How to take a Bosphorus Cruise (Istanbul): our experience

Istanbul It is the only city in the world that is located on two continents.

The Bosphorus is strait that separates Asia from Europe and it is, logically, one of the greatest attractions on any visit.

The Bosphorus It is the reason for the existence and prosperity of what was the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, and today it is the most populated city in Türkiye.

It is surprising to discover that a place that has played such an important role over the centuries, that appears so frequently in mythological stories and in ancient and modern literature, is of relatively modest dimensions: just over 30 kilometers separate the Black Sea Of the Marmara.

However, how many stories have crossed its waters, how many emperors, how many navigators have reached their destination in them.

It is not surprising that a Bosphorus boat tour is included in the programs of almost all visitors to Istanbul.

How to explore the Bosphorus Strait by boat

There are different ways to get around it, and the simplest and most economical way is to take the public ferry that comes out of the Eminönü terminal (near the southern end of the galata bridge) and begins the journey to Anadolu Kavagi, the end of the route.

This ferry it's a kind of sea ​​bus which makes different stops along the way while zigzagging between various ports distributed between Asia and Europe, and for the complete route, round trip, you will need to have six hours.

During the weekend the boat is filled with families who enjoy a day away from home, groups of friends who live the adventure of sailing together, and couples in love who want to be away from family and friends.

Among all of them, vendors swarm, whether selling sweets, practical books (first aid manuals or how to do things at home), tea, lemon squeezers or caps and hats.

Si Istanbul It is a market that takes the form of a city, the ferry It is exactly the same, a fair whose appearance and dimensions are those of a ship.

Of course, to enjoy the trip it is necessary that it be a good day; The experience is very different if it is done on a sunny or rainy day.

As always, it is worth having a little flexibility when organizing the visits in Istanbul and we recommend that, if you spend several days in the city, you take advantage of the first sunny day to tour the Bosphorus.

Rainy days can be left for visit the Grand Bazaar, Topkapi palace, mosques, museums and shops.

Seen on the map, the Bosphorus Strait It may seem short, small, but as soon as you head north, you feel small.

You feel the weight of history and above all the beauty of the place.

Here, they tell us, he sailed Jason with the Argonauts In search of Golden Fleece., and they also passed Marco Polo y Peg on way to Xanadu y Samarkand.

The oil tankers that make the Bosphorus an aquatic highway of permanent traffic, and in which sailboats, ferries and fishing boats avoid these giants.

You have to remember that Bosphorus means “the place where the cow crossed”, in reference to a mythological event in which they participated Zeus, Io y Ivy.

Leaving Istanbul on the boat that is taken in Eminönü jetty, in the Golden horn, is to follow the path of the Ottoman sultans who, in the mid-19th century, abandoned the Topkapi to build your palaces and residences on the Bosphorus.

the sultan Abdul Mecit He wanted to give a new look to his empire, which was said to be in decline, and change the centuries-old and antiquated Topkapi for a palace that would impress everyone and demonstrate its power.

Palaces and mosques to see on the Bosphorus in Istanbul

Shortly after leaving, you can see on the European side of the strait the fabulous Dolmabahce Palace, another of the destinations that is usually included in the sightseeing tours through Istanbul.

From the deck of the ship, the palace's marine façade, more than 500 meters long, is just the beginning of the palatial series.

A little further on appears the Çiragan palace, built by the sultan Abdul Aziz, who must have considered that the magnificence of Dolmabahçe It hadn't been enough.

It is now part of a luxurious hotel complex.

Next, and always on the European side, we distinguish the Ortaköy Mosque. Right at the edge of the water, his image is one of the most characteristic of Istanbul.

Later, and now on the Asian side, the sultans had another palace built, that of Grand seigneur, with the usual objective: to impress anyone who saw it.

Yalis. summer residences on the Bosphorus

In addition to palaces and mosques, on the banks of the Bosphorus other buildings stand out, smaller but perhaps more attractive: the yalis, former summer residences that the Ottoman nobility, foreign diplomats and wealthy merchants raised between the 17th and 19th centuries.

They are all made of wood and many are painted white or bright colors, making them easily identifiable from a distance.

These mansions were the object of desire of the wealthy classes of that time.

Everyone wanted a residence where they could escape the summer heat of Istanbul, and owning one of them ended up becoming a necessity for anyone who wanted to rise on the imperial social scale.

They once had their own piers, which reminds us that the word Waterside It means “shore” in Greek.

Although fires, humidity and speculation have made many yalis, several hundred are still preserved and now, protected as part of the historical heritage, are one of the most notable elements of the Bosphorus.

Some of these yalis They are the most expensive buildings in Türkiye and, according to some, from all of Europe.

Bridges in the Bosphorus Strait

The ship passes under two bridges crossing the Bosphorus.

The second, completed in 1988, crosses the strait at its narrowest point, where the current is strongest but also where it has the greatest strategic importance militarily.

At this point, at the end of the 14th century, the Sultan Beyacit I built a fortress on the Asian side, Anadolu Hisari, as a preliminary step in the attack on Constantinople.

If the triumph of Byzantium came from his control over the Bosphorus, fall of Constantinople would come for his loss.

Sixty years later, in 1452, Mehmet the Conqueror took the leap and built another fortress on the European side, Rumeli Hisari, and the fate of the Byzantine capital was marked.

The following year the Ottomans took the city.

Now this entire area offers a large concentration of cafes, restaurants and yalis, from which you can enjoy the views that extend across the place where the history was won and lost more than five and a half centuries ago. capital of the byzantine empire.

As the ship continues its journey north, the towns become smaller and patches of greenery appear, reflecting the forests that centuries ago must have covered these slopes that sink into the strait.

Some areas are highly urbanized, but there are still villages that retain their appearance from yesteryear, when their inhabitants dedicated themselves to fishing in these waters.

Sometimes you can see a beach that becomes an attractive place on the sunny and hot days of the long summers.

Anadolu Kavagi in the Bosphorus

Anadolu Kavagi is final destination of the ship.

Travelers descend and scatter through the streets to choose a restaurant where they can enjoy a meal under an awning or a bower next to the waters of the Bosphorus.

An interesting option is to climb to the top of a hill where there is a castle that has been in the hands of the Byzantines, Genoese and Ottomans, from where you can see the Black Sea.

On the way down you can choose any restaurant to taste a good grill of fresh fish, vegetables and mussels.

There's plenty of time to eat before jumping back into the ship traveling back to Istanbul along this path of water, life and history.

What is the Bosphorus cruise on public ferry from Istanbul like?

The cheapest way to tour the Bosphorus by boat is take the ferry de public servicewhose schedules are, every day, leaving at 10:35 from the pier of Eminonu and reach up Anadolu Kavagi (on the Asian side), already at the gates of Black Sea at 12: 25.

El Time The return service is, leave at 15:00 and get to Istanbul at 16:40, so this excursion has a duration of six hours.

Of course, in summer you have more frequency, so you have some other combination of schedules.

Both on the way out and on the way back, the ferry It makes a zigzag itinerary, touching at five ports in Asia and Europe, and keep in mind that it is not possible to get off at one stop and take the next boat with the same ticket.

What almost all passengers do in Anadolu Kavagi is spending time eating before taking the same boat back.

In addition to this public service there are private boats What do they do Shortest tours from Istanbul, usually up to Rumeli Hisari, which also come out of Eminönü pier, and about which you have information at the beginning of the article.