Bosphorus Cruise & Two Continents Tour

Overview

Full-day Istanbul tour on two continents: a 90-minute Bosphorus cruise, the Spice Bazaar, Beylerbeyi Palace on the Asian side and the panorama from Camlica Hill.

Around 08:30 your guide collects you from your hotel and drives to Eminonu, in front of the Spice Bazaar. After half an hour among the spice, Turkish delight and nut stalls, you board the boat at the pier. Cruising up the European shore past Dolmabahce Palace, Ortakoy Mosque, Ciragan Palace and century-old wooden waterfront mansions, your guide tells the story of each landmark in Arabic and English.

The boat turns at Rumeli Fortress and returns along the Asian shore, where you see Beylerbeyi Palace from the water. In the afternoon you cross the 15 July Martyrs Bridge onto Asian soil and visit Beylerbeyi, the Ottoman summer palace, with its original furnished halls. The last stop is Camlica Hill, the highest point of Istanbul: the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and the old city stretch out in a single frame, with time to rest in the tea garden and take photos.

The tour suits pushchairs and older guests; the boat has covered and open decks, and separate seating for ladies can be requested. Lunch, included in the price, is served at a halal-certified restaurant. You are dropped back at your hotel at about 17:30.