Bosphorus dinner cruise with unlimited drinks: what all-inclusive really covers

A Bosphorus dinner cruise with unlimited drinks is the same evening as the standard ticket (set menu, Turkish night show, a slow loop of the lower strait in the dark) with an open bar of local drinks added. The upgrade is real, but "all-inclusive" stretches further on the listing than on the boat. Here is what each drinks wording gets you and what the package costs on each boat.

If you are still choosing between boats, start with the Bosphorus dinner cruise guide. If you mainly want a table to yourselves, see dinner cruise with a private table.

What "all-inclusive" covers on a Bosphorus dinner cruise

Dinner-cruise tickets come in four drinks levels, and the title often hides which one you are buying. Read the "includes" line, not the headline.

The clearest example of the wording trap: one Velena dinner listing on Tiqets promises "unlimited refreshing drinks" in its summary, while its list of inclusions gives two drinks. When the two disagree, the inclusions line is what the crew will follow.

Price: how much the drinks package adds

Operators that sell direct publish the step between the soft-drink ticket and the alcohol ticket. These are their own prices, in the currency they quote:

On the platforms the picture looks cheaper, because the "from" price is usually the base option. The GetYourGuide listing supplied under the Turyol Bosfor name starts at about $29, well under Turyol's own $50, but the alcohol and pick-up options cost more once you open the date picker. Listings sold as "unlimited drinks" or "drinks and transfer" mostly sit between $28 and $45. Only a few go above $60: an all-inclusive 4-hour listing from about $79, another all-inclusive listing from about $61, and a Headout package with hotel transfers from about $110.

Today the Headout listing is cheaper, but the products differ: the GetYourGuide ticket includes the hotel transfer and has 666 reviews, the Headout one has 30. Boat, departure time and table type may differ too.

Is the unlimited-drinks package worth it?

No operator publishes its bar prices, so there is no exact break-even point. The step itself is easy to see: $30 on Turyol, €35 on Velena, €20 on Orient Bosphorus, €10 on the Been Travel sites.

Our rule of thumb: take the package if you would otherwise order more than a couple of drinks over three and a half hours, or if rakı with the meze plate (small cold starters) is part of the evening you came for. Skip it if you drink one glass of wine with dinner or only like imported spirits.

For families the soft-drink tier is the obvious choice. Orient Bosphorus runs its €50 classic cruise as a family evening without alcohol. On Turyol's Bosfor, children up to 2 travel free and ages 3–7 pay half.

You cannot bring your own bottle: outside alcohol is banned on shared boats.

Which boat, which pier

The pier on your voucher tells you which boat you are on, and several "different" listings turn out to board at the same landing.

• Karaköy (Golden Horn side of the bridge): Turyol's Bosfor, a 49.84 m ship licensed for 601 passengers, boards from 20:00, sails at 20:30 and is back at 23:30. Orient Bosphorus also leaves Karaköy. See Karaköy pier.
• Kabataş, Dentur Avrasya's Turkish-night landing: Dentur's own dinner cruise (sold as Pereme Tours, with non-alcoholic, alcoholic and alcoholic-plus-pick-up options) boards here. So do Velena's two Tiqets dinners and Tourmania's all-inclusive listing. Several agencies sell seats on the same few boats from this landing.
• Kabataş, the private landing by the Kadoil petrol station: the Mega Lüfer boats behind the most-reviewed dinner cruise on GetYourGuide, sailing at 20:45. Their standard ticket includes soft drinks only; alcohol is extra or sold as a package. See Mega Lüfer and Kabataş pier.

Dinner boats stay in the lower strait, passing Dolmabahçe, the Ortaköy Mosque under the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, Beylerbeyi Palace and the Maiden's Tower. From mid-August to early May the whole cruise is in darkness: lit façades and bridge lights, not scenery.

The evening hour by hour

Turyol publishes its full programme; the other boats run a very similar order.

For more on the show itself and where to see the real whirling-dervish ceremony on land, see Turkish night show.

Listings worth booking

Our picks for unlimited drinks

1

First-timers who want everything in one ticket

Dinner, show, unlimited local drinks and the hotel transfer, with 666 reviews at 4.2. The simplest way to avoid surprises.

☾ Evening

GetYourGuide3 h

Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise Incl. Drinks with Transfer

4.2 (666)

from $39Check dates

2

Travelers who want the strongest reviews

4.8 from more than 14,000 reviews; select the alcohol option in the date picker, since the "from" price is the base ticket.

☾ Evening

GetYourGuide3 h⚓ Karaköy

Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Turkish Night Show

4.8 (14,511)

from $29Check dates

3

Bargain hunters on Headout

The cheapest unlimited-drinks listing in today's comparison, with a smaller review base; check the pick-up area and cancellation line.

☾ Evening

Headout3 h

Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Shows & Unlimited Drinks

4.1 (30)

from $34Check dates

☾ Evening

GetYourGuide3 h

Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise Incl. Drinks with Transfer

4.2 (666)

from $39Check dates

☾ Evening

GetYourGuide3 h

İstanbul: All-inclusive Bosphorus Cruise Tour and Dinner

4.3 (4)

from $61Check dates

☾ Evening

GetYourGuide3 h

İstanbul:Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Soft and Alcohol Drinks

4.1 (5)

from $39Check dates

☾ Evening

GetYourGuide3 h

Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise Includes Transfer & Drinks

4.1 (3)

from $28Check dates

☾ Evening

GetYourGuide3 h

Istanbul: Budget Family Bosphorus Dinner Cruise with Music

3.7 (2)

from $34Check dates

☾ Evening

GetYourGuide4 h

Istanbul by Night: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Drinks

4.0 (1)

from $41Check dates

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

What still costs extra

Even the top package leaves a few things to pay on the night, so carry some lira in cash:

• Imported drinks, cocktails and named wines.
• Tips. Listings mark them "excluded" or "optional", and crews expect them; small cash tips are customary.
• Photos taken by the boat's photographer, and food outside the set menu.
• Better tables. The cheapest price is a shared table; private, window and front-of-stage tables cost more (Turyol: $10 extra upstairs).

Smart-casual is usual. Bring a layer for the open deck, and your passport: some operators ask foreign guests for ID at boarding.

Booking and cancellation

The drinks package does not change the cancellation terms, but the seller does:

• GetYourGuide: free cancellation up to 24 hours before on most dinner listings, and you can reserve now and pay later.
• Headout: most dinner cruises cancel free up to 24 hours before; the packages with hotel transfer often need 48 hours. Read the policy line before paying.
• Tiqets: set per product. One Velena dinner cancels free until 4 hours before; Tourmania's all-inclusive listing cannot be refunded at all.
• Turyol direct at bosfordinnercruise.com: no refunds on any ticket, one date change allowed up to 48 hours before. If your plans might change, book the same boat through a platform.

Dentur sells its dinner direct at pereme.com.tr, with free cancellation up to 24 hours. Turyol's fleet list shows the Bosfor's size.

For how the three platforms compare on fees and refunds, see GetYourGuide vs Headout vs Tiqets.

Prefer a quieter evening without a show? Compare the night cruise without dinner or the hotel-transfer dinner options.