Independent guidebosphorus.cruises is an independent guide to Bosphorus cruises and tours. We are not the website of any boat operator, ferry company, pier, palace or city office. Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
EN

EveningsActivity · 31 December on the water

New Year's Eve Bosphorus cruise: prices, what's included and the fireworks question

A New Year's Eve Bosphorus cruise is a dinner-and-show boat that sails at about 21:00 and counts down to midnight on the water. About fifteen listings, all on GetYourGuide, run from $166 to $550; the cheapest leaves out dinner, and fireworks are never guaranteed.

How far it goes

To the first bridge

Where to book
GetYourGuide only, about 15 listings
Price range
from about $166 to $550 per person
Departure
around 21:00
Length
about 4–5 hours
Included on most
dinner, shows, soft drinks, DJ for the countdown
Default seat
a shared table
Fireworks
held at Ortaköy in recent years, not guaranteed

Updated October 16, 2026Facts checked against official sourcesContains affiliate links

New Year's Eve cruise: what you can book

13 options · Prices checked on October 17, 2026

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Headout →See everything on Tiqets →

A New Year's Eve Bosphorus cruise is the dinner cruise of any other night, made longer, louder and several times more expensive. You board a big boat at about 21:00, eat a set dinner, watch a Turkish-night show, and a DJ takes the boat to midnight somewhere between the Old City and the bridges. It can be a very good night. It goes best if you know which tier you are buying and do not count on the fireworks.

Where to book a New Year's Eve cruise

New Year's Eve is a GetYourGuide-only market. There are about fifteen listings for 31 December, priced from about $166 to $550 per person, with a middle price around $280. Headout and Tiqets have none, and Headout's regular dinner cruises refuse bookings for that night: a 31 December booking on them is cancelled.

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Headout →See everything on Tiqets →Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Most of these listings have few or no reviews, because they sell one night a year. The two with a real track record are in our picks below. Many titles carry the coming year: that is the year you wake up in, not the one you are celebrating.

Our picks

1

Most reliable reviews

Dinner, party and the countdown on the water, rated 4.6 from 28 guests; about 5 hours.

2

Same format, more reviews

Dinner cruise party, rated 4.4 from 36 guests; about 5 hours.

3

Lowest price, if you will eat first

The base ticket is soft drinks and shows only. Dinner, alcohol and the transfer are paid upgrades.

What a New Year's Eve cruise costs, tier by tier

NYE pricing works like a normal dinner cruise: a ladder of tables and drink packages. One agency publishes its whole ladder, and it shows how the market works: a standard sharing table at €175, then a standard private table, a private table at the back, a table close to the show, and a VIP front table, each dearer than the last. Unlimited soft drinks and unlimited local alcohol (rakı, the aniseed spirit, plus beer, gin and tonic and wine) are included on that cruise, with a fruit plate and dinner, and hotel transfers from central hotels.

What you pay for What it usually means
Lowest price (about $166) no dinner on GetYourGuide's cheapest listing; dinner, alcohol and transfer are upgrades
Middle of the market (about $200–300) dinner, the show, a shared table and a drinks package, depending on the listing
Top end (up to about $550) better table, more drinks; check exactly what changes
Window or front table an upsell, as on any dinner cruise
Imported spirits usually extra: "unlimited" on dinner boats means local drinks

Prices are per person. Read the options inside the listing before you choose, because two listings with the same headline price can include very different things. Our all-inclusive dinner cruise page explains the drink packages, and the private table page covers what each table tier really gets you.

What the night looks like

The New Year's Eve boats keep the normal dinner-cruise programme and add the countdown:

  1. Pick-up or boarding. Transfer buses collect from central European-side hotels. Departures are around 21:00; the Mega Lüfer boats, which sail at 20:45 on other nights, are listed at 21:00 on New Year's Eve.
  2. Dinner. A fixed menu, typically a meze plate, salad, a main course and dessert, with a fruit plate on some boats.
  3. The show. A whirling dervish act (a stage performance, not the religious ceremony), Anatolian folk dances such as Zeybek and Halay, Roman and Caucasian dances, and a belly dancer.
  4. The countdown. A live DJ takes over towards midnight and counts down on deck.
  5. Back to the pier. The whole cruise lasts about 4–5 hours, so expect to be back in the small hours.

The boats cruise the lower strait, between the Old City and the bridges. Inside it is warm and loud; outside it is December on the Bosphorus.

Kabataş1Karaköy2Ortaköy3Ortaköy Mosque415 July Martyrs Bridge5Kadıköy6
  1. 1KabataşPierDirections ↗
  2. 2KaraköyPierDirections ↗
  3. 3OrtaköyPierDirections ↗
  4. 4Ortaköy MosqueSightDirections ↗
  5. 515 July Martyrs BridgeBridgeDirections ↗
  6. 6KadıköyPierDirections ↗
Diamonds: piers; circles: sights; bars: bridges; triangles: hills; circles with a wave: beaches. · Chart: © OpenStreetMap contributors

The fireworks question

Several listings promise "fireworks between two continents" or a view of the fireworks beneath the Bosphorus Bridge. No boat can guarantee that. Fireworks have been held at Ortaköy in recent years, and on the last New Year's Eve the crowds there watched a fireworks show with the Bosphorus and the 15 July Martyrs Bridge as the backdrop, with more fireworks at the Kadıköy celebrations. The plan for the coming night is announced in late December.

December weather: dress for it

New Year's Eve falls in the worst month for weather on the Bosphorus. December is the peak of the lodos, a strong south-westerly wind that cancels exposed ferry lines several times each winter, and rain is heaviest from November to January. Winter highs are around 10 °C, and the open deck at midnight is colder.

Bring a warm coat for the countdown on deck, even if you plan to spend most of the night at your table. No operator states a dress code; smart-casual is usual on dinner boats. If the weather stops a cruise, the operator or captain decides, and GetYourGuide then rebooks or refunds under its terms. The best time guide has the month-by-month weather.

Before you book: five checks

How to read a New Year's Eve listing

  1. Check whether dinner is in the price you see, or an upgrade (the cheapest listing does not include it).
  2. Check the drinks: soft drinks only, a fixed number, or unlimited local alcohol.
  3. Check the table: shared by default; private and window tables cost more and need two or more guests.
  4. Check the transfer: included, extra, or not offered; pick-ups cover central European-side hotels only.
  5. Check the cancellation terms and the boarding pier, then save the voucher offline.

Book early: New Year's Eve cruises are the most expensive night of the year on the water, and the better-reviewed listings are few. GetYourGuide's reserve now, pay later lets you hold a seat without paying while your trip is still uncertain, on listings that offer it.

If you are staying in Kadıköy or Üsküdar, the transfer will not reach you. Plan a taxi or ferry to the boarding pier, and remember that public ferries run a special timetable that night. Dentur publishes its New Year's Eve timetable on denturavrasya.com.

Is a New Year's Eve cruise worth it?

It depends on what you want from midnight. If you want a party with dinner, music and a countdown, and you are happy to pay several times the normal price for the date, it delivers. If you mainly want to see Istanbul at night, an ordinary dinner cruise or a night loop does that for a fraction of the price.

Pros

  • Dinner, show, drinks and the countdown in one ticket.
  • Transfers from central European-side hotels on many listings.
  • The lit bridges and the city skyline from the water at midnight.

Cons

  • Several times the price of the same boat on any other night.
  • Shared tables by default, on big and busy boats.
  • Fireworks not guaranteed, and December weather can be rough.
  • Few reviews: most listings sell one night a year.

Alternatives to a New Year's Eve cruise

  • A dinner cruise on another night. The same boats, menu and show cost about $20–45 on an ordinary evening. If the countdown is not the point, go on another night of your trip. See the dinner cruise guide.
  • A private yacht. For a group, a private boat is priced per boat and you choose the route and the food. Ask early, and agree the full price in writing. See the private yacht page.
  • On land at Ortaköy. Free, crowded, and where the fireworks have been.
  • A proposal at midnight. If that is the plan, read our proposal and romantic cruise page first.

For a wider view of everything on the water, the cruise overview compares every type.

New Year's Eve Bosphorus cruise FAQ

How much is a New Year's Eve Bosphorus cruise?

From about $166 to $550 per person on GetYourGuide, with most listings between about $200 and $340. The cheapest one does not include dinner; an agency's standard sharing table costs €175.

What time does the New Year's Eve cruise start?

Most leave around 21:00 and last about 4–5 hours, so you count down to midnight on the water and return in the small hours.

Will I see fireworks from the boat?

Possibly, but no operator can guarantee it. Fireworks have been held at Ortaköy, by the first bridge, in recent years, and the plan is announced in late December.

Can I book a New Year's Eve cruise on Headout or Tiqets?

No. All New Year's Eve cruises are on GetYourGuide; Headout's regular dinner cruises do not take bookings for 31 December.

Is alcohol included on New Year's Eve cruises?

On many listings, yes, as unlimited local drinks such as rakı, beer and wine; imported spirits are usually extra. Some listings include soft drinks only, so check the options.

What should I wear on a New Year's Eve cruise?

Smart-casual is usual, and a warm coat for the countdown on deck: December nights on the Bosphorus are cold and windy.

Keep exploring

ActivitiesActivitiesfrom $15 ActivitiesCanoe and kayak ActivitiesSwimmingfrom $57 EveningsTurkish night showfrom $23 YachtsProposals & romancefrom $29 EveningsSunset cruisefrom $9 EveningsDinner cruisefrom $20 EveningsPrivate & window tablesfrom $20