Explore Istanbul on a full-day cruise along the Bosphorus Strait out to the Black Sea. With an onboard English-speaking guide, you'll pass — and stop at — some of the city's most striking landmarks: Ottoman summer palaces, a Byzantine-era fortress, and a fishing village at the very edge of the Black Sea. Along the way there's time to swim, relax, and enjoy an onboard lunch of Turkish meze.
Unlike a short sightseeing cruise, this itinerary is built around genuine stops you disembark for — not just a slow float past the shoreline. It's the tour to choose if you want the classic Bosphorus views plus something most visitors never reach: the open Black Sea coastline just north of the city.
We'll pick you up from your hotel in the old city and drive you to the pier at Kabataş to board the boat and start the cruise.
The second imperial palace of the Ottoman Sultans, built in 1856. The last six Ottoman Sultans ruled the empire from here until 1922. Its European-style, richly decorated façade is one of the finest examples of Baroque palace architecture anywhere in the world.
A cosmopolitan waterside neighbourhood historically home to Turkish, Greek, Armenian and Jewish communities, with religious landmarks significant to each. Its symbol is the 19th-century Grand Mecidiye Mosque, one of the finest examples of Baroque style in Istanbul. We'll take a short walk here to soak up the neighbourhood's atmosphere.
The Sultan's summer palace and family residence on the Asian side, built in the 19th century. It's known for its original furnishings, Bohemian crystal chandeliers, and beautifully kept gardens.
Closed Mondays & Thursdays — replaced with a visit to Maiden's Tower on those days.
Ordered built by Sultan Mehmed II in 1452, just a year before he conquered Constantinople, and completed in only about four months. Its purpose was to control sea traffic through the Bosphorus from the north.
Closed Wednesdays — replaced with a visit to Maiden's Tower on that day.
The last stop on the Asian side of the Bosphorus before the Black Sea. Historically a shelter for trade ships against storms and a small fishing village, it's now a relaxed spot loved for its greenery and its many seaside fish restaurants.
A small village on Istanbul's Black Sea coast — the first land you'd reach entering the city from that sea, which historically gave it military and trading importance. Most residents make their living from fishing. It has a pleasant beach where you can swim in the cool Black Sea waters.
If conditions aren't suitable for swimming, we instead walk up to Poyrazköy Hill or Yoros Castle in Anadolu Kavağı.
End of cruise around 17:00, followed by transfer back to your hotel. This is a group tour with an average of 20 guests; a private version is available on request.
This is a daily tour — no overnight stay is included or required. You'll be back at your Istanbul hotel by the end of the day.
The cruise departs its meeting point at 9:00 AM; hotel pickup happens earlier that morning so you arrive on time.
If the weather isn't suitable for swimming at Poyrazköy, we walk up to Poyrazköy Hill or Yoros Castle in Anadolu Kavağı instead.
Beylerbeyi Palace is closed Mondays and Thursdays; Rumeli Fortress is closed Wednesdays. On those days, Maiden's Tower replaces the closed stop.
Free of charge for children aged 0–2. A 30% discount applies for children under 7 years old.
This is a group tour with 20 guests on average. Prefer your own boat and schedule? Choose the Private option when booking.
A quick, honest read on who gets the most out of this specific itinerary — and how to plan around it — based on the stops, timing and conditions above.
The Black Sea swim stop at Poyrazköy is the highlight for many guests. It's genuinely worthwhile roughly May through September; outside that window, plan on the Poyrazköy Hill or Yoros Castle walk instead and set swim-day expectations accordingly.
Traveling on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday? One of the two palace stops will be swapped for Maiden's Tower. If seeing both palaces matters to you, book for a Tuesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
The group departure (~20 guests) is the better value and the more social option. Choose Private if you're traveling with young children, have mobility needs, or simply prefer a boat and schedule to yourselves.
Sunscreen, a hat, comfortable walking shoes for the Anadolu Kavağı and Poyrazköy stops, and swimwear if you're traveling in season. A light layer is worth having on deck once the boat picks up speed.
Lunch and soft drinks are covered, but alcoholic drinks on board, personal shopping in Anadolu Kavağı's fish restaurants, and guide gratuities are all worth budgeting for separately.
Since this cruise covers the Bosphorus's northern reach, first-time visitors often pair it with our Istanbul Historical Old City Tour or Highlights of Istanbul for the classic Sultanahmet sights on a different day.
Book a day ahead when possible — group departures fill up and this lets us confirm the palace schedule for your exact date.
Traveling with children under 7? Mention their ages when you enquire — the 30% discount is applied automatically to your quote.
Want the dinner-cruise atmosphere instead? Check our Bosphorus Dinner Cruise for an evening version with live entertainment.
Read more guest feedback about our tours on TripAdvisor.
Came recommended, and after emailing about a fully private family itinerary excluding most shopping stops, the team responded quickly with a clear proposal and quote once we'd finalized the plan together.
After comparing several Istanbul operators, we settled on this team roughly a month before our trip. They patiently answered every question over that month and were honest and realistic about pricing, with no overselling.
We planned our honeymoon around a mix of history and culture rather than a purely educational trip, and language — despite both of us being English speakers — turned out not to be a barrier at all.
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