Description - What to expect

Your Bosphorus cruise starts with a pick-up at your hotel at 9.00 am. Meet your guide and head off to visit the Grand Spice Bazaar. The air here is filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint, thyme, and every other conceivable herb and spice.



Then, head for a Bosphorus cruise sailing along the waterway separating Europe and Minor Asia. The shore is lined with old wooden villas, palaces of marble, fortresses, and small fishing villages. During the cruise admire magnificent views of Dolmabahce Palace, and further along, the parks and imperial pavilions of Yildiz Palace.



Gaze with admiration countless architectural jewels including Ciragan Palace, with 300 meters of its marble facade facing the shore. At Ortakoy a great variety of artists gather every Sunday to display their work along the street. Ortakoy is a symbol of tolerance with a church, a mosque, and a synagogue existing side by side for centuries.



See Rumeli Fortress, Built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452. Prior to the conquest of Constantinople, it was completed in only four months to control and protect the infamous Bosphorus passage. It is one of the most beautiful works of military architecture anywhere in the world.



Admire Beylerbeyi Palace, the summer residence of Ottoman sultans in its original renovated glory, featuring authentic antique furniture and magnificent gardens with the Harem on the Asian side of Istanbul.



Then, enjoy a unique opportunity to step from one continent (Asia) to another (Europe) through the Bosphorus Bridge before you visit Camlica Hill, the highest point in Istanbul. At the top of it, you can rest and admire the magnificent panorama of Istanbul and the Bosporus from the beautiful gardens, landscaped in traditional Turkish Ottoman style.



End your Bosphorus cruise with a shopping tour to discover the fascinating traditional silk weaving products, jewelry, various handcraft artifacts, modern leatherwear, and much more. Follow your knowledgeable guide and learn all about local customs and traditions and how this beautiful city has become the cultural and economic center of Modern Turkey.