out to be a big plus. The chairs were both comfortable, and gave you a chance to face the water easier.

Terrified trip with a good guide definitely recommend to any one with time to do it when I. Istanbul

Pleasant time on the water. Guide only spoke for less than half the time, and 50 percent was in Russian. So minimal explanation. No music when she wasn’t talking. We had reserved an earlier time and were told in the morning that it was cancelled.

Got a really good overview of the sites in Istanbul from the water. Only issue was the tour guide spoke extremely fast and it was often difficult to understand her. We took the English cruise.

Great value for money! Informative and so picturesque.

We liked the tour so much that we did it twice. We did once the evening cruise and once the 1pm tour. The different light gives it a different perspective. Very good value for money!

Great pre departure communication on how to find the boat (there are many along the promenade). Very well organised. Enjoyable cruise along the banks of the river European and Asian sides. Note: Sit on the left side of the vessel!

Everything was perfect from beginning to end. The guides were incredibly friendly, welcoming and professional. The views were absolutely breathtaking, the atmosphere was fantastic, and we, me and my brother, enjoyed every single moment of the trip. It was honestly one of the highlights of our stay in Istanbul! 🇹🇷❤️ A huge thank you to the whole team for making this experience so memorable 💫🥳 Hope to see you again someday! 🙏🏻😊🩵

Really liked this boat tour overall! Nice/friendly crew and our tour guide Olga spoke great English and was very easy to understand. It was not overly crowded either and so we had a lot of space to stretch out. We just wanted a nice tour of the Bosphorus without the dinner and entertainment, etc. and it is exactly what we got for a very reasonable price. Definitely recommend!

Good experience, gained a lot of knowledge about Istanbul and saw a lot of the sights. Well worth doing

My name is Rehan Ahmad , I came to turkey with my family , I booked this cruise online , we had a wonderful experience, the host was nice refreshment was good excellent.

This three-hour excursion was a complete nightmare! The experience started with the so-called hotel pickup. In reality, someone simply showed up at the hotel and walked us a few streets away to the actual departure point. Hardly what most people would consider a hotel pickup. Then you're crammed onto a boat where the speakers are so poor that you can barely hear the guide over the loud engine noise. The English-speaking guide rushed through the commentary, while the Russian-speaking guide seemed to go on forever. The tea was gone in two sips, and the dry biscuits quickly made you realize why the tea was there in the first place. Next, you're dropped off on the Asian side, in an area where there's absolutely nothing to see or do, yet you're expected to kill an entire hour. After about 30 minutes, everyone was already waiting to get back on board. You then have to switch to another boat, where there aren't even enough seats for everyone on board. Oh yes, you can always sit inside the ‘restaurant’ area and admire the view through a filthy window... And the drop-off? You guessed it: not at the hotel, but again on a street several minutes away. Apparently, "hotel pickup and drop-off" has a very different meaning here. The only positive aspect is that after sunset, the city lights create a beautiful view.

The same cruise is available at around £6 per head with unlimited tea, biscuits and soft drink available another website! I paid £12 for 14 people which is double the price. This website is a rip off.

I thought it was a 2 hour cruise, turns out to be a 3 hour one. Knowledgeable hosts great relaxing afternoon. Great value.

A relaxing way to see the beauty and differences in architecture in Istanbul. As a solo traveller it was a great way to travel and learn. I did this on my first day and it helped me decide where I really wanted to visit. The English guide provided very interesting history and information. Thank you . Great value!

Nice tour, decent price and lovely tour guides. Thank you Tomi!

Samira was great and really explained the site around bosphorus.

Tomi was fantastic and explained everything very well for me and our family on this tour! Thank you Tomi!