Skip to content
Bosphorus Tour
The route

Two shores, two continents, one loop

The cruise runs north from the old city to the narrowest point of the strait and turns for home along the other side. This is what you pass, in order.

An illustrated map of the Bosphorus with the cruise route and its landmarks
  1. ⚓Ahırkapı PierDeparture and return
  2. 1Hagia SophiaEurope
  3. 2Blue MosqueEurope
  4. 3Topkapı PalaceEurope
  5. 4New MosqueEurope
  6. 5Galata BridgeEurope
  7. 6Galata TowerEurope
  8. 7Dolmabahçe PalaceEurope
  9. 8Çırağan PalaceEurope
  10. 9Ortaköy MosqueEurope
  11. 1015 July Martyrs BridgeEurope
  12. 11Beylerbeyi PalaceAsia
  13. 12Kuleli Military SchoolAsia
  14. 13Çamlıca MosqueAsia
  15. 14Çamlıca TowerAsia
  16. 15Küçüksu PavilionAsia
  17. 16Anadolu HisarıAsia
  18. 17Rumeli HisarıEurope
  19. 18Galatasaray IslandEurope
  20. 19Maiden’s TowerAsia
  21. 20Haydarpaşa StationAsia
  1. Topkapı Palace above its sea walls, seen from the deck
    1Historic peninsula

    Leaving the old city

    The boat pulls away from Ahırkapı beneath the sea walls, and the old city lines up behind you: the palace on its point, the domes and minarets on the ridge above.

    • Topkapı Palace
    • Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque on the skyline
    • New Mosque and the Galata Bridge
    • Galata Tower
  2. Ortaköy Mosque on the waterfront beneath the 15 July Martyrs Bridge
    2Europe

    Up the European shore

    Past the mouth of the Golden Horn the palaces begin. Dolmabahçe’s marble front runs along the water for most of a kilometre; Çırağan follows, and then the little mosque at Ortaköy, set right under the first bridge to Asia.

    • Dolmabahçe Palace
    • Çırağan Palace
    • Ortaköy Mosque
    • 15 July Martyrs Bridge
  3. Guests taking photographs of the shoreline from the deck
    3Europe

    The villages and the narrows

    Beyond the bridge the shore grows greener and the wooden waterfront mansions — the yalıs — come down to the water’s edge. At the narrowest point Mehmed II’s fortress climbs the hill, facing its older twin on the Asian side.

    • Waterfront yalı mansions
    • Rumeli Hisarı
    • Anadolu Hisarı
  4. Passengers on the open deck looking up at the bridge
    4Asia

    Down the Asian shore

    The boat crosses and runs back south along Asia: the small rococo pavilion at Küçüksu, the long façade of the Kuleli military school, and Beylerbeyi, the summer palace at the foot of the bridge.

    • Küçüksu Pavilion
    • Kuleli Military School
    • Beylerbeyi Palace
    • Çamlıca Hill on the skyline
  5. The Maiden’s Tower in the evening light
    5Where the strait meets the Marmara

    Home past the Maiden’s Tower

    The last stretch passes the lighthouse on its rock off Üsküdar, with the whole of the historic peninsula ahead — at its best on the late departure, when the sun goes down behind it.

    • Maiden’s Tower
    • Haydarpaşa Station
    • The old city at sunset

The route can change with the weather, the current and the traffic on the strait, which the harbour authority controls; the captain decides on the day.

Ready to sail?

Departures and prices for every day are in the calendar.

Choose a date