Travelgroup Bosphorus cruise review: the $6 hourly boat from Eminönü

The Travelgroup Bosphorus cruise is a platform ticket for a boat you could also board with cash at the pier: the hourly sightseeing boats from Turyol's pier at Eminönü. At about $6 it is the lowest price for a Bosphorus cruise on GetYourGuide, and it does what it says, a loop to about the second bridge and back with an app commentary. Book it for the convenience of paying in advance, not for anything special about the operator.

Who is Travelgroup?

Travelgroup is the name the supplier uses on GetYourGuide for the "Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise with Sunset Option". We found no company website, no address and no licence number tied to it. A Turkish group of travel agencies uses a similar name online, but its site shows incoming, transfer and event work and no cruise products, and nothing connects it to this listing. So we treat "Travelgroup" as an unconfirmed seller of a ticket, not as a boat operator.

What is clear is the boat. Reseller copy of the same listing gives the meeting point as the Turyol pier at Eminönü, on the Golden Horn side of the Galata Bridge, across from the Spice Bazaar, with hourly loops of about 90 minutes and an English audio guide app. That describes the hourly tour boats run from Turyol's pier. Turyol is a co-operative of boat owners that also runs city ferries; read our Turyol review for how its two businesses differ.

The boat and the pier

The Turyol pier sits on the Golden Horn side of the Galata Bridge at Eminönü, next to the fish-sandwich boats and about 320 m west of the Şehir Hatları ferry piers. Take the T1 tram to Eminönü or Marmaray to Sirkeci. Our Eminönü pier guide shows the three boarding points here, because the municipal tours and the agency boats leave from different places along the same quay.

The ticket is a QR code scanned at the pier. The listing calls this "skip-the-line", which means you skip the ticket-booth queue, not the boarding queue. The boats are big, public-style tour boats; the upper deck fills first, so arrive early if you want it. This is not a yacht, and the listing does not claim to be one.

The route and the timing

The loop runs up the European shore past Dolmabahçe Palace and Ortaköy Mosque, under the first bridge (15 July Martyrs Bridge) and on towards Rumeli Hisarı and the second bridge, then back down the Asian shore past Beylerbeyi Palace. GetYourGuide lists it as 2 hours; reseller copy says about 90 minutes, which matches the hourly Turyol tour. Plan on 1.5–2 hours.

The listing suggests the 16:00 or 17:00 boat for the sunset. That works only from about mid-October to early February, when the sun sets between about 17:37 and 18:25. In June the sun sets at about 20:39, so a 17:00 boat is back at the pier hours before it. In summer, take a later departure or a dedicated sunset cruise. Sit on the left going north and on the right coming back for the palaces and the sunset side.

Prices: platform ticket or pier booth?

The Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise with Sunset Option starts at about $6 on GetYourGuide, with 4.2 stars from more than 2,000 reviews when this page was updated. At the Turyol booth on the pier, the same hourly tour costs about 300 TL; Turyol does not publish its price. Tiqets sells another QR ticket for the same Eminönü boats.

Our view: if you are already at Eminönü with lira in your pocket, the booth is the simplest option. Buy the platform ticket if you want to pay by card in advance or keep a cancellation option. Other cheap boats from Eminönü with an app guide are in the price check below; they are different products, so compare times and inclusions.

What travelers say, and what to check

The 4.2 average is lower than the 4.6–4.7 of the other big sightseeing listings, and the listing gives few details beyond the pier and the app. Before booking, check:

• The departure you choose against the sunset time for your date, if the sunset is the point.
• The meeting point in your voucher. It should be the Turyol pier on the Golden Horn side of the Galata Bridge, not the Şehir Hatları piers east of it.
• Headphones for the app guide.
• The cancellation line on the listing. Most GetYourGuide listings cancel free up to 24 hours before, but it is set per listing.
• Weather. In a strong lodos (south-westerly wind) the operator may cancel sailings; the platform then rebooks or refunds under its terms.

Alternatives to the Travelgroup ticket

• The public-style loop with announcements: Dentur Avrasya runs a non-stop 75-minute loop from Kabataş, Beşiktaş and Üsküdar for 250 TL at the booth or 200 TL online at denturavrasya.com, with Turkish and English announcements and children up to 10 free.
• A covered boat with tea: Sea & Land Travel, from about $8, check-in at an office near Eminönü, tea and instant coffee included.
• A live guide: Travels in Istanbul, €10 from Eminönü with an English-speaking guide.
• The municipal tour: the Şehir Hatları Short Tour leaves Eminönü at 14:40 for 340 TL (foreign visitors); see the public ferry guide.

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuide2 h

Istanbul: Bosphorus Sightseeing Cruise Tour with Audio Guide

4.6 (6,260)

from $8Check dates

◔ Day or sunset

GetYourGuide2 h⚓ Kabataş

Bosphorus Day/Sunset/Night Sightseeing Cruise & Audio Guide

4.7 (19,877)

from $9Check dates

◔ Day or sunset

GetYourGuide2 h⚓ Kabataş

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

4.7 (4,600)

from $8Check dates

Travelgroup on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Questions about the Travelgroup cruise