Boat Trip Istanbul 2027: Bosphorus, Prices in Reais and Which to Choose

A boat trip in Istanbul costs 340 liras (about R$ 37) on the public Şehir Hatları ferry, $75 per person (about R$ 407) on a cruise with lunch and hotel pick-up, and from $598 (about R$ 3,250) if you hire a yacht for your group alone. The table below shows the length and what each option includes. Our Istanbul tours include the boats with hotel pick-up; for tomorrow, send your date and hotel on WhatsApp and we answer the same day.

We are a licensed agency (TÜRSAB group A, no. 15751) and have run private tours in Istanbul since 2010. The amounts in reais are approximate and use the European Central Bank reference rate of 30.10.2026, $1 ≈ R$ 5.43 (and $1 ≈ 50 liras); exchange rates move every day, so check yours on the day you pay.

How much does a boat trip on the Bosphorus cost?

Bosphorus Lunch Cruise, from $75

The price depends on two choices: whether you share the boat with other people or have one for your group, and whether the meal and hotel pick-up are included. The public ferry is the cheapest and has no guide. The cruise with lunch or dinner costs $75 to $90 per person and solves the transport. A private yacht is charged per boat, not per person, and is cheap only when the group is large.

An example of the sum: the $299 per hour yacht, with a two-hour minimum, comes to $598 for the whole boat. Split between 12 people, that is about $50 each (about R$ 271), close to a group cruise but with only your own people. Prices vary with the season, the day and what is included; ask us for today's price and we confirm it in writing.

Bosphorus trip on the public ferry: Şehir Hatları

Bosphorus Lunch Cruise, from $75

Şehir Hatları, the city's ferry company, sells two sightseeing trips that leave from the Eminönü pier. On the official fare table, the short tour costs 340 TL for foreigners and the long tour to Anadolu Kavağı costs 640 TL (the one-way long fare is listed as 195 TL for residents, with no foreigner price shown). Children up to 6 ride free. The page shows no effective date, and the lira loses value quickly, so confirm before you go.

Times change with the season. In the sources I could read, on the 2025/26 winter timetable each tour ran once a day: the short one at around 14:40 and the long one at around 10:35, about six hours in all. I did not find the 2026/27 winter timetable published, so call 444 1 851 or check at the pier. In strong wind or on race days the ferry is cancelled.

There are two things the ferry does not do: it has no commentary (nobody tells you what you are looking at) and it does not collect you from your hotel. If all you want is to be on the water, it is worth every lira; if you want to understand the palaces, read our page on the Bosphorus by ferry on your own, with the ordinary lines that cost even less.

Boat trip on the Bosphorus with lunch and hotel pick-up

Bosphorus Lunch Cruise, from $75

This is the trip we recommend most to first-time visitors. According to the tour page, the lunch cruise lasts about three hours and includes pick-up and drop-off at your central hotel or chosen location, air-conditioned transport, the cruise between Europe and Asia, lunch served on board, a licensed English-speaking guide and local taxes. Drinks with lunch and personal spending are on you. The price starts from $75 per person.

Two honest notes. The guide speaks English; if you want explanations in Portuguese, the way is a private guide, subject to availability, and we tell you before you pay whether someone is free on your date. And the cruise leaves at a fixed time: anyone staying in Taksim, Sultanahmet or Şişli saves time because they do not have to get to the pier.

Cancellation is free up to 7 days before, and the booking is Book Now, Pay Later, according to the tour page.

Bosphorus cruise at night: dinner with a show

Bosphorus Dinner Cruise and Show, from $90

After dark the palaces, mosques and bridges are lit up and the boat passes close by. Our dinner cruise with a show starts from $90 per person and includes hotel pick-up and drop-off, dinner, soft drinks, a Turkish folk dance show and belly dance, music and a dance floor. The alcoholic drinks package is optional and charged separately, as are imported drinks and tips.

It is an evening of entertainment more than of quiet looking. Anyone after silence and photography does better on a sunset cruise or a yacht. Couples, families and friends who want dinner, a show and a ride back to the hotel arranged in one booking usually enjoy it.

Private boat trip on the Bosphorus: a yacht with or without a guide

Private 2-Hour Yacht Cruise on the Bosphorus, from $600

For a celebration, a proposal or a family that wants nobody else's timetable, the private yacht is the option. We have two formats. On the two-hour cruise with a guide, the price is $600 per group and includes the yacht, a licensed guide and tea or coffee; hotel pick-up is optional and meals are not included. It leaves from your hotel or Galataport, and cancellation is free up to 7 days before.

On the hourly hire, from $299 an hour with a two-hour minimum, you get a captain, crew, fuel, soft drinks, tea and water, but no guide. Lunch or dinner on board, a cake and decorations are optional extras, and alcohol is not included. For avoiding crowds and choosing the route, this is the most comfortable way. All the private boats are in our list of Istanbul tours.

What you see from the boat: Dolmabahçe, Ortaköy, the bridges and the fortresses

Bosphorus Lunch Cruise, from $75

The Bosphorus is about 30 kilometres long and joins the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. Heading north from the south, this is what appears, in order:

• Dolmabahçe Palace, the home of the last sultans, with its white façade right on the water.
• Ortaköy Mosque, small and baroque, just under the first bridge.
• The Bosphorus Bridge, the first, opened in 1973, and further north the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, from 1988.
• Beylerbeyi Palace, on the Asian shore, from the 19th century.
• Anadolu Hisarı and Rumeli Hisarı, the two fortresses that Bayezid I and Mehmed II built to control the strait.
• The Maiden's Tower, on a small islet at the southern entrance, near Üsküdar.

Many short cruises stay in the southern stretch, near the bridges. To reach the northern fortresses and the fishing villages, choose the long ferry tour or a yacht trip with more time.

What is the best time, and which side of the boat should you sit on?

Bosphorus Lunch Cruise, from $75

April to June and September to October have the most pleasant weather: good light, mild temperatures and fewer people than at the height of summer. Sunset is the most sought-after time. By Istanbul time it falls at around 17:00 in December and close to 20:30 in June (approximate, check your travel date). In July and August book ahead and prefer weekdays.

In winter the boats keep running, but the open deck is cold and windy, and the public ferry can be cancelled in bad weather. Bring a jacket. Heading north from Eminönü, the European shore is on your left: sit on that side for Dolmabahçe, Ortaköy and Rumeli Hisarı. The Asian shore, on the right, shows Beylerbeyi and Anadolu Hisarı. On a round trip you see both. Anyone staying more days can combine the boat with one of our Turkey travel packages.

Brazilians in Istanbul: visa, flight and a Portuguese-speaking guide

Brazilians do not need a visa for tourism in Turkey: a bilateral agreement, promulgated in Brazil by Decree 5,124 of 2004, allows up to 90 days in each 180-day period on an ordinary passport. Confirm the rule with the Turkish consulate shortly before you travel. Turkish Airlines flies direct from São Paulo (Guarulhos) to Istanbul, in about 12 and a half hours; according to the Brazilian aviation press in June 2026, the airline began operating two daily flights, but check the current timetable on its website. Istanbul is six hours ahead of Brasília.

If you want explanations in Portuguese on the boat, the format is a private guide added to your trip, subject to availability; read how it works on our page about the Portuguese-speaking guide in Istanbul. We do not promise a guide before checking your date and, if there is none, we offer another date or a guide in English or Spanish. Anyone who wants a full programme in the city can combine the boat with the 4-day Istanbul package, from $699 per person.

To book, choose the boat, send your date, hotel and number of people on WhatsApp and ask for the price of the day.

Frequently Asked Questions