My husband and I will be in Istanbul Aug 31-Sep 3, and are considering including a cruise on the Bosphorus during our visit. I've found IBO tours has pretty good reviews, and they offer two different half-day options as well as a full day tour. Half day morning goes only as far as Rumelli Fortress; the afternoon tour begins at the Fortress and goes to the Yavus Sultan Selim Bridge, close to the Black Sea. The full day tour includes all of the above.
I'm interested in hearing from travelers who have experienced cruising the Bosphorus. Recommendations about other tour providers and perspectives on which section of the Bosphorus is the most scenic and memorable would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Posted by
Atlanta
984 posts
I was on a Rick Steves Turkey tour in 2018 and they organized a short cruise for us. It was interesting for about an hour, but I'm glad it didn't last much longer than that. Maybe the scenery improves farther away from Istanbul, but what we saw was repetitive and borderline industrial. On such a short trip to Istanbul I think you will find much more interesting things to see in the city itself. Just my opinion.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
776 posts
A cruise up to the Rumeli Fortress and back would be my pick. It's long enough to give you a sense of how crowded and strategically important the Bosporus is, but short enough not to eat up your whole day.
Turyol, a private ferry company, is a good budget option. I did a private cruise once as part of a larger tour, and I did a Turyol cruise on my own. The Turyol cruise accomplished the same thing for a lot less money. I think the Turyol cruise was somewhere around $5-$7 when I did it a couple of years ago. I would do it again. I can give you more (hazy) details if you are interested.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2659 posts
I also did a RS tour that included a Bosphorus Cruise for about 1.5 hours. The perspective from the water was great, especially seeing all the river traffic. But I agree with the prior poster that the scenery became quite repetitive. With your very limited time and the many things to occupy it in Istanbul, I would choose a short cruise and not take up a full day.
Posted by
1 posts
A full day seems like a long time to be on a cruise ship up the Bosphorous. I took a 1.5 hour cruise on the RS tour a few weeks ago and that was nice. However, the ferry from the European side to the Asian side takes about 15 minutes each way. I got a nice feel for being on the water and seeing the sites the historic peninsula. You should think carefully about what you want to see in the City and how to allocate your time. I had three full days in the City, but could have used more time so I would have skipped the cruise if I was able to.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15777 posts
I only took a short cruise. There was just too much to see in the city to spend any more time on the water.