Cruise on Bosphorus & City Sightseeing

In the morning you will be picked-up from your hotel and taken to the Kasimpasa Pier to board your cruise! 

You'll start in the Golden Horn and continue to the Bosphorus. The cruise will take about 2.5 hours in total. During that time, you'll get a great view of Galata Tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Ciragan Palace, Ortakoy Mosque, the Bosphorus Bridge, Rumeli Hisari Fortress and the Anadolu Fortress.

The first stop will be Kucuksu Palace on the Asian side of Istanbul. It's located in the neighbourhood of Kucuksu which was often featured in old Turkish movies. The Palace, sometimes called Kucuksu Pavillion, was designed by the Armenian architect Nikogos Balyan on the orders of Sultan Abdulmecid and completed in 1857. He's the same architect who designed the beautiful Ortakoy Mosque and you can easily see similaries in the design. The Palace was restored in 1994 so you can see the luxurious and ornate interior for yourself. You'll have some free time here to explore and take pictures. 

Next, hop back on the boat and learn some interesting facts about the famous landmarks you can see. You'll get a particularly good view of the Maiden's Tower, Uskudar and Topkapi Palace on your way back to the Golden Horn. 

The cruise will end at Eminonu port where you and the guide will switch to a bus to begin the Old City Bus Tour! Sit back and relax as you're driven to Pierre Loti Hill which has a wonderful view of the Golden Horn. You'll get some free time for lunch (not included in the tour) and then it will be time to take the cable car ride. 

After the cable car, head back to the bus and see the Old City Walls from the period of Theodosius II as you're driven back to the heart of the Old City, Sultanahmet Square.