Best Night Tours & Shows

Istanbul after dark is a different city: the mosques of the old city are lit from below, ferries keep crossing until late, and the busiest streets are in Beyoglu and Kadikoy rather than Sultanahmet. The tours on this page fill the hours after 6pm, when most guided day tours have ended. They range from a one-hour ceremony to a six-hour dinner cruise, and several are in Cappadocia, where evenings are otherwise quiet.

Shows and ceremonies

The Istanbul Whirling Dervish Sema Ceremony at $60 per person is the shortest option on the list: one hour, reserved seating, and an assistant who speaks English. The Sema is a Mevlevi religious ceremony, not a dance show, so the hall is quiet and applause is not part of it. Hotel transfers are not included, so it suits travellers staying within walking distance or taking a taxi.

In Cappadocia, the Cappadocia Whirling Dervish Show, also $60 per person, is held in a cave or caravanserai hall with transfers from Goreme, Urgup, Avanos, Uchisar or Ortahisar. The Cappadocia Turkish Night Show with Dinner at $80 per person is the opposite in mood: a cave restaurant, folk dances from different regions, live music, belly dancing and unlimited soft drinks.

Dinner on the Bosphorus

The Luxury Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Show starts at $90 per person with hotel pick-up, dinner, soft drinks and a programme of folk and belly dance. An unlimited alcohol package costs extra, and imported spirits are not included even with it. It is a shared boat with other groups at nearby tables, and the entertainment is loud; if you want a quiet evening on the water, a private yacht from our Bosphorus tours list is the better choice.

Walking and eating at night

The Istanbul Private Night Tour: Old City, Taksim and Istiklal starts at $200 per person for four hours with a private guide. It starts among the floodlit monuments of Sultanahmet and ends in the crowds of Istiklal Avenue. For evenings built around food, the Istanbul Night Food Tour with Meyhane Experience at $81 per person crosses to Kadikoy by public transport and finishes with meze and raki, paid on the spot; it is listed under our food tours.

Who these suit

• Couples on a short stay who have filled their days with sights.
• Families with older children: the dervish ceremony and the dinner cruise work well; the meyhane evening is for adults.
• First-time visitors who want to see Istiklal and Taksim without navigating on their own.

Some night options are not a good match for everyone. The dinner cruise is not for those who want a quiet dinner, and the Sema ceremony asks for an hour of silence, which small children find hard.

Timing and practical notes

Sunset in Istanbul is around 8:40pm in late June and before 5pm in December, which changes what you see on the water. For the full city lights, a winter evening cruise starts in the dark; a summer one starts in daylight. Istiklal is at its most crowded on Friday and Saturday nights. Carry a light jacket on the Bosphorus even in summer; the wind on deck is cool after dark.

Before or after an evening walk, our guide to Istiklal Avenue and Taksim covers the side streets. For a sunset on the water instead of a show, see our sunset Bosphorus yacht cruise guide.