Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Folk Dance Show and Hotel Transfer
- DurationAbout 4 hours including hotel transfers
- Daily
- Group
- Pickup available
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Overview
An evening on the Bosphorus with everything arranged for you: pickup from your hotel in Sultanahmet, Fatih, Beyoğlu, Karaköy, Kabataş or Beşiktaş, a welcome soft drink with live music as you board, a three-course dinner with a choice of fish or meat, and a full Turkish night programme while the yacht sails between two continents. The route takes in Dolmabahçe and Çırağan palaces, Ortaköy Mosque beneath the Bosphorus Bridge, the Rumeli and Anatolian fortresses, the second bridge, Beylerbeyi Palace and the Maiden's Tower, all floodlit. On stage: Anatolian folk dances, an oriental dance show, a traditional henna ceremony, a Romany dance, the comic Aşuk-Maşuk routine and a live DJ. A shared cruise of about four hours including transfers, with a host who speaks English and Arabic among other languages.
Highlights
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from six central districts included
- Three-course dinner with fish or meat main course and unlimited soft drinks, water and tea
- Welcome soft drink and live music on boarding
- Traditional henna ceremony, Anatolian folk dances and the comic Aşuk-Maşuk show
- Oriental dance performance, Romany dance and a live DJ to end the night
- Floodlit Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortaköy Mosque and both Bosphorus bridges from the water
- Rumeli and Anatolian fortresses facing each other at the narrowest point
- Multilingual host on board: English, Arabic, Spanish, German and Italian
Full Description
Pickup districts and boarding on the European shore
This cruise is built around convenience. Pickup is included from hotels in Sultanahmet and Fatih in the old city, Beyoğlu and Karaköy around Taksim and the Galata Tower, and Kabataş and Beşiktaş along the Bosphorus shore, so almost every visitor's hotel is covered. An air-conditioned vehicle collects you in the early evening and drives you to the yacht's pier on the European shore for the 19:30 start.
As you board, a welcome soft drink is served while musicians play, and you are shown to your table in the dining saloon. The yacht has an open upper deck for photographs and an enclosed, heated saloon with the stage, so the evening is comfortable in every season. Our Istanbul team sends your exact pickup time with the confirmation; hotels on pedestrian streets are collected from the nearest corner a vehicle can reach.
Dolmabahçe Palace and Çırağan Palace
The yacht sets off along the European shore and within minutes passes Dolmabahçe Palace, the vast nineteenth-century residence of the last sultans, its baroque-revival facade stretching for hundreds of metres along the water and floodlit from end to end. From the saloon windows you see the clock tower, the palace mosque and the ceremonial gate on the shore that the sultans used to board their barges.
Just beyond lies Çırağan Palace, built in the 1860s and today a hotel, with its own floodlit marble facade and gardens running down to the quay. Behind both palaces rise the hills of Beşiktaş, and across the strait the lights of Üsküdar mark the Asian shore. The first course of dinner, the cold mezes, is usually served along this stretch while the host introduces the evening in several languages.
Ortaköy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge
Ortaköy is the showpiece of any Bosphorus night cruise. The small, elegant Ortaköy Mosque stands on a jetty at the very edge of the water, and directly behind it the Bosphorus Bridge soars across to Asia with its cables lit in changing colours. The yacht slows beneath the bridge so everyone can go up on deck; the view of the mosque framed by the bridge is the photograph most guests remember longest from Istanbul.
Opened in 1973, the bridge was the first road crossing between the two continents and is still the city's symbol. Past it, the European shore becomes a line of illuminated yalı mansions and the hillside lights of Arnavutköy and Bebek, two of the prettiest villages on the strait. The main courses are served during this part of the route, with a choice of fish or meat and unlimited soft drinks.
Rumeli Fortress, Anatolian Fortress and the second bridge
At the narrowest point of the Bosphorus, only about 700 metres wide, two Ottoman fortresses face each other across the water. Rumeli Fortress on the European side was built in 1452 in record time to control the strait before the conquest of Constantinople, and its three towers and walls climbing the hillside are floodlit at night. Opposite stands the smaller and older Anatolian Fortress, built in the 1390s, at the mouth of a stream on the Asian shore.
Immediately beyond them the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, the second Bosphorus crossing opened in 1988, spans the strait between the fortresses. The yacht turns beneath it and begins the return along the Asian shore. By now the folk-dance programme has begun on stage: dancers in regional costumes from across Anatolia, followed by the oriental dance show and the comic Aşuk-Maşuk routine, which always has the children laughing.
Beylerbeyi Palace, the Maiden's Tower and the henna ceremony
On the Asian shore the highlight is Beylerbeyi Palace, the white summer palace of the sultans built in the 1860s right beside the foot of the Bosphorus Bridge, where visiting royalty were lodged. Its marble landing stage and two bathing pavilions are lit from the water. Further south the yacht passes Üsküdar and the Maiden's Tower, the little lighthouse on its rock, with the whole skyline of the old city behind it.
This is when the traditional henna ceremony is staged: a bride-to-be in a red veil, candle-lit trays, a slow song and dancing, the ritual held on the night before a Turkish wedding, performed with respect and great fun for guests. The Romany dance follows, then the DJ opens the floor for everyone. The yacht returns to its pier after about three hours on the water, and the vehicles drive you back to your hotel.
Itinerary
- Hotel pickupAn air-conditioned vehicle collects you from Sultanahmet, Fatih, Beyoğlu, Karaköy, Kabataş or Beşiktaş in the early evening; the exact time is in your confirmation.
- Boarding and welcome drink, 19:30Welcome soft drink with live music; you are seated in the dining saloon.
- European shore: Dolmabahçe, Çırağan, OrtaköyMezes served as the yacht passes the floodlit palaces and goes under the Bosphorus Bridge.
- Rumeli Fortress and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet BridgeMain course of fish or meat while the yacht reaches the fortresses and turns beneath the second bridge.
- Show programmeAnatolian folk dances, oriental dance, Aşuk-Maşuk comic dance and the Romany dance on the saloon stage.
- Asian shore: Beylerbeyi Palace and the Maiden's TowerDessert and tea with the henna ceremony and the floodlit Asian shore outside the windows.
- DJ and return to the pierOpen dancing with the live DJ until the yacht docks after about three hours on the water.
- Hotel drop-offThe vehicle returns you to your hotel district; about four hours in total.
What's included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off by air-conditioned vehicle from Sultanahmet, Fatih, Beyoğlu, Karaköy, Kabataş and Beşiktaş
- Evening yacht cruise along the Bosphorus past palaces, fortresses and both bridges
- Welcome soft drink with live music on boarding
- Three-course dinner with a choice of fish or meat main course (halal)
- Unlimited soft drinks, water and tea
- Entertainment programme: Anatolian folk dances, an oriental dance show, a traditional henna ceremony, a Romany dance, the comic Aşuk-Maşuk dance and a live DJ
- Multilingual host on board (English, Arabic, Spanish, German, Italian)
Not included
- Drinks beyond the included soft drinks, water and tea
- Tips
Is this right for you?
Great for
- Travellers without a car — hotel pickup is included
- Food lovers
- Anyone who wants to see it from the water
Think twice if
- You want a private tour — this one is shared with other travellers
- You get seasick easily
Not suitable for
- Wheelchair users (stairs between decks and a narrow gangway)
Meeting point
Hotel pickup is included from Sultanahmet, Fatih, Beyoğlu, Karaköy, Kabataş and Beşiktaş. Please be ready in your hotel lobby at the pickup time we send with your confirmation, in the early evening before the 19:30 boarding; if your hotel stands on a pedestrian-only street, the driver meets you at the nearest point a vehicle can reach and we tell you exactly where. After the cruise the same vehicles drop you back in your district. If your hotel is outside these areas, write to our Istanbul team and we suggest the nearest pickup point.
Important information
- Bring your confirmation on your phone and a light jacket for the open deck; the saloon is heated in winter
- Dinner is halal with a choice of fish or meat main course; tell us about vegetarian or other diets when booking
- Unlimited soft drinks, water and tea are included; other drinks are not
- Smart-casual dress is usual; comfortable shoes for the gangway and stairs
- Children are welcome and enjoy the folk dances and the comic show; there is no separate child rate on this cruise
- The yacht is not accessible for wheelchair users
- The cruise sails every evening in all weather; dinner and the show are inside the saloon
- Pickup times are sent after booking and can be 60 to 90 minutes before boarding, depending on your district
Good to know
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers to what travellers ask us most, before they book.
Is this a shared or a private experience?
It is a shared evening cruise with other guests in the dining saloon, with a multilingual host on board. Tables are arranged by booking, so your party sits together.
How long does it take?
About four hours in total including the hotel transfers, of which roughly three hours are on the water from the 19:30 boarding.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes, from hotels in Sultanahmet, Fatih, Beyoğlu, Karaköy, Kabataş and Beşiktaş, with drop-off back in the same districts afterwards.
What is included?
Transfers, the cruise, a welcome soft drink, a three-course dinner with fish or meat, unlimited soft drinks, water and tea, and the full show with folk dances, henna ceremony, oriental dance, Aşuk-Maşuk, Romany dance and DJ.
Is the price per person or per group?
Per person. The booking panel on this page shows the current price.
What is the henna ceremony?
A staged version of the Turkish tradition held the night before a wedding, with a bride in a red veil, candle-lit trays and songs; it is performed respectfully and guests may join the dancing.
Which sights do we see?
Dolmabahçe and Çırağan palaces, Ortaköy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge, Rumeli and Anatolian fortresses, the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Beylerbeyi Palace and the Maiden's Tower, all floodlit.
Is it suitable for children and people with reduced mobility?
Families are welcome and children love the show. The yacht has stairs and a gangway, so it is not suitable for wheelchair users.
What should I bring and wear?
Your confirmation, a camera and a light jacket; smart-casual clothing is the norm and there is no strict dress code.
What happens in bad weather?
The cruise sails in rain because dinner and the show take place inside the enclosed saloon; only in a storm warning would the operator reschedule, and our team informs you.
When is the best season for a Bosphorus dinner cruise?
Any season, since the landmarks are floodlit all year; summer gives warm nights on the open deck, and spring and autumn clearer skies with fewer guests.
How do I book and confirm?
Choose your date on this page and send the request; our Istanbul team confirms on WhatsApp within minutes with your pickup time and district.
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