Bosphorus Cruise Istanbul 2027: Prices, Dinner, Sunset and Public Ferry

A Bosphorus cruise in Istanbul costs from about €6 on the public ferry to €268 an hour on a private yacht, and the middle option most people book, the guided cruise with lunch and hotel pick-up, is $75 (about €67). For today or tomorrow there is usually space on our Bosphorus tours with lunch or with dinner, always with pick-up from central hotels; the yacht depends on which boats are free that day. Message us on WhatsApp with your hotel name and we confirm the time in writing.

This page is written for travellers from Spain and Latin America who want a straight comparison. Euro prices use the ECB rate of 30 October 2026 ($1 = €0.895; €1 = 55.80 Turkish lira). We checked the municipal ferry fares on the official Şehir Hatları website on 31 October 2026. For other outings, all our Istanbul tours are listed with prices.

How much does a Bosphorus cruise cost in 2027?

Bosphorus Lunch Cruise with Hotel Pick-up, from $75

The difference in price is not in the water, which is the same for everyone, but in what comes with it: guide, food, transfer and how many people share the deck with you. The Şehir Hatları ferry costs next to nothing on a European budget; the lunch cruise costs about eleven times more but includes pick-up, a licensed guide and the meal; and the private yacht is paid per boat, not per person, so ten friends pay about €54 each for the two-hour minimum.

For readers in Mexico, at the ECB rate of the same day ($1 = 18.91 pesos), the lunch cruise comes to about 1,420 MXN and the dinner cruise about 1,700 MXN per person.

Prices vary by season, day and what each boat includes; ask us for today's price before you book. On all our Bosphorus tours cancellation is free up to 7 days before and non-refundable within those 7 days.

Public Bosphorus cruise: the Şehir Hatları ferry

This is what travel forums call the public Bosphorus cruise: a boat of the municipal company Şehir Hatları that leaves Eminönü pier, next to the Spice Bazaar, and runs up the strait with no guide and no food. On the official timetable checked on 31 October 2026, the short tour leaves Eminönü at 14:40, calls at Üsküdar at 14:55 and Ortaköy at 15:10, and is back by late afternoon. The long tour leaves at 10:35, reaches Anadolu Kavağı near the Black Sea at 12:25, waits there until 15:00 and returns to Eminönü at 16:40.

Watch the price: the official fare table separates local and foreign passengers, and foreigners pay double. For a tourist the short tour costs ₺340, the long tour ₺640 return and the Mehtap night tour ₺730; children aged 0 to 6 travel free. You buy the ticket at the pier ticket office. The Mehtap timetable was not published alongside the day tours when we checked, so ask at Eminönü before you plan an evening around it.

Is it worth it? For a backpacker or a couple with a free afternoon, yes: it is the best price in the city. The downside is that nobody explains anything, the open deck fills first in summer and at weekends, and the long tour takes the whole day. Today's departures, with times and piers, are in our guide to a Bosphorus cruise today.

Bosphorus cruise with lunch and hotel pick-up

Bosphorus Lunch Cruise with Hotel Pick-up, from $75

This is our Bosphorus lunch cruise and the option we recommend most to first-time visitors to Istanbul. We collect you from your central hotel between 12:00 and 12:30, the boat sails at around 13:00 and you cruise between Europe and Asia while lunch is served on board, with the Ortaköy Mosque and Rumeli Fortress as the highlights of the route. Counting the transfers, it takes about four to four and a half hours.

The timing suits the Spanish body clock: you eat when you would at home, around two, and the morning leaves time for Hagia Sophia or the Grand Bazaar. It includes a licensed English-speaking guide, the meal, air-conditioned transfer, tolls and taxes. It does not include drinks with lunch, which are paid for on board.

One honest point: this is a shared boat and the guide speaks English. If nobody in your group is comfortable in English, the alternative is a private yacht with a Spanish-speaking guide, which we arrange on request and confirm in writing for your date before payment. More on our page about a Spanish-speaking guide in Istanbul.

Bosphorus dinner cruise: timings for Spanish travellers

Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Turkish Night Show, from $90

The Bosphorus dinner cruise is a full evening: hotel pick-up between 19:00 and 20:00, the boat leaves at around 20:30, then dinner, the show and the drive back. It costs $90 (about €81) per person and includes a welcome drink, soft drinks, cold starters (a meze platter), a main course of fish, chicken or meat, salad, and dessert or fruit.

For a Spaniard the timing is almost perfect. Türkiye does not change its clocks and is two hours ahead of mainland Spain from 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027, and one hour in summer. Boarding at 20:30 in Istanbul is 18:30 in Madrid in winter, but you are already living on local time and eating around nine is exactly what you would do at home. For anyone arriving from Mexico City (nine hours' difference) or Bogotá (eight), the first night is long; better keep it for the second or third day.

The show includes Turkish folk dance, belly dance and a DJ with a dance floor; depending on the boat there is sometimes live music. It is loud and festive, not a quiet dinner. The unlimited alcoholic drinks package costs extra, as do imported drinks and tips. On nights with many hotel pick-ups it runs longer, so keep the evening free.

With small children, think twice: they usually enjoy the show, but it ends late. If you want romance and quiet, the sunset yacht suits you better.

Sunset Bosphorus cruise on a private yacht

Bosphorus Private Yacht Tour for up to 12 guests, from $299 per hour

A sunset Bosphorus cruise worth the name is on your own boat, because you choose the departure time by month. Our private yacht for up to 12 guests costs from $299 an hour (about €268) with a 2-hour minimum, and includes captain, crew, fuel, marina fees, soft drinks, tea and water. You pay per boat, not per person.

Extras are added to the quote: a private Mercedes Vito transfer at $100, adjusted by address, a grill or fish set menu on board at $65 per person (about €58) and an alcohol package from $55 per person. If you want dinner on board after sunset, book three hours rather than two.

For the exact time each month and which yacht to choose by pier, see our guide to the sunset Bosphorus yacht cruise. If you want commentary in Spanish during the cruise, ask for a Spanish-speaking guide when you book; we confirm it in writing for your date before payment.

Bosphorus and Golden Horn cruise

Many people search for a Bosphorus and Golden Horn cruise as one plan, but not every boat goes into the Golden Horn (Haliç), the inlet that separates the old city from Galata. The Şehir Hatları tours head straight up the Bosphorus from Eminönü, and all their published stops are on the strait.

Our 2-hour private yacht with a guide, at $600 per group (about €537), does include it: the guide meets you at your hotel or the port and, from the deck, explains Dolmabahçe, Çırağan, Ortaköy, Bebek, both fortresses, Beylerbeyi, Galata Tower, the Maiden's Tower and the Golden Horn. From eight people it costs the same as or less than buying the lunch cruise seat by seat, and the boat is yours alone.

What you see from the boat and which side to sit on

Bosphorus Lunch Cruise with Hotel Pick-up, from $75

The Bosphorus runs about 30 kilometres from the Golden Horn to the Black Sea. Heading north, the European shore is on your left: sit on the port side for Dolmabahçe Palace, Çırağan Palace, the Ortaköy Mosque below the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, the houses of Bebek and Rumeli Fortress, built by Mehmed II in 1452, a year before he took Constantinople.

On the right, in Asia, you pass Beylerbeyi Palace, the small Küçüksu Pavilion, Anadolu Fortress and the yalı, the wooden waterfront mansions that were summer homes of the Ottoman elite. On the way back the sides swap, so on a round trip it hardly matters where you start; what matters is being on deck rather than behind glass. The Maiden's Tower is best seen at the start or the end, off Üsküdar.

Best time of year and sunset times by month

Bosphorus tours in Istanbul, from $75

Türkiye keeps the same time all year (UTC+3), so summer sunsets are very late and winter ones early. These are the approximate times for central Istanbul in mid-month, and when we suggest starting a two-hour yacht cruise: an hour of daylight, the sunset itself, then half an hour under the lit bridges.

For typical Spanish holiday dates: at Semana Santa 2027 (Maundy Thursday 25 March, Easter Sunday 28 March) the sun sets at around 19:20 and the air on deck is still cool. In August sunset moves from 20:21 on the 1st to 20:04 on the 15th, and the boat is the best escape from the heat of the city, though it is also when shared boats are fullest. Over the December long weekend (the 8th falls on a Tuesday in 2026) it is dark by about 17:36 and a yacht with an enclosed saloon makes sense.

May, June, September and October are the most pleasant months. From November to March the cruises still run, but with north wind or rain the deck is uncomfortable and ferries can be cancelled; if the coast guard closes the strait, yacht charters are moved to another date or refunded.

Before you travel from Spain or Latin America: documents, flights and booking

2-Hour Private Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with a guide, $600 per group

Spaniards can enter Türkiye as tourists with a DNI or a passport, without a visa, for up to 90 days in any 180, according to the travel advice of Spain's Foreign Ministry (checked in October 2026). The document must have at least six months' validity from entry and be in good condition: the ministry warns that people have been refused entry at Istanbul airport with a damaged DNI, and it recommends travelling with a passport. For passports from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and the rest of Latin America the rules differ; check evisa.gov.tr before you buy your flight.

Turkish Airlines flies non-stop to Istanbul from Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Valencia, Bilbao and, since September 2025, Seville; from Madrid or Barcelona it takes about four hours. If you land at midday, that evening's dinner cruise is possible, but the next day's lunch cruise is more relaxed.

To book, choose the date on the cruise page or message us on WhatsApp with your hotel and number of guests. We confirm the pick-up time in writing and you pay after confirmation; on the lunch cruise you can pay on the day. All the options are in our Istanbul tours, and if you are unsure which boat to choose, ask us through our contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions