Bosphorus Cruise Options in Istanbul: Ferry, Lunch, Dinner, Sunset

A Bosphorus cruise in Istanbul costs 340 TL on the public short tour and 640 TL return on the long tour (fares for foreign visitors), from $38 per person on a guided lunch cruise with hotel pickup, from $57 per person on a dinner cruise with a Turkish night show, and from $190 per hour for a whole private yacht. Which one is right depends on the time of day, how much commentary you want and who you are travelling with. Our Bosphorus lunch cruise with hotel pick-up is the simplest guided option.

This page is for travellers from Spain and Latin America who search for a crucero por el Bósforo. It sets all the options side by side, then looks at the public ferry, daytime cruises, dinner, sunset and what you can expect in terms of a Spanish-speaking guide.

All the options at a glance

The public ferry fares are from the Şehir Hatları fare table for the 2026-27 season; children aged 0 to 6 travel free. The other prices are our own tours. Prices in lira change with city tariff decisions, so check them close to your date.

The public ferry: the cheapest way

The city ferry company, Şehir Hatları, runs two sightseeing tours from the Bosphorus tours pier at Eminönü, next to the Galata Bridge and the Spice Bazaar:

• The long tour (Uzun Boğaz Turu) leaves at 10:35 and sails up to Anadolu Kavağı, the last village before the Black Sea, with calls on both shores. You get a long break ashore for lunch and the walk up to the castle, then sail back in the afternoon.
• The short tour (Kısa Boğaz Turu) leaves at 14:40 and loops round the lower Bosphorus, calling at Üsküdar and Ortaköy, without a stop ashore.

There is no commentary on board and no reserved seats; you buy the ticket at the pier and find a place on deck. A third sailing, the moonlight tour (Mehtap), runs only in the warmer months, at 730 TL for foreign passengers. Foreign visitors pay double the local fare on these tours.

The ferry is a good choice if you are happy to read about what you see, or already know the city. Our self-guided Bosphorus ferry page has the stop-by-stop timetable, and Bosphorus cruise tickets today explains how to buy on the day.

Guided cruises by day

A guided tour adds three things the ferry does not: pickup from your hotel, commentary on what you pass and a planned route that fits around the rest of your day.

• Morning cruise with the Spice Bazaar. Our morning Bosphorus cruise, from $40 per person, pairs the boat with a walk through the Spice Bazaar.
• Lunch cruise. The Bosphorus lunch cruise with hotel pick-up and guide starts from $38 per person, and the lunch cruise with hotel pick-up and drop-off, from $75 per person, runs about three hours with a meal on board. Our Bosphorus lunch cruise guide compares them.
• The Bosphorus and the Asian side. The full-day cruise and two continents tour, from $88 per person, adds a drive on the Asian shore.

Shared cruises are guided in English. If you would like Spanish, a private tour is the way to get it; see the section on guides below.

What you see from the water

Heading north from Eminönü, the European shore is on your left and the Asian shore on your right. Boats zigzag between the two, so both sides get a turn. The landmarks in order:

1. The Maiden's Tower, on its islet off Üsküdar, near the mouth of the strait. See Maiden's Tower.
2. Dolmabahçe Palace, the 19th-century palace whose white façade runs along the European shore.
3. Ortaköy Mosque, right on the water at the foot of the first bridge, the classic photograph.
4. Beylerbeyi Palace, the sultans' summer palace on the Asian shore, under the same bridge.
5. Arnavutköy and Bebek, with old wooden waterside mansions (yalı).
6. Rumeli Fortress, built by Mehmed II before the conquest of 1453, beside the second bridge.

Most shorter cruises turn around somewhere between the first and second bridges. Only the long public ferry and longer private charters go as far as the third bridge and the Black Sea entrance. Our guide to things to do on the Bosphorus covers the shore villages if you want to go back by land.

Dinner cruises: show boat or private table

Evening cruises come in two styles:

• A dinner cruise with a Turkish night show. Dinner on a large boat, folk dances, a belly dancer and music. Ours starts from $57 per person for the Bosphorus dinner cruise with Turkish night show, and from $90 per person for the dinner cruise with folk and belly dance show and transfers, which lasts about six hours from pickup to drop-off.
• A private yacht dinner. Your own boat, your own table and your own route, priced per hour for the whole boat.

A note for Spanish travellers used to dining late: show cruises run to a fixed evening timetable, so the meal is usually earlier than a typical dinner in Madrid or Buenos Aires. If you prefer to eat late and quietly, a private yacht can sail when you like. Our Bosphorus dinner cruise page compares the two in detail, and for 31 December see the New Year's Eve Bosphorus cruise.

Sunset on the Bosphorus

Turkey stays on UTC+3 all year, so sunset in Istanbul is later than visitors expect in winter. By our calculation for central Istanbul:

• December: about 17:35, the earliest of the year.
• March and September: around 19:10 in mid-March and 19:15 in mid-September.
• Late June: about 20:40, the latest of the year.

For a sunset cruise, aim to be on the water 60 to 90 minutes before sunset, so you see the palaces in daylight and the bridges light up on the way back. A private yacht is the usual choice, because shared boats keep a fixed timetable. Our sunset Bosphorus yacht cruise page lists the month-by-month times and routes, and Bosphorus yacht rental compares boat sizes.

Private yachts: when they are worth it

A private yacht costs more than a seat on a shared cruise, but for a group the gap narrows quickly. Our hourly charters start from $190 per hour for a 13-metre motor yacht for up to 12 guests, and the 2-hour private Bosphorus yacht cruise with guide starts from $600 per group. Larger boats for families and parties are listed on our yacht tours page.

A yacht makes sense when:

• you are six or more people and want to stay together;
• you want sunset at a time that suits you, not the boat's timetable;
• it is a special occasion, such as a birthday or a proposal;
• you would like a Spanish-speaking guide on board, arranged in advance.

A Spanish-speaking guide: what is possible

None of our cruises is sold with a Spanish-speaking guide as a fixed, priced option. Shared cruises and show boats run in English. On private yachts and private tours, a Spanish-speaking guide is arranged on request, subject to availability: tell us your date and group size, and we confirm whether a guide is free before you pay. If none is free, we tell you and offer an English-speaking guide.

Other planning notes for travellers from Spain and Latin America:

• Time difference. Istanbul is two hours ahead of peninsular Spain in winter and one hour ahead in summer.
• Combining with the city. A cruise fits well in the afternoon after a morning in the old city; see our walking tour and Bosphorus cruise page.
• More in Spanish. See Spanish-speaking guide in Istanbul, our best Istanbul tours for Spanish speakers and the free tour or private tour comparison.

Tours that cover this

• Istanbul Bosphorus Lunch Cruise with Hotel Pick-Up and Guide: from $38 per person. The simple guided cruise by day.
• Bosphorus Dinner Cruise in Istanbul with Turkish Night Show: from $57 per person. Dinner and a Turkish night show on the water.
• Full-Day Bosphorus Cruise and Two Continents Tour: from $88 per person. The boat plus the Asian side.
• Private Bosphorus Yacht Cruise: 2 Hours with Guide: from $600 per group. For sunset or a private group.

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