Istanbul Morning Tour: Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with Asia Stop

Istanbul, Turkey

2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Take in the minarets and graceful domes of the Istanbul skyline on a 5-hour sightseeing cruise from Istanbul, with stops to explore an atmospheric neighborhood, a fortress and palace. Enjoy drinks and snacks on deck as you watch the early morning boat traffic on the Bosphorus, then come to shore to explore Ortaköy’s historic streets and cozy cafés on your own. Soak up the sun on deck while sailing to Küçüksü Palace, then discover the strategic fortifications at Rumeli Hisari Fortress, with stunning views of the Bosphorus Strait's narrowest point.

5-hour sightseeing tour by boat
Enjoy scenic views of the city and Bosphorus Strait
Visit three key destinations with time to explore
Learn about local history
All entrance fees included
Hotel transfer and snacks included

What's Included

Snacks
Local guide

Lunch
Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.10:00 am

Itinerary

Rumeli Fortress

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ortakoy (Pass By)

Bosphorus Strait (Pass By)

Kucuksu Pavilion

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Dolmabahce Palace (Pass By)

Beylerbeyi Palace (Pass By)

Çırağan Caddesi (Pass By)

Kuleli Sahil (Pass By)

KIz Kulesi (Pass By)

Bosphorus Bridge (Pass By)

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Stroller accessible

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Rumeli fortress will be closed on mondays. It will be replaced with freetime in Bebek neighborhood.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Sandra_M

The guide was incredible... Easy to understand his English, knew his history, well organized. Snacks were delicious.

Reviews

4.0

based on 10 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Very Pleasant Morning

Stephen_P, Oct 2023

The hotel pickup and drop-off was very well organised, with the professional and friendly transfer guide offering to drop off in other major tourist areas (Eminonu, Sultanahmet etc.) if that fits better with your plans, which was a nice touch. The boat was great and a couple of small drinks and snacks were provided. Guidance was provided as to what we were passing. The first stop was at the Ortakoy district, home to a small mosque and some shops. Whilst it was nice to visit the mosque (which was guided), and it was a good photo opportunity, there wasn’t nearly enough to fill over an hour of free time. The second stop at Kucuksu Pavillion was nice, although it’s quite a smalll building so it doesn’t take long to see it. Again, plenty of free time here. By contrast, the third stop at Rumelli Fortress felt a little rushed, and it would have been nice to spend a little more time here to explore fully and take in the spectacular views. It is quite a climb up to the middle and top sections, with views over the Bosphorous. It is worth the climb if you are able, but the stop would be of little interest to anyone not able to manage the steps. After the fortress, the group splits, with those on the morning cruise taking the bus back to Istanbul and the remainder (in my case, the majority) rejoining the boat for lunch then swimming. In conclusion it was a very pleasant morning and a nice addition to my week-long stay on the city, but for those on a whistlestop tour (2 or 3 days) then I think your time could be spent more efficiently elsewhere.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thank you for your feedback. About rumeli there is restoation so the walls and bastions are closed there is only the middle garden opened but still has a view. And we are sorry about the problems occured during excursion. Have a nice day!.

Enjoyable Cruise Excursion

Robert_A, Jun 2023

Very nice cruise. Enjoyed the view and the information. There was plenty of shade on the first level with the ability to still see the view and to take photos. The stops were pleasant and just the right amount of time,

Response from Host, Jul 2023

We are so glad to hear that, thank you so much :)

Prepaid and the cruise...

Robert_W, Apr 2023

Prepaid and the cruise got cancelled. Still waiting to hear from Viator how they will compensate me or confirm a new cruise.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

This is unfair...

Okayish..

Riddhi_B, Sep 2022

Our guide was nice and so was the boat in spite of the heat. However, there was not much to see given Rumeli is all ruins and the top is inaccessible. Kucuksu was closed cause of national holiday which we were not informed. They tried to provide Anadolu Hisari as an alternative but it literally was nothing but seeing some walls from far. I’d rather not do it again. But it’s cheap and easy. Also, they drop wherever you want which was very nice. Very friendly people.

Response from Host, Sep 2022

Unfortunately it was a national holiday so thats why Küçüksu Palace was closed. And tour guide informed the group about it. It was only one day thing.And Rumeli Fortress is under restoration and people are not allowed to go up because it is not safe. Our guides are trying their best so thank you for your review. We are allways friendly to our guests visiting our country it is a part of our culture.

The guide was...

Sandra_M, Sep 2022

The guide was incredible... Easy to understand his English, knew his history, well organized. Snacks were delicious.

Response from Host, Sep 2022

Thank you so much for your kind review Sandra :)

Excellent half-day excursion

Anissa_S, Aug 2022

This was a wonderful tour and we’re happy we did it. Everything went really smoothly. The boat and the shuttles were comfortable. We were happy that we could sit in the shade on the lower level of the boat while enjoying the open air breeze and views. Our guide, Aslan, was super nice, spoke excellent English, and provided great information. We did the half day which was perfect because we weren’t interested in swimming. The three stops were exactly as described with time to grab breakfast at the lovely restaurant right next to the pier in Ortakoy. That worked out well. We’d definitely recommend this excursion.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thank you for the rating and kind comment. We are trying our best as IBO Cruise crew. And we are glad that you enjoyed our tour.

Beautiful tour but messy drop off

Angela_D, Aug 2022

The tour was very beautiful and the tour guide knowledgeable and friendly. The only reason why I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is that the drop off to the hotel was a mess: firstly they said I had to take a tram as there was traffic, I said I was happy to if they gave me further instructions on how to get to the hotel as it was my first day in Istanbul and I had no internet to check on Google maps, but the guy (not the guide) said that he had to go and couldn't help. Then the driver dropped me in a totally different hotel which was 15 mins walking away from my hotel. He didn't speak English so he couldn't give me instructions on how to get to the hotel and kept referring to the wrong hotel.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

We are sorry that happen we will be more careful and thank you very much for your 4 star

Interesting boat trip with some unique stops

Aiman_J, May 2022

Loved stopping at the historical Rumeli fortress which we would not have gone to otherwise. Ortakoy mosque and the palace are really beautiful. This tour takes you to some lesser known places which is good if you’ve already seen the main sites in central Istanbul.

Response from Host, May 2022

Thank you for your comment. We are glad that you enjoyed.

Sailing the Bosphorus

Michael_H, Sep 2019

This is a wonderful cruise on the Bosphorus. The half day tour goes out to Rumeli fortress; the full day goes all the way to the Black Sea. So it depends on how much time you wish to spend. You get to visit several sites including a a mosque next to Dolmabahce Palace, Climbing the ruins of Rumeli fortress is fascinating. You can just picture the Ottomans beseiging Constaninople. Out guide was very knowledgable about the history.