Karaköy pier: dinner ship, Maiden's Tower boats and a small yacht

Karaköy pier is the evening and small-boat counterpart to Eminönü across the bridge. The public tours do not start here, but Turyol's dinner ship does, as do two other dining boats, the boats to the Maiden's Tower and one of the few real small-group yachts on the strait. Like every Istanbul pier, "Karaköy" is several landings, so check which one your ticket means.

Karaköy pier: the boarding points

From west to east along the waterfront:

• Azapkapı, Üsküfçüler Sokak, by the Atatürk Bridge on the Golden Horn, a short walk west of Karaköy: the meeting point of Stambultour's small yacht.
• Turyol Karaköy pier, on the Golden Horn side of the Galata Bridge's Karaköy end, Rıhtım Cd. 17: Turyol's Bosfor dinner ship, Turyol city ferries and the Turyol Princes' Islands boat.
• Şehir Hatları Karaköy pier, about 275 m east: ferries to Kadıköy, the Golden Horn line and the Bostancı line.
• The pier in front of Ziraat Bankası: the Maiden's Tower boats.
• Galataport, continuing east towards Tophane: the cruise terminal and its own Bosphorus boat.

Orient Bosphorus and Le Vapeur Magique also give "Karaköy pier" as their departure point. Their exact landing comes with the booking; ask for it if the voucher only says "Karaköy".

Getting to Karaköy pier

• T1 tram to Karaköy. The same line runs from Sultanahmet and Eminönü and on to Kabataş.
• F2 Tünel, the historic underground funicular, links Karaköy with Beyoğlu up the hill.
• On foot from Eminönü: cross the Galata Bridge. The Şehir Hatları piers on either side are about 470 m apart.
• From the Asian side: Kadıköy–Karaköy ferries cost 65.21 TL with an İstanbulkart (the city's rechargeable transport card); Turyol also runs Karaköy–Üsküdar.

Dinner-cruise hotel pick-ups generally cover only central hotels on the European side. See Eminönü pier and Kabataş pier for the neighbouring landings, or the pier overview for all of them.

Turyol's Bosfor dinner cruise from Karaköy

This is the dinner cruise that actually belongs to Karaköy. Turyol, the co-operative of boat owners behind many of the city's ferries, runs its own floating restaurant, the Bosfor: a 49.84 m ship licensed for 601 passengers. Every night it boards from 20:00, sails at 20:30 and is back at Karaköy at 23:30.

The evening is a set menu (meze plate, salad, a main of meatballs, chicken skewers or fish, Turkish desserts) with the full Turkish night show: whirling dervish act, Anatolian folk dances, drum show, belly dancer, Caucasian dances, then a DJ. Booked direct at bosfordinnercruise.com it costs $50 without alcohol and $80 with unlimited local drinks, with a free hotel transfer and $10 extra for a private table upstairs.

Direct tickets cannot be refunded; one date change is allowed up to 48 hours before. A GetYourGuide listing supplied under the Turyol Bosfor name starts lower, from about $29 for the base option, and cancels free up to 24 hours before on most dates. See the dinner cruise guide for how it compares with the Kabataş boats.

Two other dining boats leave Karaköy: Orient Bosphorus (€50 classic, €70 premium with alcohol, €120 à la carte) and Le Vapeur Magique, a dining boat "since 1976" by its own account, which also runs breakfast and afternoon-tea cruises and asks guests to be at the pier 30 minutes early.

The small yacht from Azapkapı

Most "yachts" sold in Istanbul board at Kabataş and carry 30–40 people. The exception at Karaköy is Stambultour's sunset or daytime cruise: a 20 m yacht with at most 16 guests, meeting at Azapkapı. It runs about two hours past Dolmabahçe, Çırağan and Ortaköy, under the 15 July Martyrs Bridge to Bebek, back along the Asian shore past Kuleli and Beylerbeyi to the Maiden's Tower, and into the mouth of the Golden Horn.

Tea, coffee, water, mini pizzas, fruit and nuts are included; alcohol and tips are not. Commentary comes through an audio-guide app in six languages, not a live guide, so bring headphones. The boat is not suitable for people with limited mobility.

The three listings in this comparison are not the same boat. Stambultour's is the small-group yacht from Azapkapı; the Tiqets one is Velena Travel's sunset yacht from Kabataş; the cheaper Headout yacht cruise cannot be cancelled or rescheduled. For timing, see the sunset cruise guide.

Maiden's Tower boats from Karaköy

The Maiden's Tower (Kız Kulesi), the small tower on its own rock off Üsküdar, reopened as a museum after a long restoration. Boats leave from the pier in front of Ziraat Bankası at 09:30, 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, 15:30 and 17:00; the last boat back leaves the tower at 17:45. The boat costs 110 TL and entry is €27. The Museum Pass covers the entry but not the boat.

From the Asian side, boats leave Salacak about every half hour, which is handier if you are staying in Üsküdar. Times and tickets are on kizkulesi.gov.tr. The tower is one of the landmarks seen from the water on almost every cruise.

Galataport's boat and the cruise terminal

Galataport, the underground cruise terminal stretching from Karaköy to Tophane, has the Istanbul Modern museum and its own boat: a 70-minute loop every 30 minutes from 13:30 to 20:30, calling at Eminönü, the Maiden's Tower waters, Üsküdar, Beylerbeyi, Ortaköy and Beşiktaş. It costs 700 TL, children 0–6 ride free and 6–12 pay half. There is music and an ice cream, but no commentary.

Big cruise ships berth here and do not sail up the strait. About three-quarters of their calls fall between May and October, when the waterfront between Karaköy and Kabataş is at its busiest.

Public ferries from Karaköy

• Kadıköy and Üsküdar: frequent Şehir Hatları and Turyol crossings on the İstanbulkart fare.
• Golden Horn line (Haliç): Karaköy to Kasımpaşa, Hasköy, Sütlüce and Eyüpsultan for 76.90 TL. It is the only boat that sails the whole Horn; see Golden Horn cruises.
• Princes' Islands: Turyol's islands boat leaves Eminönü at 09:40, calls at Karaköy five minutes later, and costs 230 TL per leg. See Princes' Islands ferry.

Some cruises end here even though they start elsewhere: Tiqets' Golden Horn sunset yacht boards at Kabataş and finishes at Karaköy. That suits dinner in Karaköy afterwards.

◔ Day or sunset

GetYourGuide2 h

Istanbul: Sunset or Day Small-Group Yacht Cruise with Snacks

4.9 (4,336)

from $39Check dates

☾ Evening

GetYourGuide3 h⚓ Karaköy

Istanbul: Bosphorus Dinner Cruise & Turkish Night Show

4.8 (14,511)

from $29Check dates

◑ Sunset

Tiqets2 h⚓ Kabataş

Istanbul: Bosphorus & Golden Horn Sunset Yacht Cruise with Expert Guide

4.6 (7)

from $55Check dates

☀ Morning

Headout

Bosphorus Cruise with Breakfast at Le Vapeur Magique

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from $51Check dates

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

Want an early start instead? See breakfast and morning cruises.