Istanbul Bosphorus Sunset Cruise by Luxury Yacht
Recommended by 100% of travelers
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Istanbul, Turkey
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
See Istanbul from the water at golden hour, during sunset, and at night on this elegant yacht cruise aboard a double-decker craft with indoor and outdoor areas. You’ll see both European and Asian coasts, with a guide sharing stories behind palaces, fortresses, mosques, and villas. Enjoy local nibbles including baklava, cookies, coffee, tea, water, and soft drinks, with hotel pickup and drop-off included for convenience.
- Watch the sun sink into the Bosphorus Strait on a sunset cruise
- See Dolmabahce Palace, Bosphorus Bridge, and more
- Snack and sip as the skyline glides by: treats include baklava pastries
- Hotel pickup and drop-off included for easy access
What's Included
- Coffee and/or Tea
- Bottled water
- Light snacks
- Turkish baklava and small cookies
- Fresh seasonal fruits
- Fresh fruit juice during winter period and homemade lemanode during summer period
- Hotel pick - up & drop off
- Alcoholic drinks
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
Bosphorus Strait
2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Dolmabahce Mosque (Pass By)
Dolmabahce Palace (Pass By)
Ciragan Palace Kempinski (Pass By)
Ortakoy (Pass By)
Buyuk Mecidiye Camii (Pass By)
Bosphorus Bridge (Pass By)
Galatasaray Island (Pass By)
Arnavutkoy (Pass By)
Bebek Sahili (Pass By)
Rumeli Fortress (Pass By)
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (Pass By)
Kanlica Meydani (Pass By)
Anadolu Hisari (Pass By)
Kucuksu Pavilion (Pass By)
Vanikoy Camii (Pass By)
Kuleli Sahil (Pass By)
Beylerbeyi Palace (Pass By)
Kuzguncuk Sahili (Pass By)
Uskudar (Pass By)
KIz Kulesi (Pass By)
TopkapI Palace (Pass By)
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (Pass By)
Blue Mosque (Pass By)
Galata Koprusu (Pass By)
Suleymaniye Mosque (Pass By)
Halic (Pass By)
Galataport (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 35 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 1,253 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
This was a great view of the European and Asian sides of Istanbul while enjoying a great 2+ hour tour. Our tour guides on the boat were great.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you very much for your kind review! We’re delighted that you enjoyed seeing both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul from the Bosphorus. It’s also wonderful to hear that our guides helped make the experience even more enjoyable and informative. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you on board again!
Great experience. Great views. Great service by the crew. Snacks and tea are provided and adult beverages are available for purchase at a reasonable price.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you very much for your kind review. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the views, the service from our crew, and the snacks and tea served on board. We are also glad that you found the beverages available for purchase reasonably priced. It was a pleasure to have you with us, and we hope to welcome you on board again on your next visit to Istanbul.
Great experience, staff were so nice and efficient. Small group made the cruise more special.
Perfect sunset in Bosphorus!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you very much for your lovely review. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the small-group atmosphere, our team’s service, and the beautiful sunset on the Bosphorus. Your kind words mean a lot to us. We hope to welcome you again for another memorable cruise in Istanbul.
Professionally executed from pickup to onboard to drop off. Gave us the perfect tour of the Bosphorus Strait.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Dear Guest,
Thank you for your kind feedback! We’re so pleased to hear you enjoyed a seamless experience from pickup to drop-off and that the tour provided the perfect introduction to the Bosphorus Strait. We truly appreciate your recommendation and look forward to welcoming you on board again!
Warm regards,
Velena Travel Team
The Bosphorus trip was excellent however we got off to a very disappointing start. We bought the trip on the basis that we had hotel pick up and drop off but had to walk in searing heat through the city to meet our group bus by the river. My wife has mobility issues and it caused us considerable discomfort and inconvenience. The sunset trip could not have been better with a superb commentary throughout. Would highly recommend this trip as a way of getting a great overview of Istanbul. Just a shame that I had to deduct a point for the poor start.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Dear Andrew,
Thank you very much for sharing your detailed feedback. We’re truly delighted to hear that you enjoyed the Bosphorus sunset trip and appreciated the commentary and overall experience—it means a lot to us that you would recommend it to others.
However, we are genuinely sorry to learn that the beginning of your experience fell short of expectations. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused, particularly considering your wife’s mobility concerns. While our tour descriptions mention that the meeting point is by the river, we understand that in hot weather and with mobility challenges, even a short walk can be uncomfortable. Your feedback is very valuable, and we will be reviewing our communication and meeting point arrangements to ensure a smoother start for future guests, especially those with special needs.
We thank you again for joining us and for your kind words about the cruise itself. We hope to welcome you back on board under better circumstances and provide a flawless experience from start to finish.
Warm regards,
Tugrul Gokce
Managing Director
Velena Travel
Amazing!!! This was the highlight of our trip and we really appreciated the pick up and drop off option.
This tour operator is terrible. Don't book it. I ask when I booked it if I would be able to ride my mobility scooter to the boat. I got no answer. They notified me that they would pick us up at our hotel at 5:15 and showed up ant 5:50 after the tour was to leave the Marina at 5:30. Then they tell me I could not ride my scooter to the boat. I didn't need it on the boat but they got a guy on the phone with an attitude. He said he tried to reach me the night before which was not true. We didn't get to go and really had counted on doing so. He was unprofessional and Viator should drop them. There are others to go on which I would recommend.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Dear Larry,
Thank you for your feedback. We’re very sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations, and we would like to take a moment to clarify what happened from our side.
When we received your booking, we noted that a mobility scooter would be involved and proactively attempted to reach out to you the day before the cruise to confirm its size and ensure we arranged the correct vehicle for your comfort. Unfortunately, we did not receive any response despite several messages sent via the Viator system and WhatsApp.
On the day of the cruise, our driver arrived at your hotel. However, the scooter turned out to be too large to fit in the vehicle. We kindly asked if you would still like to join the cruise without the scooter, which was safe and accessible, but you declined. Since there was no way to transport the scooter at that moment and the boat needed to depart on time for the other guests, we unfortunately had to proceed without you.
Please know that we fully refunded your booking immediately after the incident.
We are truly disappointed that this situation unfolded the way it did, and we always strive to accommodate all guest needs—especially accessibility-related requests—when we are provided with full information ahead of time. We would have been more than happy to send a larger vehicle if we had known the dimensions of your scooter in advance.
We take guest experience seriously, and we regret that we couldn’t host you that day.
Kind regards,
Tuğrul Gökce
Reservation Manager
This was an awesome cruise!
The staff was very nice and helpful and the guide explained very well.
The yacht was also very nice and not crowded.
I researched a lot for a cruise where you see and stay comfortable as we didn't need food that you can find at every corner.
Cruise was amazing and so was the staff. The tour guide explained the landmarks really well and overall it was a very enjoyable experience
We did this sunset cruise our first night in Istanbul and it was a really nice, low-effort introduction to the city. Finding the meeting point was very easy, even with us being exhausted from a day of travel, and the cruise itself was relaxing and a great way to see the entire city, both the European and Asian sides. They stop for a few minutes right at sunset so everyone can take pictures. They also serve drinks and snacks throughout (baklava, fresh fruit, and nuts plus water, lemonade, and tea - alcohol available for purchase). There’s a WC on board as well. Staff was kind and professional and offered to take a picture of us with the sunset. Overall, would highly recommend this cruise to anyone visiting Istanbul - you really get a different perspective of the city.
A highlight of our trip to Istanbul. Informative, friendly guide and staff, on a beautiful boat with exquisite scenery. Well worth it for our family.
The guide on the tour was excellent - we learned so much about the city and the scenery was absolutely beautiful!
The host was very knowledgeable as he described the buildings along the shores and historical background. The crew was efficient and prompt. The yacht had a variety of sitting locations. They served tea, water, and snacks as described as well as serving alcoholic beverages for a charge.
Cruise was excellent, as was our tour guide and narrator. Plenty of snacks. Check-in was a little bit chaotic but eventually everyone got on the boat.
Very enjoyable sunset cruise on the Bosphorus! The small group setting was perfect ! Very nice tour guide, light snacks/beverages provided. Great experience!
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up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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