Located directly between Europe and Asia, there is a large triangular peninsula. This is where the famous city Istanbul stands. Istanbul is not only the main seaport of the entire country of Turkey, it is also Turkey’s largest city with a population exceeding 13 million. Centuries ago, it was known as the capital city Constantinople of the ancient Byzantine empire.

If you really want to get into the full history of Istanbul and what it represents for Europe and Asia, visiting it yourself is no doubt the best option. There is a ton to do and see when it comes to exploring the famous Turkish city and certainly a bit of something for everyone. The simple fact that it is the only city in the entire world that is situated on 2 continents makes it a worthwhile destination!

There is a huge selection of activities to do while in Istanbul, but we certainly wouldn’t want you to miss out on cruising Istanbul waterways on an amazing sunset tour. While many of the options we recommend offer more than sunset times for their tours, each one does feature a tour timed perfectly to view the sunset from your yacht or boat.

The Bosphorus strait and its inlets are the top choices for these tours and provide an amazingly unique experience as you can see and experience two completely separate continents at the same time. See, the Bosphorus strait goes directly between the two continents with Europe on one side of the waterway and Asia on the other. There truly is nowhere else in the world quite like this special spot.

Best Boat Rides in Istanbul Turkey

	Istanbul: Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with Stopover on Asian Side	Istanbul: Private Bosphorus Strait Sightseeing Yacht Cruise	Istanbul: Old City Tour & Luxury Sunset Bosphorus Cruise
Departure:	Ömer Avni, İdo Kabataş Deniz Otobüsü İskelesi	Azapkapı, Fermeneciler Cd. 40/A, 34420	Hotel pickup and drop-off
Start:	10:30 AM, 2:00 PM	Between 8:00 AM & 11:00 PM	9:00 AM
Duration:	2.5 hours	2 hours	10 hours
Includes:	Good variety of refreshments including Turkish Tea and Turkish Delight	Private yacht tour, complimentary tea or coffee	Entrance tickets to Topkapi Palace, rooftop restaurant lunch with great view of the city
	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking

Quick Answer: The 5 Best Rated Istanbul Boat Tours For 2024

1. Istanbul: Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with Stopover on Asian Side
2. Istanbul: Private Bosphorus Strait Sightseeing Yacht Cruise
3. Istanbul: Old City Tour & Luxury Sunset Bosphorus Cruise
4. Istanbul: Private Sultan Boat Trip on the Golden Horn
5. Istanbul Clue Luxury Private Yacht Rental

Istanbul Boat Tour Reviews

1. Istanbul: Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with Stopover on Asian Side

This top Istanbul yacht cruise is brought to us by Velena Travel. With this tour, they aim to bring the rich history of Istanbul alive for their customers. Your live and multilingual tour guide will give you a full rundown of all the ins and outs of the area as you cruise through the Bosphorus Strait.

The cruise features a stunning luxury yacht with modern design and accommodations. The yacht measures at 25 meters long and has two large decks each with covered and uncovered areas.

You’ll spend 2.5 hours on this yacht cruise seeing many sights on both the European side of the strait as well as the Asian side. Just a few of the sights you will get to take in include Galata Tower, Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahçe Palace, Leander Tower, and Blue Mosque amongst others.

One of the really cool things about this specific tour is that it includes a stop on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. For the stop, you will get to leave the yacht and spend 15 minutes in Kanlica. This is a neighborhood that has become quite well known thanks to the delicious yogurt commonly sold there.

You will even have the opportunity to get some of Kanlica’s famous yogurt to enjoy! It is very rich and sweet topped with caster sugar, also known as powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar. It adds the perfect extra sweet touch to the treat.

During the tour, you will be offered a variety of refreshments ranging from fruits to pastries, Turkish tea, and the famous Turkish Delight. If you haven’t had it before, what could be a more perfect time to indulge in this yummy Turkey-native candy.

It’s soft, squishy, and perfectly chewy with authentic aromatic flavors and ideal level of sweetness. It’s a small but well-loved detail of this amazing Istanbul tour!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

2. Istanbul: Private Bosphorus Strait Sightseeing Yacht Cruise

Anyone looking for a more personalized and intimate experience should definitely check out this sightseeing yacht cruise.

Every cruise from this company is private because they believe it is the best way to provide a truly special experience and allow you to better connect with both the crew and your own traveling group.

You and your family and/or friends will be able to roam freely anywhere on the 2 spacious decks of this luxury yacht. You’ll find that the luxury yacht is filled with comfortable furniture of varying types both located inside the indoor section of the lower deck as well as on the uncovered areas on both decks.

Several tables are available featuring refreshments and lovely decorations. You will be offered complimentary tea and coffee during the tour as well! The private sundeck is a perfect place to catch some rays while enjoying your sightseeing. All together, this tour takes right around 2 hours making it one of the easiest tours to fit into your schedule.

You will be happy to find the crew is very well versed in the history of Istanbul and will answer any questions you may have while also pointing out the many amazing sights as you cruise the Bosphorus strait.

On the Europe side of things, you will see famous palaces, the Rumeli Fortress, and the Bosphorus bridge. Meanwhile on the Asia side of the strait, you will get to see Beylerbeyi Palace, Anadolu Fortress, and several other monumental landmarks!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

3. Istanbul: Old City Tour & Luxury Sunset Bosphorus Cruise

If you want it all, this Istanbul Tour and Cruise is the best choice! This tour in its entirety lasts a full 10 hours! That’s right, it is a full-day tour and Istanbul experience.

It’s one of the only options out there that includes both a walking tour throughout Istanbul and a yacht cruise through the Bosphorus strait. There is a rich and full itinerary where absolutely everything is taken care of for you! It requires almost no planning on your part.

All you have to do is enjoy! Hotel pick-up and drop-off is included for anyone residing in the Faith and Beyoglu areas. The tour starts in the morning and begins as a guided-walking tour.

You will start the day at Sultanahmet Square and slowly move through an expertly curated list of landmarks including Serpent Column, palaces, mosques, and Grand Bazaar.

As you walk along with your group, you will make regular stops to admire the area, the special landmarks, and discuss the history involved with it all. Your tour guide is very knowledgeable and the tour is designed to be educational while also being very entertaining.

You will learn a ton and enjoy every minute of it! Tickets to enter Topkapi Palace are even included in the tour. You will have some time to spend in the palace enjoying the splendor of the architecture and moving between its many kiosks and exhibits.

Another exciting feature of this experience is getting to visit the site of the Ancient Roman hippodrome! Midway through the tour, you and your group will enjoy a lovely lunch together in a rooftop terrace restaurant. From here, you can enjoy a stunning view of the city.

After finishing the walking section of the tour, you will board a 25-foot luxury yacht for the cruise part of the tour. This yacht is surrounded by tall and wide glass windows making it feel even bigger than it already is while providing you a clean, crisp view.

Viewing the incredible Istanbul Sunset on the Bosphorus is a truly unforgettable experience. Not only will you be able to enjoy this relaxing moment in time, but the cruise section of the tour continues to also provide you with amazing and sometimes even exclusive information about the area and special connection it holds to both continents it resides on.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

4. Istanbul: Sunset or Day Small-Group Yacht Cruise with Snacks

This tour comes from Merry Travel and is a good bit different from many of the other Istanbul water tours available. For this tour, you will actually ride a traditional sultan boat!

Not only does this traditional sultan boat give you an extra taste of the area’s history and opportunity to learn more from your hosts, but it is also electric-powered, environmentally-friendly, and almost completely silent during operation.

Lasting right at the 1-hour mark, this tour is great for anyone that wants to fit in some waterway time and enjoy a great tour without giving up too much of their independent exploring time or other scheduled activities.

Starting from Miniaturk, you will spend the hour exploring the Golden Horn. This is one of the primary inlets of the Bosphorus strait as well as a major waterway for present-day Istanbul.

Cruising around the Golden Horn will provide you many opportunities to see incredible Istanbul sights and understand the local culture better.

Some of the things you can look forward to stopping at along the way include Aya Yorgi Church, Galata Tower, Halic Congress Center, Galata Bridge, Fener, Topkapi Palace, and Hagia Sophia. The fact that you will be enjoying all these stunning sights right at sunset is the cherry on top!

While refreshments aren’t offered on this sultan boat tour, they do offer you the option to include hotel pick-up and drop-off.

They also provide life jackets for all passengers. The crew and host are very well-versed in the history of Istanbul and are fully prepared to answer your questions and help you become immersed in the enriching culture surrounding you.

The sultan, being a traditional boat used in the Golden Horn waterway for centuries, just further adds to the overall experience.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

5. Istanbul: Bosphorus Sunset Yacht Cruise with Live Guide

Istanbul Clue is the company offering this next cruise through the Bosphorus. Having served more than 600,000 guests over the past nearly 15 years, Istanbul Clue is certain to give you an amazing experience with their luxury yacht cruise.

Overall, the cruise lasts 2 hours and is completely private. That means it will only be you and your personal group on the boat during your tour – alongside the crew and live tour guide, of course.

Your tour guide knows everything you could dream to ask about regarding the Bosphorus strait as well as Istanbul in general. They’re the perfect source of information and since the tour is private, it will be easy for you and your group to get that unbeatable 1-on-1 interaction.

If you choose to include it when booking your tour, you will be picked up and dropped off from your hotel prior to and then following the cruise. This is done with a professional driver in a non-smoking private van.

Several refreshment options are available during the tour including complimentary coffee, tea, soft drinks, and various snacks. In addition to the complimentary options, you do have the choice to purchase a full meal separately.

This can be breakfast, lunch, or dinner depending on the time of the tour you choose. Unlike many other similar tours, you will also have the choice of purchasing alcohol during your cruise.

With all these choices, two beautiful decks, tons of windows, and plenty of shade – there is no doubt this is a cruise anyone can truly enjoy.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience