Full-Day Istanbul Tour by Land and Sea including Bosphorus Cruise

Full-Day Istanbul Tour by Land and Sea including Bosphorus Cruise

Experience Asia and Europe by land and sea on this full-day tour of Istanbul, a gem of a city waiting to be discovered. With a tailored itinerary, visit all the major sights on land in the morning, including the Bosphorus Bridge, Çamlıca Hill, Beylerbeyi Palace and Bağdat Street. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant to taste Turkish cuisine. Then continue touring the city on an afternoon cruise on the Bosphorus, the best way to explore the shores of İstanbul by the sea. Finish your day with a visit to the world famous Spice Market.

The tour will begin on land, with stops along the way including, the Bosphorus Bridge, built in 1974 and connects the European and Asian sections of Istanbu,Camlıca Hill, the highest point in Istanbul with a panoramic city views, Beylerbeyi Palace, one of the largest, lavishly furnished 19th century summer residences of the Ottoman sultans and Bağdat Street, a popular street on the Asian side of Istanbul with elegant boutiques and shopping alternatives that was once the grouping point for merchants who were set to travel the ancient Silk RoadA lunch of Turkish cuisine will be served at a local restaurant. Then, it's time to take to the sea!

A poet once described the Bosphorus as “God’s beautiful calligraphy written by an ink made of sapphires”. This straight that separates and connects two continents also forms the two faces of Istanbul, and takes its name from a mythological legend. Ever since ancient times, it has marveled people with its beauty.

The cruise of the Bosphorus will start at Sarıyer or Kabataş pier. While cruising along the Asian and European shores, you will be surprised to see the harmony of Ottoman and modern architecture, as well as major highlights of the city’s fairy tale-like skyline from the sea.

Along the cruise, you will pass by Tarabya, one of the lovely bays of the Bosphorus, Yenikoy, the site of luxurious wooden houses, the Rumeli Fortress built by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, Ortaköy, a very famous area for handicrafts and nightlife, Besiktaş, commercial district of the new city, Dolmabahçe, magnificent 19th century palace, which has been the home to the Ottoman Sultans in the last century of the Empire and Kızkulesi (maiden’s tower), an ancient lighthouse, which has inspired many legends.

Finally, a short visit to the Spice Market is the surprise of the tour. In this oriental shopping area, where you experience the vibrant pulse of Istanbul at its best, rare spices, herbs, vegetables, fruits, live animals, flowers and aphrodisiacs are sold.