Bosphorus Luxury Yacht Cruise with Asian Side Stopover

Dolmabahçe Mosque and the European palaces

The cruise starts at Dolmabahçe Mosque, the slender twin-minaret mosque on the Bosphorus shore between Kabataş and Dolmabahçe Palace, three minutes on foot from the Kabataş tram stop; our staff meet you in front of it and walk you to the quay. Sailing north, the first landmark is Dolmabahçe Palace itself, the nineteenth-century residence of the last sultans with its 600 metres of white marble waterfront, ceremonial gate and clock tower, followed by Çırağan Palace, once an imperial palace and now a hotel whose arched facade is best seen from the water. Then comes Ortaköy, where the small domed mosque stands on the quay with the first bridge directly above it, the most photographed view on any Bosphorus tour.

The guide uses these first twenty minutes to set the scene: how the Bosphorus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, why the sultans moved here from Topkapi, and which yalı belonged to which pasha.

Bridges, Arnavutköy and Rumeli Fortress

After passing under the Bosphorus Bridge, the 1973 suspension bridge that first joined the two continents by road, the yacht follows the European shore past Arnavutköy, famous for its painted wooden mansions and its fish restaurants, and Bebek, the fashionable bay with its waterside park. The guide points out the Egyptian consulate's art nouveau yalı and the university campus above the trees before Rumeli Fortress comes into view. Built in 1452 in under four months to cut Constantinople off from the Black Sea, the fortress climbs the hillside at the narrowest point of the strait, only 700 metres wide, with its three great towers still standing.

Directly opposite is the smaller Anatolian Fortress on the Asian shore, built half a century earlier, so from the deck you see the two castles that closed the Bosphorus facing each other, with the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge spanning the gap above. This is where the yacht crosses to the Asian side.

Ashore in Beylerbeyi or Kanlıca

The twenty-minute stop on the Asian side is what most guests remember. Depending on the day the yacht ties up at Kanlıca, a village of wooden yalıs and plane-shaded tea gardens known across Turkey for its thick yoghurt served with powdered sugar, or at Beylerbeyi, the waterfront village beside the palace of the same name with a small mosque on the square, a fishing pier and cafes along the quay. Either way you step off the boat, walk the shore, look at the mansions from the land side and feel the slower pace of Asian Istanbul before reboarding.

Beylerbeyi Palace itself, the marble summer palace where visiting monarchs stayed, with its two bathing pavilions at the water's edge and magnolia gardens, is passed slowly from the water just before or after the stop. A visit to the Asian side of the Bosphorus by yacht is otherwise hard to arrange without ferries and taxis, which is why this stopover cruise is worth choosing.

Üsküdar, Maiden's Tower and the return

Continuing south along the Asian shore, the yacht reaches Üsküdar, the oldest district on this side of the city, with its ferry piers, the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque on the square and the Şemsi Pasha Mosque almost in the water. Just offshore stands Maiden's Tower on its tiny islet, a Byzantine lighthouse and customs tower rebuilt many times, which the guide introduces with the legends that gave it its name. From here the view across the water takes in Topkapi Palace on its headland, the dome of Hagia Sophia and the six minarets of the Blue Mosque, the skyline that tells you the Old City was built to be seen from the sea.

The yacht then crosses back to the European shore and returns to the Dolmabahçe quay after about two and a half hours, with the stop included. Guests with the transfer option are met by the vehicle at the quay; everyone else is a short walk from the Kabataş tram and ferries.

The yacht, the small group and the private option

The cruise uses a modern yacht with an enclosed saloon, comfortable seating and an open deck where you can move freely between both sides; the group is deliberately small, so there is no crowd at the railing when a palace comes past. Throughout the trip the crew serve freshly baked savoury pastries, seasonal fruit, Turkish coffee with Turkish delight and unlimited Turkish tea; only non-alcoholic drinks are offered. Pets and electric wheelchairs cannot be taken on board, and guests are asked to arrive twenty minutes before departure as the yacht leaves on time.

If you prefer the boat for your own party, the private option on the booking panel reserves the yacht and guide for up to ten guests for two hours, with any start time from 08:00 to 14:00 and the same pastries, coffee and tea; it is priced per yacht rather than per person, which makes it attractive for families and small groups.