Bosphorus trips: day trips by water from Istanbul

"Bosphorus trips" covers several quite different days out, and two of them are not on the Bosphorus at all. Here is what each one really is, how long it takes and whether you need a tour.

To the Black Sea mouth: Anadolu Kavağı

The classic long Bosphorus trip is the Şehir Hatları Long Tour (Uzun Boğaz Turu), the municipal ferry that sails the whole strait. It leaves Eminönü at 10:35, calls at Beşiktaş, Üsküdar, Kanlıca, Sarıyer and Rumeli Kavağı, and reaches Anadolu Kavağı at 12:25. It comes back once only: 15:00 from Anadolu Kavağı, Eminönü at 16:40. The return fare is 640 TL for foreign visitors (320 TL for Turkish citizens). Times are the winter timetable; check sehirhatlari.istanbul or the Eminönü booth on the day.

The ferry does not sail into the Black Sea. It turns at Anadolu Kavağı, and the sea is what you see from the hill above the village: walk up to Yoros Castle, an open Byzantine-Genoese ruin, for the view of the third bridge and the Black Sea, then have a fish lunch by the pier. You get about 2.5 hours ashore. The path is steep and muddy after rain, and the area around the castle is military, so stay on the path and take no photos of installations. Miss the 15:00 boat and you are on the bus to Üsküdar. Full details are in our Anadolu Kavağı guide.

The tour version: Black Sea lunch cruises add lunch, a guide and, in summer, a swim stop off Poyrazköy, for about $135–170. Headout's listing has by far the most reviews; Velena's variant on Tiqets was the cheapest when this page was updated. See the Black Sea cruise guide.

Rumeli Feneri and Garipçe: the European side of the mouth

Rumeli Feneri, a fishing village with a lighthouse and the ruin of a 1769 fort, is on the European side of the mouth; Anadolu Kavağı is on the Asian side. No boat trip combines them. Go by road: M2 metro to its last stop, Hacıosman, then İETT bus 150, which runs via Sarıyer and Garipçe (the village under the European tower of the third bridge) to Rumeli Feneri in about 52 minutes. The seafood restaurants there cater to day-trippers.

Princes' Islands: a day in the Marmara

The Princes' Islands are a car-free archipelago in the Sea of Marmara, not on the Bosphorus. The boat leaves the city past the Maiden's Tower, then heads out to sea. Turyol boats leave Eminönü at 09:40–13:40 (230 TL per leg); city ferries leave Kabataş, Beşiktaş, Kadıköy and Bostancı (151.23 TL with İstanbulkart); the fastest route is the 35-minute Mavi Marmara boat from Bostancı on the Asian side. Horse-drawn carriages were banned in 2020, so you get around Büyükada by bike, electric bus or electric taxi.

Island tours with hotel pick-up and lunch start from about $16. GetYourGuide's version was much cheaper than Headout's on the day this page was updated:

Two continents in a day

The guided "Europe and Asia" days combine a bus and a boat: hotel pick-up around 09:00, Çamlıca Hill and its mosque on the Asian side, often Beylerbeyi Palace, lunch, the Pierre Loti cable car above the Golden Horn and a 2-hour Bosphorus cruise. GetYourGuide 700768 (4.7 from over 300 reviews) is the strongest. Cheap versions exclude museum fees, and some itineraries include a showroom stop: ask before you book. Our full-day tours guide compares them.

To do the Asian side on your own, a cross-strait ferry to Üsküdar or Kadıköy costs about 50–65 TL with İstanbulkart. Sunset from the Salacak shore facing the Maiden's Tower is free. See the Asian side guide.

Beykoz has no tour of its own. Reach it by public ferry or bus from Üsküdar; the old Beykoz shoe factory is now a cultural venue, Beykoz Kundura.

Black Sea beaches and overnight trips

In summer, Kilyos is the nearest Black Sea beach: M2 to Hacıosman, then bus 151 (about 48 minutes). Swim only where lifeguards are on duty. Rip currents are the main danger on this coast, and swimming is banned on rough days. Our swimming guide has the rules.

Şile and Ağva, further east on the Asian Black Sea coast, are overnight trips: bus 139A from Üsküdar to Ağva takes about four hours each way.

Which trip to book

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul: Princes Islands Tour with Hotel Transfer & Lunch

4.5 (3,594)

from $20Check dates

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul: Europe and Asia Tour By Bus And Bosphorus Cruise

4.8 (80)

from $107Check dates

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul: Princes' Islands Trip from Old City Port + Pick Up

4.1 (177)

from $12Check dates

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Princes Island Full Day Tour - Kınalı & Büyükada

4.4 (113)

from $20Check dates

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul Port: City Sights Tour for Cruise Ship Passengers

4.5 (93)

from $95Check dates

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul Balat, Hagia Sophia, Bosphorus Cruise, Blue Mosque

4.3 (110)

from $64Check dates

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

Our picks for a day trip

1

Princes' Islands without planning

The most-reviewed island tour, about 3,600 reviews at 4.5: hotel transfer, guide, lunch on board and free time on each island.

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul: Princes Islands Tour with Hotel Transfer & Lunch

4.5 (3,594)

from $20Check dates

2

Black Sea mouth with lunch

4.5 from over 1,900 reviews, a two-course lunch and a swim opportunity in summer. The easy alternative to the public Long Tour.

◐ Daytime

Headout4.5 h

Bosphorus & Black Sea 2-Course Lunch Cruise with Swimming Opportunity

4.5 (1,933)

from $168Check dates

3

Both continents in one day

4.7 from over 300 reviews: bus, boat, lunch and the main viewpoints in one guided day.

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul: Full-Day 2-Sides City Tour with Lunch & Boat Tour

4.7 (326)

from $111Check dates

Our verdict: with one free day, do the public Long Tour to Anadolu Kavağı: 640 TL buys the whole strait both ways and a castle hill above the Black Sea. With a second day, go to the islands on the public ferry in summer, or on a tour with pick-up in winter. Book a two-continents tour if you have little time and want the logistics handled.

Weather: in winter the lodos (south-westerly wind) can cancel the exposed Marmara island lines, and the Long Tour has only one return sailing. Don't put either on your last day. For the season by season picture, see when to go.

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