Şehir Hatları Bosphorus tours: review of Istanbul's municipal ferry cruises

The Şehir Hatları Bosphorus tour is the best-value way to see the entire strait: a real city ferry (vapur), a full day out to the fishing village of Anadolu Kavağı near the Black Sea mouth, about 2.5 hours ashore, and back, for 640 TL if you are a foreign visitor. It is not sold on GetYourGuide, Headout or Tiqets, so you buy at the booth. Plan it for a calm day, not your last day, because there is only one boat a day.

Who runs Şehir Hatları

Şehir Hatları A.Ş. is a company of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB). It runs the city's classic ferries across the Bosphorus, along it, up the Golden Horn and out to the Princes' Islands, and it traces its roots to the Şirket-i Hayriye ferry company founded in 1851. The Bosphorus tours are a sideline to the commuter network: one Long Tour and one Short Tour a day, plus seasonal specials.

Two easy mix-ups: Turyol is a private co-operative with its own Eminönü pier on the other side of the Galata Bridge, and its hourly tour is a different trip. The Tiqets listing "Bosphorus Cruise from Eminönü Ferry Station" is that Turyol boat, not Şehir Hatları.

The pier: where the tours board in Eminönü

The tours sell at the Şehir Hatları Bosphorus-tour booth at Eminönü, east of the Galata Bridge, near the Bosphorus commuter pier (Boğaz İskelesi) and the Kadıköy pier about 100 m away. The T1 tram stops at Eminönü, and Marmaray stops at Sirkeci, a short walk east. Touts work this waterfront, some in captain's uniforms; buy only at the booth with the Şehir Hatları name. The Eminönü pier guide shows the three different "Eminönü" piers.

Times below are the winter timetable (from 7 September to late June). Check sehirhatlari.istanbul or the Eminönü booth on the day.

The Long Bosphorus Tour (Uzun Boğaz Turu)

The tour turns at Anadolu Kavağı. It does not sail into the Black Sea; from the castle hill you look out over the mouth. The climb to Yoros Castle takes about 20 minutes, is steep and muddy after rain, and the castle is an open ruin in a military zone: stay on the path and do not photograph installations. More in our Anadolu Kavağı guide.

Fares (return): 640 TL for foreign visitors, 320 TL for citizens; under-12s 160 TL; under 7 free. The return ticket covers the 15:00 sailing back. Miss it and you are left with the bus or the local Anadolu Kavağı–Üsküdar and Sarıyer ferries.

The Short Tour and the Moonlight tour

The Short Tour (Kısa Boğaz Turu) leaves Eminönü at 14:40, picks up at Üsküdar at 14:55 and Ortaköy at 15:10, then sails up the strait without stops and returns, about 2 hours in all. On public holidays an extra sailing leaves at 16:45. It costs 340 TL for foreigners, 170 TL for citizens, 85 TL for under-12s. If Rumeli Hisarı and the second bridge matter to you, the hourly Dentur or Turyol loops state that turning point; compare them in our sightseeing cruise guide.

The Moonlight tour (Mehtap) runs only on Saturdays in the summer timetable (late June to early September): Bostancı 17:30, Kadıköy 18:05, Eminönü 18:25, then up to Anadolu Kavağı by 20:05, back in Eminönü at 00:10. It costs 730 TL for foreigners, 365 TL for citizens. It is not running in the winter timetable. In spring, special boats for the Judas trees (erguvan) and the tulip festival at Emirgan appear; dates and prices are announced each year.

Fares, İstanbulkart and bank cards

Tours sell at the booth. Regular ferries take İstanbulkart or a contactless bank card at the turnstile; no cash on board.

Fares are from the İBB tariff valid from 20 July 2026; see istanbulkart.istanbul for the current list. Whether İstanbulkart works for the tours themselves is not confirmed, so bring cash or a card for the booth. A $51 "public transportation card with hotel delivery" sold on GetYourGuide is a reseller's tourist card, not the city's İstanbulkart.

Commuter lines as a do-it-yourself cruise

Some ordinary lines double as cheap cruises:

• The Bosphorus commuter line (Boğaz Hattı) zig-zags from Eminönü to Beşiktaş, Kuzguncuk, Beylerbeyi, Çengelköy and Anadolu Hisarı; other runs go to Sarıyer and Rumeli Kavağı. Sailings are few and mostly at rush hour.
• Cross-strait hops: Kabataş–Üsküdar or Ortaköy–Üsküdar cost 51.81 TL with İstanbulkart.
• The Golden Horn (Haliç) line to Eyüpsultan is the only boat that sails the whole Horn; the Pierre Loti cable car starts nearby. See the Golden Horn guide.
• The Princes' Islands ferries leave from Kabataş, Beşiktaş, Kadıköy and Bostancı; Kabataş to Büyükada takes about 1 h 30. See the Princes' Islands guide.

Our public ferry guide puts all of these on one timetable.

What can go wrong

• Weather. Lodos, the strong south-west wind, and fog cancel sailings line by line, mostly in winter. On 3 January 2026, for example, lodos suspended 17 Şehir Hatları lines. Keep a spare day.
• Crowds. On bayram holidays İBB ferries are normally free, which makes them the most crowded days of the year.
• Touts. A 2-hour boat sold on the Eminönü waterfront cannot reach the Black Sea; the Long Tour takes 1 h 50 just to get to Anadolu Kavağı.

Alternatives on the platforms

Şehir Hatları sells nothing on GetYourGuide, Headout or Tiqets. If you want to book ahead with free cancellation, the nearest equivalents are the big sightseeing boats with an app audio guide:

GetYourGuide is cheapest today; Headout's version cannot be cancelled. These are 2-hour loops to around the second bridge, not the whole strait. Our pick is the day or sunset cruise that GetYourGuide lists under Dentur's tour brand, rated 4.7 from 4,600 reviews. For the whole strait with lunch and a swim stop in summer, see Black Sea cruises. For Dentur's own 75-minute loop from Kabataş (200 TL online), read the Dentur Avrasya review; every operator is on the operators page.

◔ Day or sunset

GetYourGuide2 h⚓ Kabataş

Istanbul: Bosphorus Sunset & Day Time Cruise, Drinks & Snack

4.7 (4,600)

from $8Check dates

◔ Day or sunset

GetYourGuide2 h

Istanbul: Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise with Sunset Option

4.2 (2,168)

from $6Check dates

◔ Day or sunset

GetYourGuide2 h⚓ Kabataş

Bosphorus Day/Sunset/Night Sightseeing Cruise & Audio Guide

4.7 (19,877)

from $9Check dates

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuide2 h

Istanbul: Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise Tour with Audio Guide

4.6 (6,260)

from $8Check dates

Prices checked on October 17, 2026

FAQ