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The Most Romantic Cruise in Bosphorus, Istanbul - Things to do in Istanbul

Updated: Oct 4, 2023


Istanbul is a city that is a bridge between East and West. When the sun sets over Istanbul, the breathtaking architecture lits up with the fancy lights. If you happen to be in Istanbul, there's no other way to celebrate the love other than taking a romantic and charming Bosphorus Cruise in Istanbul.


Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul
Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul


This blog will focus on our experience on the most romantic cruise in Bosphorus, Istanbul.


This was my first time ever to have a cruise to the Bosphorus and already heard beautiful things about it which made me more excited about it. Aoon had experienced Cruising in Bosphorus twice, Once in October 2016 and the second time in our honeymoon in April 2018.


Check out the Best Cruise package here.


Perfect Weather of Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul:


We had our Cruise trip in mid-April 2018, the weather was a bit cold but it was bearable on the upper deck.


Best Cruise in Istanbul
Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul

The Ideal month for the Cruise in Bosphorus, Istanbul is between April to October. There are also cruises between November to March but the weather is really cold so you can’t enjoy the beautiful Istanbul from the Upper Deck.



How to Book the Bosphorus Cruise:


We had been trying to book the Bosphorus Night cruise Online at the last hour but unfortunately, all the tours were fully booked.


Best Night view in Istanbul
Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul

For instance, I thought that we wouldn't be able to experience the Most Romantic Bosphorus Cruise on our Honeymoon and we randomly checked with our hotel if they were offering such services.


Istanbul Night view
Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul

We have been staying in Double Tree Hilton, they have a special counter that caters to the needs of the tourists and books the activities for them. Luckily, they had some slots left and we booked our Cruise through them.


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Price of Bosphorus Cruise:


The price of a Bosphorus night cruise varies from company to company and package as some companies offer more luxurious experiences and a great variety of food. The normal range is between €40 to €60 per person. We had paid €45 per person. You can check Getyourguide and it's highly recommended for booking your cruise in advance.


Things to do in Istanbul
Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul


Our Bosphorus Cruise Experience:


The bus picked us up from our Hotel around 7 PM in the evening, after that the bus stopped at different hotels and picked up the guests from there. After picking up all the Guests, we reached the starting point of the Cruise around 8 PM.



We had boarded the Cruise Ship, the Ship had set up table settings where people were sitting together. We would feel much more comfortable if we had our own table.


Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul
Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul

The Starters were served followed by the Main Course and Dessert and Drinks. The live music was played by the musical band and everybody was enjoying and dancing.


The professional photographer captured the pictures of our special moments during the cruise and gave the photos at the end of the trip for 20 Lira each.


After enjoying the food, we went to the upper deck and spent most of our time there and the view of the city is breathtaking. We were deeply indulged in the beauty of the city.


Dinner Cruise in Istanbul
Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul

In April, the weather was chilled but we had our jackets on and enjoyed the chilling breeze of the sea. We went on the Upper deck at the beginning of our journey, nobody was there at that time so we chose the best spot for the view.


Later on, people started coming over and the Upper deck became full of people.


Bosphorous Cruise, Istanbul
Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul

You can also enjoy the view from the lower deck. We were cruising between two Continents Asia & Europe. All the famous monuments and mosques of Istanbul were on the left side and lit up with beautiful lights.



One of the most favorite moments on the Cruise was at Sultan Mehmet Bridge, the view was so mesmerizing and inexpressible in words.


Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Istanbul
Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul

The Cruise ship took the turn back in an unnoticeable manner and all the people in the Cruise got the opportunity to enjoy the mind-blowing view of the Iconic Bridge of Sultan Mehmet.


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Things to do in Istanbul
Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul

Now, we were facing toward the Asian side, this side of Istanbul doesn’t seem so happening and is a bit dull as compared to the European side.




The ship was gradually moving towards our ending point. It was one of the best experiences of our Honeymoon.


Things to do in Istanbul
Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul

The tour operators also had arranged drop-off services to the hotel but we preferred to book the Uber and get back to our hotel within 10 minutes.


Ending Note:


It would be best to book your Bosphorus Cruise trip in advance. The night cruise is more exclusive and expensive than a day cruising in Bosphorus. If you are looking for a cheaper Cruising experience in Bosphorus, you can have it on a day cruise for 15-20 Liras for two hours without any advance booking.


Istanbul Night Cruise
Cruising in Bosphorous, Istanbul




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