Istanbul Bosphorus Lunch Cruise with Hotel Pick-Up: How It Compares

With Get Turkey Tours, the Bosphorus lunch cruise begins at $75 per person. The price depends on the season, where your hotel is and the package inclusions, so ask us for the current one. You get the cruise between Europe and Asia, a lunch served on the boat, a licensed guide who speaks English, and pick-up and drop-off at your hotel. Time on the water is about 3 hours; counting the transfers, set aside 4 to 4.5 hours.

Lunch cruise, city ferry, dinner cruise or private yacht?

The public ferry is the lowest-cost way to get out on the Bosphorus. The city's ferry company operates a long Bosphorus trip from Eminonu, which you pay for in Turkish lira at the pier. The views are the same, but there is no guide, no lunch and no transfer, and the upper deck fills up early in summer.

The lunch cruise suits people who want the Bosphorus explained, a meal included and no hunting for the pier.

The dinner cruise is a night out with a folk dance and belly dance show. You pick either a soft-drinks package or an alcoholic one, and the alcohol is charged extra.

A private yacht works for groups. Aura carries up to 12 guests, is hired by the hour for at least 2 hours, and the price covers the whole boat, so each person pays less as the group gets bigger. A guide or meal is only on board if you add one. Coming from Italy? Our Bosphorus cruise guide for Italian travellers gives piers, durations and sunset times, with prices in euros.

What is included on the lunch cruise

• Pick-up and drop-off from your hotel or another Istanbul address
• The cruise on the Bosphorus
• A licensed guide who speaks English
• Lunch on board
• All entry fees, air-conditioned vehicles, parking, road tolls and local taxes

Not included: drinks with your meal, which you buy on the boat, and anything you buy for yourself.

The route seen from the deck

The boat sails up the Bosphorus with one continent on each side, and the guide names the sights along both banks. Landmarks on the way include the Ortakoy Mosque beside the first bridge and the Rumeli Fortress, which Mehmed II built in 1452, a year before he captured Constantinople. You also go past waterfront palaces and the wooden mansions known as yali on both shores. There is always traffic on the water: ferries, fishing boats and cargo ships travelling between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara.

Who should book the lunch cruise, and who should not

Good for:

• First-time visitors who want to see the Bosphorus in half a day and keep the afternoon or evening open.
• Families and older travellers, since the pick-up means no walk to the pier and no ticket line.
• Budget travellers, because a single booking pays for the meal, the guide and the transfers.

Not ideal for:

• People who want to step onto the Asian side. This is a cruise, not a tour on shore.
• Photographers after sunset shots. The light at midday is flat; choose the dinner cruise or a sunset yacht.
• Groups of eight or more who want the boat to themselves. For a group that size, a private yacht works out at roughly the same cost per person.

When to take a Bosphorus cruise

According to the tour page, April and May are the best months, with Judas trees in bloom on the hills and clear air. September and October are good too. In July and August the open deck gets strong midday sun, so spend some of the trip inside. The boat runs in winter as well, but you will want a coat and the covered deck.

Pair it with a day in the city

The lunch cruise takes up a morning or early afternoon. The simplest combination is a morning in the Old City: our private half-day Old City tour lasts about 4 hours, with the cruise on a different day. To compare evening boats, see our Bosphorus dinner cruise guide; for private yachts, see the Bosphorus yacht rental page. Every boat trip is listed on our Bosphorus tours page.

Frequently Asked Questions