Istanbul: Bosphorus Cruise Tour

Unmissable walk to enjoy the magnificent views of this imposing city. Ahh, and a private ride is not necessary, whether on public boats or on boats that offer a 2-hour ride at very affordable prices, it is perfect to enjoy. Choose days with good weather and sun, it makes it more attractive

Wonderful tour with a superb tour guide. John was so informative and made it fun for us. He went beyond and helped us out with directions as well. Pleasure to know him.

Did you know why they call him Golden Horn? For in the evening it shines so brightly, that it looks like gold, and something else, which was inhabited many centuries ago, in Ottoman times, by Genoese, who then took the lands and made them. What story isn't?

This trip was very good as the cruise down the Bosphorus was not too long and the information provided by the young tour guide was superb, with lots of info on the area, history, culture and general traditions. Good value for money.

The tour was very well organized in two parts: one part was a panoramic bus ride along the western coast of the Golden Horn, the second part was the boat trip along the Bosphorus. Besides it being a beautiful day, our guide Diana was intelligent, very well informed and flexible in offering various suggestions to look at sites which were not on the program. We (a family of three) thoroughly enjoyed it.

It is nice to take the ferry that uses the company of the Big Bus the 2 day ticket costs 55 euros and includes this ferry that leaves only 2:40 and takes about an hour the crossing. There are possibly more cheaper local ferries if you want. Go into other outlying areas of the capital where there are seaside hotels and cottages, you can see Berbeley and Dolmebache palaces outside. It is a spectacular panoramic view..

Our guide was charming and very well informed - nothing was too much trouble and we had an excellent introductory drive followed by a detailed cruise by water

It is best if you have a guide with you who can point out the significant buildings. The boat was noisy so we couldn’t hear the audio recording.

<p>Ask for Emre as your guide and you will not be disappointed. He has a university education in history and speaks great English. He was the best guide Ive ever had on a tour and I am a person who gets city tours in every city I stay in. Highly recommend this tour for simplicity and time. Wish Id booked a longer one! But I believe any tour with Emre would be packed full of great information. <br/> We started off with a rather long drive from our hotel pick up to the Egyptian Spice Market. During the drive Emre told us everything about what we were seeing. Neighborhoods, ancient buildings, how the citizens function and gave many helpful pointers - which you need in Istanbul. <br/> It is typical for tours here to take you to a handicraft expert or a reputable vendor and the stop in the spice market was a few minutes to use the WC as well as a fun introduction to a vendor here. Theres no particular pressure to buy but we did since we wanted to anyway. Saved time. The vendor was so charismatic and fun. It was great fun trying so many traditional treats and the tea he made us was delicious. <br/> Moved on to the boat - I believe a sight seeing ferry - it is two level. There is a WC. The top level was semi covered which worked well for the cold wind and the need for Photos. They sell snacks but you can get Turkish tea or coffee which is lovely. The views were amazing and the informations day background history and context about what we were seeing was just so valuable! Wish we could have Emre on all our tours!</p>

<p>It is quite a complete tour, with overviews of the main spots in the city, along with lots of information both historical and current. The cruise trip is beautiful, I recommend it. However, I do not recommend making any purchases on the quick visit to the Spice Bazaar Egyptian Bazaar since you can find much better prices outside. <br/> This tour is mostly useful for a first view of the city, early in your trip.</p>