Enjoy Bosphorus Cruise

Gokce Nacar

Feb 28 1754 read

Your visit to the beautiful city of Istanbul, with its beautiful nature and its many archaeological monuments, would not be complete without your cruising through the famous Bosphorus Strait. That strait is a link between two continents, Europe, and Asia, and it is one of the most important waterways throughout history because of its commercial, cultural, and geographical importance.

Scientists believe that this strait may have been formed as a result of the flooding of a hollow valley in 5600 BC, and that the deepest point in this strait reaches about 120 meters and that the widest section in it is about three and a half kilometers. Also, there are three amazing bridges on this strait: the Bosphorus Bridge, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, and the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge. Also, this strait is home to four important palaces, which are the palaces of Ciragan, Beylerbeyi, Dolmabahce, and Kucuksu Kasri, and overlooks this strait are the forts of Rumeli and Anadolu and many other palaces from the Ottoman era.

The best and easiest way to discover the Bosphorus strait with its features is to take a short cruise of approximately two hours from the Eminonu maritime area to the Istinye district via the Faith Sultan Mehmet Bridge. In the event that you would like to have an extensive and much longer cruise in this strait, you should choose the long cruises that range from approximately 4 to 6 hours, which start from the Eminonu district to the Black Sea and back, allowing a stop to boarding, exit and the opportunity to have a late lunch on Fish restaurants in Anadolu Kavagi, a neighborhood of Beykoz.

Here are some places that might want to check them out and when cruising:

Dolmabahce Palace

This palace was built in the nineteenth century to match the Topkapi Palace in a modern way and to serve as a new residence for the Ottoman sultans. This charming palace features a white marble façade overlooking the sea, which is over 280 meters high. This palace was the royal residence of the Ottoman Sultans from 1856 until 1924.

Dolmabahçe Mosque

This wonderful mosque can be seen during your cruise from the ship clearly. This mosque was built and designed by the famous Armenian brothers Balyan by order of Sultan Bezmiâlem Valide in 1852. You will see a Baroque clock tower, two minarets in the form of marble columns, and a circular window, which is considered to be the first time used in the history of Ottoman architecture.

Ciragan Palace (Çırağan Palace Kempinski)

This palace was built to be the seat of the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Aziz in 1874, and in 1908 this building was converted to be used as the location of the Turkish Parliament, and then it was burned. Currently, it has been restored and converted into a luxury hotel which is called Ciragan Palace Kempinski.

Bosphorus Bridge

This bridge is one of the most famous bridges in Istanbul. This bridge has a national symbol for the Turks in general. This bridge was built in 1973 and it is considered the fourth largest suspension bridge in the world. The length of this bridge is about 1100 meters, and it is a connection point between Ortakoy and Beylerbeyi, and it has charming night lights that make it one of the most beautiful scenes in Istanbul at night.

Ortakoy Mosque

The distinctive Ortakoy Mosque was built by the Armenian Balyan brothers in 1854, and its two-story structure and U-shaped layout feature a beautiful neo-Baroque architectural style. Seeing this building at sunset is one of the most beautiful sights that you will get when you cruise in the Bosphorus.

Rumeli Hisari Fortress

This Ottoman castle is known as Boğaz kesen, or throat because it is located at the narrowest point in the Bosphorus. This castle was built between 1393 and 1394 and was used as a prison. The reason for the fame of this castle goes back to Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, who began his conquest of Istanbul in 1453 from there and was able to defeat the Empire of Constantinople and found his kingdom from this city.

Arnavutkoy

The Arnavutkoy district (which was the village of Albania) is home to a number of elegant and beautiful yalis houses. These buildings were palaces made of finely crafted wood from the Ottoman era and were used in the past as summer houses for the rich in the city.

Book your place also on a special trip to the Bosphorus and enjoy seeing the most beautiful landmarks of Istanbul during the sunset.