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Bosphorus Cruise: Dine on Turkish Meze and Entertainment
4.5
113 Ratings
Beyoğlu
Embark on a three-hour Bosphorus cruise in Istanbul, where you can savour Turkish meze while traversing between two continents. Experience the grandeur of Byzantine and Ottoman empire monuments, and partake in a rich array of entertainment, including traditional folk and belly dancing.
Embark on a three-hour Bosphorus cruise in Istanbul, where you can savour Turkish meze while traversing between two continents. Experience the grandeur of Byzantine and Ottoman empire monuments, and partake in a rich array of entertainment, including traditional folk and belly dancing.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Bosphorus Strait - The Bosphorus Bridge spans the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, linking the Sea of Marmara on one side and the Black Sea on the other. This bridge divides Istanbul into its European and Asian sections, enhancing connectivity and traffic flow between the two continents.
- Bosphorus Bridge - Situated on the Bosphorus Strait in…
- Bosphorus Strait - The Bosphorus Bridge spans the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, linking the Sea of Marmara on one side and the Black Sea on the other. This bridge divides Istanbul into its European and Asian sections, enhancing connectivity and traffic flow between the two continents.
- Bosphorus Bridge - Situated on the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, the Bosphorus Bridge connects the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea. It serves as a division between the European and Asian parts of Istanbul, facilitating movement and transportation between the continents.
- Ortakoy - Nestled along the Bosphorus in the Ortaköy neighborhood, this area is renowned for its breathtaking views, vibrant atmosphere, and rich cultural heritage. The Ortaköy Mosque, constructed in the 18th century during Sultan Abdulmecid’s reign, showcases an impressive blend of Baroque architecture with Ottoman influences.
- Dolmabahce Palace - Dolmabahçe is Turkey’s largest palace, covering an area of 45,000 m2 (480,000 sq ft). It houses 285 rooms, 46 halls, six hammams, and 68 toilets. The design incorporates eclectic elements from Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical styles, harmonized with traditional Ottoman architecture to create a unique synthesis.
- Üsküdar - Üsküdar (Turkish pronunciation: [ysˈcydaɾ]) is a municipality and district in Istanbul Province, Turkey. Spanning an area of 35 km2, it has a population of 524,452 (2022). This large and densely populated district is located on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus.
- Blue Mosque - Constructed between 1609 and 1616, the Blue Mosque was built in what was then the heart of Istanbul. Its location opposite Hagia Sophia indicates that Ahmed I aimed for the mosque to rival the grandeur of the former cathedral. The mosque’s architect, Sedefkar Mehmed Ağa, achieved perfect proportions in its design.
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - Originally a church (360–1453) and later a museum (1935–2020), it was the last of three church buildings successively erected on the site by the Eastern Roman Empire. Completed in AD 537, it became the world’s largest interior space and was among the first to feature a fully pendentive dome.

What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from central Istanbul hotels
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Dinner
- Alcoholic beverages
- All Fees and Taxes
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from central Istanbul hotels
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Dinner
- Alcoholic beverages
- All Fees and Taxes
What's Not Included
- Imported drinks
- Gratuities
- more than two glass alcohol
- Imported drinks
- Gratuities
- more than two glass alcohol
Location
İdo Kabataş Deniz Otobüsü İskelesi
İskele Yolu
Please be at Kabataş port from 20:00 till 20:30 and we send some to pick you up and please provide us with a Turkish phone no. to contact you for pickup. If you have any question about pickup please contact us first.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(113 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Venture20494609094
Nov 28, 2023
There was a fun atmosphere -
There was a fun atmosphere. The Bosphorus tour was very good. There was an incredible Bosphorus view outside. We had a very delicious dinner. The dancers were very good. They put on a very entertaining show on stage.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gülşen
Nov 28, 2023
I was very curious too - We had a fun night. They highly recommended this place to me. I was very curious too. That's why I immediately made an organization. We had a very nice dinner with my wife. The food was very delicious. The dance and stage shows were also amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aslıhan
Nov 28, 2023
We recommend - They created a very nice atmosphere. The tour was amazing. The Bosphorus air felt very good. It was incredibly enjoyable. We had so much fun. Definitely go. We recommend. We had so much fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elif
Nov 28, 2023
We were very - Everything was planned very well. We were amazed. The decoration was amazing. There was incredible fun. The shows were very good. We were very pleased.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fearless44653081637
Nov 28, 2023
Nice atmosphere - We had a nice evening. There was a great atmosphere. The ship looked beautiful. The decoration was amazing. The employees were very stylish and respectful. The food was very delicious. Especially the entertainment program was amazing. You should definitely go.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Craigdgoodrich
Oct 20, 2024
Transportation was late - We had some issues getting picked up at our hotel. They said be ready between 7:00 and 7:45 PM. They didn’t come until 7:50, and we had several more stops to make before getting to the dock. We were late - nearly the last ones on the boat.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
311ajithar
Jul 6, 2024
Hyped up - Very underwhelming experience. Waited almost an hour to be picked up by a very aggravated driver who stopped the shuttle twice to go out and display his road rage. The cruise experience was not at all commendable.A wasted evening. Wouldn’t recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lovenepal72
Feb 18, 2024
Would not recommend to our friends / family. - Not what we expected. The food was ok. The show was well coordinated however depending on where they locate your dinner seating (you don’t get to pick your seats) - you may not see much (we didn’t see much because we were far from the “stage” area and could not enjoy the show.
We had hoped for a narrative of the places we were cruising past - as in what buildings were what and a but of info on each however none of that happened.
The boarding process was unorganized and long lines outside in the rain just waiting to get inside before we left.
It wasn’t horrible but we’d not recommend this to a friend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Guy_c
Nov 18, 2023
Mixed Bag - Some Highlights, But More Lowlights - While my wife and I made the best of this Turkish dinner show cruise with the aim to have some fun, I would not take this one again, nor would I recommend it to anyone else. We took a similar dinner show cruise a week later in Egypt, which was really far superior to this excursion. That one was a Class A; this one was a Class C.
Highlights: Able to enjoy the beauty of the Bosphorus River and Istanbul lit up at night; saw a traditional Turkish dance show; and were able to dance to some music after the show. While positives, I believe that this is offered on all such dinner cruises. The one unique thing about this dinner cruise was that we got to be a Sultan and Sultana for the night! This really was the only saving grace for this particular operator’s excursion. There was a young man on the upper deck (I believe independent of the boat operation) offering to costume up guests and then take photographs, which we thankfully decided to do. This turned out to be a lot of fun and we now have a great keepsake from that evening in the form of a photo book with us in full regalia costume, in 10 different poses, using 10 different props! Our course, we paid an extra cost for this, just about as much as the cost of the excursion, but that was worth every lire paid!
Lowlights: We pretty much experienced every complaint raised by other travelers in their reviews about this excursion - so fellow travelers, believe what is written! First, the transportation scenario started us off bad. We did not get picked up on time. As a matter of fact, we did not get picked up until after the intended start time of the cruise, and only after our hotel concierge made several calls to the tour operator. Moreover, transportation to and from was on a communal bus packed with people from various different locations, so we were playing taxi for a while each way. So, frustration from the start and at the end. All of this, of course, extended our evening until much later in the night than was advertised as being scheduled.
We arrived to the boat in a large crowd of people; this cruise was full and we were packed in like sardines. There were no separate dining tables per party. We were packed in cafeteria style. The wait staff was minimal, so I ended up having to leave the table and going to the bar on my own to get our drinks throughout the night. Speaking of, though there is a bar on the boat, it is limited, at least as to what’s included in the cost of the excursion. I drink bourbon - Jack Daniel’s. Despite being available, that was apparently not considered part of the offering - no bourbon was, though other liquors like vodka and gin were. So, I had to pay additional for my drinks during the entire cruise, which unnecessarily increased the cost. The dinner that was eventually served was mediocre at best. We ate it with cheap plastic dinnerware. Again, we made the best of it, and made acquaintances with our fellow, captive table mates, and tried to enjoy the night.
The Turkish dance show was certainly well done, but given the central location of the stage, people kept coming forward to take video and standing right in front of our table’s view. This was not being policed at all, so we couldn’t see some of the show. In the later Egyptian show we attended, we were not packed in like sardines and spaced out at our own parties’ tables, so the dancers were able to move around the room and everyone could see and enjoy their show.
This excursion really was the epitome of a herding tourist trap! Like experienced later in Egypt, there has got to be a better class dinner show cruise on the Bosphorus! I hope that future travelers are able to find that one! Good luck!
Review provided by Viator
833harikam
Aug 6, 2024
Please boycott this tour operator - elderly discrimination. - We haven’t even begun the cruise and Turkey Tours Planners have turned out to be most unprofessional, rude and disappointing. My elderly mother is accompanying us on the cruise, and there is no indication on the booking that the pickup is impossible to manage for someone who is elderly and/or disabled. This is outright discrimination and the driver as well as the representative of Turkey Tours Planners had no empathy and clearly no desire to help whatsoever. This tour operator should be boycotted for such discrimination and disrespect against elderly tourists
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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