Istanbul Sunset Cruise - Luxurious Yacht Cruise with Live Guide on the Bosphorus
Overview
The cruise will take you from PIER KABATAS and past Istanbul's icons, Dolmabahce Palace, Bosphorus Bridge, Rumeli Fortress Maiden's Tower and much more. Continue to take in the many sights while the sun goes down as you go through the Asian side, and around The Maiden's Tower. The best part is after sunset when we approach the Galata Bridge and Bosphorus Bridge. Watch as the entire western span of the bridge lights up and transforms into LED light sculpture creating a never-repeating dazzling display. Don’t miss this breathtaking experience from the best seats on the Bosphorus!
Inclusions
- Coffee and/or Tea
- Snacks
- Bottled water
- Fresh Seasonal Fruit Platters
- Cookies with delicious baklava
- Entry/Admission - Bosphorus Strait
What to expect
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul 34122 Turkiye
Istanbul is a bridge between Europe and Asia, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, a position that endows it with one of the most unique and beautiful settings in the world. For, between the hills on the European and Asiatic shores flows the Bosphorus, the brightest gem in the diadem of nature.
"This beautiful strait, sometimes spelled Bosporus and sometimes Bosphorus, was so called from the earliest ages by the ancients; from the mythology of 10, the mistress of Jupiter, having passed over it in the shape of a cow. It resembles the Dardanelles, in length, breadth and current, and like it, is a narrow separation which divides Europe from Asia; but it has many features familiar to itself. Instead of being a solitary stream running between deserted shores, it is a body of water full of life and animation, winding its way through banks covered with palaces and villages, shaded with magnificent forest trees, presenting to the eye, at every mile, a new scene of crowded existence."
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Pass By: Dolmabahce Mosque, Omer Avni Mh., Dolmabahce Cd. Right beside Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul 34357 Turkiye
The Dolmabahçe Mosque is a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. It was commissioned by queen mother Bezmi Alem Valide Sultan.
Pass By: Çırağan Caddesi, Yıldız, Çırağan Cd., Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Türkiye
Ciragan Palace
An Ottoman Imperial Palace On The Bosphorus. Book Direct Online For Best Rates! A Resort Ambience In The City And Reflects The Ultimate Luxury Of A Genuine Ottoman Palace. Best available rate. Business Centre. Luxury Spa.
Pass By: Ortakoy, Istanbul Turkiye
Ortaköy is a lively area centered on its waterfront square, where crowds gather to listen to impromptu concerts or sip tea on cafe terraces. Stands serving waffles or kumpir (stuffed baked potatoes) share busy alleys with souvenir stalls. The ornate, light-filled Ortaköy Camii mosque sits at the water’s edge in the shadow of the Bosphorus Bridge. After dark, upmarket restaurants and clubs nearby draw a chic crowd.
Pass By: Dolmabahce Palace, Visnezade Mahallesi Dolmabahce Cd, Istanbul 34357 Turkiye
Dolmabahçe Palace located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European coast of the Strait of Istanbul, served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922.
Pass By: Bosphorus Bridge, Kuzguncuk Mahallesi 15, Istanbul Turkiye
The Bosporus or Bosphorus is a narrow, natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in northwestern Turkey. It forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia, and divides Turkey by separating Anatolia from Thrace.
Pass By: Rumeli Fortress, Yahyakemal Cad. No.28, Istanbul 34470 Turkiye
Rumelishisari Fortress - (Rumelihisari Castle)
At the narrowest point of the Bosphorus stands the Rumelihisarr Fortress, built by Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror on the European shore. The Sultan himself on the 26th day of March 1452 laid the foundation stone of the Fortress with a view to controlling the passage of the ships through the Bosphorus and using it as a base for his attack on the city. The fortress or castle was built upon the ancient site of Hermaion. It was completed in five months on August 28th 1452. The cannon on the towers could command this narrowest part of the Bosphorus opposite the older fortress of Anadoluhisarr. Darius in 500 BC had thrown a pontoon bridge across the Strait at this point and passed over 700, 000 men. To Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror, it was the key to Constantinople. The design of the walls and the towers display the Prophet's and the Conqueror's name - Muhammet - Mehmet.
Pass By: Bebek Park, Istanbul 34342 Turkiye
Bebek is a very trendy village along the Bosphorus. It has a buzzing atmosphere and it is well-known for the nice cafés and shops that line the waterfront. Locals also praise Bebek for its nice seaside promenade, ideal for long strolls along the strait.
Pass By: Kanlica Meydani, Istanbul Turkiye
Kanlıca is a neighborhood on the Asian side of the Bosphorus strait, in the Beykoz district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Kanlica is known for its popular specialty, yogurt topped with castor sugar, offered in local restaurants and cafés.
Pass By: Beylerbeyi Palace, Abdullahaga Cad., Istanbul Turkiye
Situated on the Asiatic shore of the Bosphorus between the villages of Kuzguncuk and Cengelköy, the palace was built by Sultan Abdülaziz in 1865. Beylerbeyi Palace seen from the Bosphorus floats like a white vision in a fairy tale. It is the most extravagant royal house of the 19th Century on which millions were spent. It is built completely of marble, surpassing all the Palaces of European Kings. Empress Eugénie, during her visit of 1869 stayed in this palace as well as Czar Nicholas Il of Russia. Edward VIII was a guest in 1936. Stone lionesses recline on marble carpets set in lawns, and swans float and fish swim in the unobtrusive pool where pigeons fly to catch the spray of the fountain upon their wings.
Pass By: Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Hisarustu Kavacik Yolu, Istanbul Turkiye
The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge, is a bridge in Istanbul, Turkey spanning the Bosphorus strait. When completed in 1988, it was the 5th-longest suspension bridge span in the world; today it is the 24th.
Pass By: Kucuksu Pavilion, Kucuksu Cad. No:12, Istanbul 34810 Turkiye
The summer Palace of Kucuksu, sometimes called the Palace of Göksu, is situated between the villages of Anadoluhisan and Kandilli on the Asiatic shore of the Bosphorus. The Kucuksu Palace was first built by Mahmut I in 1749. Later it underwent a restoration during the reigns of Selim Ill and Ahmet Il. It was renovated by Sultan Abdülmecit in 1857. Sultan Abdülaziz gave the palace a new face-lift and had it refurbished and redecorated. It is a small but elegant edifice, stretching along the lip of the Bosphorus, surrounded by intricately cast iron railings. Waters and waves of the Bosphorus wash its terraces of glittering marble and sometimes penetrate their latticed and mysterious recesses.
Pass By: Çengelköy, 34680 Üsküdar/İstanbul, Türkiye
Çengelköy is a neighborhood in the Üsküdar district on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, Turkey, between the neighborhoods of Beylerbeyi and Kuleli. It is mainly a residential district. Many mansions were built there in the Ottoman period.
Pass By: Anadolu Hisari Fort, Anadolu Hisari, Istanbul Turkiye
Anadoluhisarı, known historically as Güzelce Hisar is a medieval fortress located in Istanbul, Turkey on the Anatolian side of the Bosporus. The complex is the oldest surviving Turkish architectural structure built in Istanbul, and further gives its name to the neighborhood around it in the city's Beykoz district.
Pass By: Cankurtaran, Sarayburnu, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
Sarayburnu is a promontory quarter separating the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul, Turkey. The area is where the renowned Topkapı Palace and Gülhane Park stand. Sarayburnu is included in the historic areas of Istanbul, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.
Pass By: Galata Koprusu, Kemankes Karamustafa Pasa Mahallesi Beyoglu, Istanbul 34425 Turkiye
The Galata Bridge is a bridge that spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. From the end of the 19th century in particular, the bridge has featured in Turkish literature, theater, poetry and novels.
Pass By: Galata Tower, Buyuk Hendek Cad. 2, Istanbul Turkiye
The Galata Tower — called Christea Turris by the Genoese — is a medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karaköy quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, just to the north of the Golden Horn's junction with the Bosphorus.
Pass By: KIz Kulesi, Uskudar, Istanbul 34668 Turkiye
Kızkulesı (Maiden's Tower - Leander's Tower)
About 180 metres away from the shores of Üsküdar stands this tower which bears two different names. Europeans who named it the Leander's Tower thought that it was here where Leander was drowned while attempting to swim the Bosphorus to reach his beloved Hero, the priestess of Aphrodite. But, in fact,
Leander never crossed here even in the legend which refers to the Hellespont, Dardanelles. The Turkish name is KIZ kulesi (Maiden's Tower). It is now a modern lighthouse. In the past, it served as a fort to tax ships up to one tenth of their cargo, similar to Pfalz Castle on the Rhine.
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Face masks required for travelers in public areas
- Face masks required for guides in public areas
- Face masks provided for travelers
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
- Social distancing enforced throughout experience
- Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
- Guides required to regularly wash hands
- Regular temperature checks for staff
- Temperature checks for travelers upon arrival
- Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 35 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
Cancellation
The boat left on time. The commentary was interesting and informative. The staff was very pleasant and hospitable. Pleasantly surprised by the snacks served - very nice, especially the baklava! The sights and sounds of Istanbul were of course magnificent!!
The boat left on time. The commentary was interesting and informative. The staff was very pleasant and hospitable. Pleasantly surprised by the snacks served - very nice, especially the baklava! The sights and sounds of Istanbul were of course magnificent!!The scenery and the sunset were beautiful. The boat and the service were nice, but the live guide portion of the tour was a joke. Unless you were sitting inside of the boat cabin (where there was enough seating for 4 people maximum), you could not hear the guide from the back or top of the boat. ...
The scenery and the sunset were beautiful. The boat and the service were nice, but the live guide portion of the tour was a joke. Unless you were sitting inside of the boat cabin (where there was enough seating for 4 people maximum), you could not hear the guide from the back or top of the boat. The microphone and speakers were not loud enough because of the noise from the boat engine. My main interest was hearing about what we were seeing, and I got nothing from this perspective.My group needed some time to kill in Istanbul and this was a good choice. I spent half of it reclining on the deck outside, then the other half inside. Note: if you want to be outdoors, dress warmly. The crew does provide you with blankets, but it can be a bit chilly. Other notes: - sunset views...
My group needed some time to kill in Istanbul and this was a good choice. I spent half of it reclining on the deck outside, then the other half inside. Note: if you want to be outdoors, dress warmly. The crew does provide you with blankets, but it can be a bit chilly. Other notes: - sunset views are great - the guide informative and open to questions - snacks are tasty (baklava, nuts, fruit) - alcohol is available at an extra costOperator encourages people to book on their website for a better price than on Tripadvisor or Viator; 40EU vs 50EU (see attached screenshots). Then 90 minutes before the start of the cruise, they contact you by whatsapp and tell you the special price doesn't apply and you must pay 55EU if you wan...
Operator encourages people to book on their website for a better price than on Tripadvisor or Viator; 40EU vs 50EU (see attached screenshots). Then 90 minutes before the start of the cruise, they contact you by whatsapp and tell you the special price doesn't apply and you must pay 55EU if you want to go on the cruise (so 38% higher than quoted rate)! In addition, their website and their booking site mention numerous times that hotel pick-up and drop-off is included, but then they tell you it is not included in the higher price! Of note, this tour has a new operator and the many 5 star reviews are for the prior operator, not this new unethical operator!This cruise on Sunset Bosphorus Yacht was truly worth doing. The yacht was luxurious, clean, and modern but what makes the cruise even more memorable was the staff who did their best to make every passenger have an enjoyable time throughout the cruise. They even went beyond their duties and took ...
This cruise on Sunset Bosphorus Yacht was truly worth doing. The yacht was luxurious, clean, and modern but what makes the cruise even more memorable was the staff who did their best to make every passenger have an enjoyable time throughout the cruise. They even went beyond their duties and took the guest's pictures. Their prices was more expensive than any other cruise companies in Istanbul but they the different in quality was much bigger than the price difference, so do not hesitate to go on this cruise !Great tour! The tour guide was so informative and it felt like a luxury tour. Not many people on the yacht. My family was able to have their own private space. We enjoyed it. Highly recommend.
Great tour! The tour guide was so informative and it felt like a luxury tour. Not many people on the yacht. My family was able to have their own private space. We enjoyed it. Highly recommend.