Bosphorus Cruise Group Tour: Experience the Colors of the City.

Tour Overview

What better way to experience the many flavors of Istanbul than our Bosphorus Cruise Group Tour! From the comfort of your hotel you will be picked up and whisked away to join your group and expert TE guide, to begin your adventure in Istanbul’s Egyptian Spice Market. This colorful market, is a treasure trove of fragrant spices, herbs, Turkish delight, and much more. You’ll then drive through the historic Golden Horn, the old Harbor of the city, where you’ll embark on your cruise of the Bosphorus Strait. As you cruise between Europe and Asia, the sites you’ll see will enchant you, as will stories told by your expert guide. Stories from Istanbul’s Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman past will come to life as you cruise the waters, the only waters, connecting the Black Sea, to Mediterranean. Only from the strait itself can one revel in the views of the skyline of two continents.

Tour Description

Our Bosphorus Cruise Tour, a memorable journey between two continents plus a literal Turkish delight for the senses!

Start your day with a hotel pick up to transport you to your starting destination to join your group and meet your expert guide, who will smoothly navigate the logistics of your day (transportation, tickets, Coffee/Tea all included). It can’t be easier that that! You begin your 1/2 day adventure at the colorful Egyptian Spice Market, truly a site to behold. Next a drive through the old city port of Istanbul, the Golden Horn, then embark on your cruise through the Bosphorus, all the while taking in stories about the culture and history of Istanbul’s unique and complex past. While passing through the waters between Europe and Asia, enjoy the views of exquisite palaces, beautiful mosques, picturesque wooden houses, and hunting lodges. Hear about the Ancient Romans who passed through these busy waters two millennium ago, the Byzantines who struggled to defend them and the Ottomans who built massive fortresses on both continents.   

Visiting Istanbul’s second largest covered bazaar, the Egyptian Spice Market.

The Egyptian Spice Market may be a feast for the senses and a feast for the eyes, but can be a feast for the taste buds too. This lively market was initially the hub of the spice trade from the east. Its wide array of spices and herbs were the focus of the market with herbalists selling natural remedies, and medicines. Today you can also find a large variety of dried fruits and nuts and shops selling some of Turkey’s most beloved sweets. Your expert private guide will explain all the particulars of the market and its delicacies as you pass a vast array of pastries, like Baklava, and the must try Turkish delight! Not just one variety but many, all for the tasting and purchasing! Imagine a cup of Turkey’s famous coffee and a piece of heavenly Turkish delight? Don’t worry if you’re a tea drinker, the Turks are famous for their tea too!

 Passing through history along the Golden Horn.

After leaving the market you will be picked up and driven to your embarkation point along the waters of the Golden Horn. This natural inlet, which takes its name from its shape, was the ancient harbor. The harbor was a trade center too. The Golden Horn is also considered the boundary of the old city. The stories of the people who thrived here abound and your expert private guide will gladly share them with you.

Cruise the Bosphorus Straight, the Black Sea’s link to the Mediterranean, important from antiquity to today. 

What better way to see and understand this incredible city separated on two continents than to cruise the waters that divide her. The Bosphorus Strait. Taking its name from Greek mythology. This ox ford or cow crossing, goes back to the story of Io and her lover Zeus. To protect Io from the wrath of his wife Hera, Zeus transforms the beautiful Io into a pure white heifer. Hera discovers Zeus’ infidelity and Io, still in the form of a heifer, is condemned to wander the earth making many crossing including here, the Bosphorus Strait. Today as in its ancient past, the Bosphorus continues to be one of the busiest straits in the world transporting goods through the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

The Fortresses that guarded the straight; Rumeli and the Anatolian Fortress.

Learn the rich history of the people who guarded this strait, from the ancient Romans to the Ottomans. The fortresses you pass along your journey are a clear testament to the importance to the strait and the necessity of guarding it. The impressive Anatolian Fortress, is the oldest you will pass on your cruise, It dates to end of the fourteenth century and was built by Sultan Bayezid I. The Rumeli Fortress, was built in 1452 by Mehmet the Conquerer, one year before the fall of Constantinople. Its massive walls and towers imposing today, were surely built to bring dread to the Byzantines imagining there impending doom.

Palaces by the waters edge.

Not just fortresses catch your eye on you Bosphorus Cruise with expert guide. The Bosphorus is also home to some of Istanbul’s richest and most luxurious palaces. The Dolmabahce Palace is one of the most beautiful. It was built on the site of another waterside palace that was replaced in the mid nineteenth century and used by the Sultans until the end of the Ottoman Empire. Another of the gem you will see and learn about on your Bosphorus cruise experience, is the Beylerbeyi Palace, built in the middle of the nineteenth century to entertain dignitaries and use as a summer residence. Splendor abounds on the shores of the Bosphorus!

Past, present and future……

As your journey comes to an end, make your way back to port after this unique way to see, hear and enjoy the history of Istanbul and all its marvels on your Bosphorus Cruise with expert guide. Breathe in the physical beauty of the zone along with the fresh salt air. Hills dotted with mosques, minarets and domes. Slopes of the hills smattered with wooden houses and on her shores some of the most elegant and opulent palaces. But, never forget that it is the sea, the rich maritime life that has also played a big part in the story of the city. Fish migrations, followed by those who seek them out, dolphins, gulls and fishermen. Don’t be surprised if you see them along the way on your visit to their Bosphorus. Your Bosphorus Cruise with expert guide is an experience you won’t quickly forget!