Dinner cruise and show with a private table
A yacht dinner cruise with a live Turkish night show, a standard or VIP menu, table add-ons such as window-side or close-stage, and a transfer or port-meeting option.
See sailings ↗
The evening
Why spend an evening on the Bosphorus
A strait that runs through a city
The Bosphorus links the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the boundaries between Europe and Asia. Istanbul sits on both banks of it, so a cruise gives you the city as a long, lit shoreline: palaces, mosques, fortresses and two bridges within a single evening.
A show built for a mixed table
The ticket lists live Turkish folk dancing, Latin flamenco, belly dance and a DJ, alongside live Turkish music. It is a lively show played while you dine, closer to a party than a recital, so expect noise, colour and a dance floor mood rather than a silent hall.
Many boats, one format
Several operators sell near-identical dinner cruises, so the useful differences are small: the pier you start from, whether a transfer is included, your table position and how drinks are handled. This guide sets those out so you can compare tickets with the same checklist.
The strait, bank by bank
The shores you pass, south to north
A Bosphorus dinner cruise is read through the window: Europe on one side, Asia on the other, and a palace, a mosque, a fortress or a bridge each time you look up. Here is the strait as a chart, with each sight on the bank where it stands.
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European shore
Galata Tower
A Genoese tower built in 1348 as the Christea Turris, the Tower of Christ, at the highest point of the walls of the Genoese colony. At the time it was the tallest building in the city, and it is now a museum and one of Istanbul's best-known silhouettes.
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Asian shore
Maiden's Tower
A tower on a small islet about 200 metres off Üsküdar, at the southern entrance of the strait. Emperor Alexios Komnenos had a wooden tower built on the rock in 1110, and the present stone building dates from 1763, with several restorations since.
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European shore
Dolmabahçe Palace
Sultan Abdülmecid I ordered this waterfront palace, begun in 1843, as a modern home to replace Topkapı. Its architects were the Balyan family, and its style mixes Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical elements with Ottoman planning. It served as the main administrative centre of the empire from 1853 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922.
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The strait
Two seas, one narrow channel
The Bosphorus joins the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara over about 31 kilometres. It is only about 700 metres wide at its narrowest and a little over three kilometres at its widest, and it is described as the narrowest strait used for international navigation.
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European shore
Ortaköy Mosque
Formally the Büyük Mecidiye Camii, commissioned by Abdülmecid I and completed around 1854 or 1856, depending on the source. Garabet and Nikoğos Balyan designed it, the same father and son who worked on Dolmabahçe. Its ornate stone carving and its view of the bridge make it one of the most photographed corners of the strait.
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Asian shore
Beylerbeyi Palace
A summer residence and state guest house of the sultans, built in the 1860s for Sultan Abdülaziz and finished in 1865. Empress Eugénie of France stayed here in 1869. It faces the strait, and its two bathing pavilions can be seen from the water.
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Both shores
Bosphorus Bridge
The first of the strait's bridges, completed on 30 October 1973 between Ortaköy in Europe and Beylerbeyi in Asia. It is 1,560 metres long, and it is now formally called the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, though many people still call it the First Bridge.
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Both shores
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge
The second bridge, opened on 3 June 1988 and named after Mehmed the Conqueror, who took Constantinople in 1453. It is 1,510 metres long and stands about 5 km north of the first bridge, close to the Rumeli Fortress.
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European shore
Rumeli Fortress
Rumelihisarı was built in 1451 and 1452 on the orders of Mehmed II, ahead of his siege of Constantinople. Its Turkish nickname, Boğazkesen, means strait-cutter, and it now serves as a museum and as a venue for seasonal concerts and festivals.
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Asian shore
Anadolu Fortress
Anadoluhisarı faces Rumelihisarı across the water. Sultan Bayezid I built it in 1393 and 1394, and it is the oldest surviving Turkish structure built in Istanbul. The two fortresses worked together to cut naval traffic during the final siege of Constantinople.
The route and the order of sights change with the departure pier, the boat and the weather, so use this as a map of the strait and not as a timetable. Your confirmation and the host on board are the guide to your own sailing.
Your table
Your table, in four choices
Most of what differs between two Bosphorus dinner cruises is how you sit, drink and arrive. On the GetYourGuide ticket these are options you pick at booking, and each one is priced in the calendar.
- Private table
- Dinner is at a table of your own, except for solo bookings, which are seated together with other solo guests. A window-side table and a close-stage table are add-ons chosen per person at booking.
- Standard or VIP
- The ticket offers a standard dinner menu or a VIP menu. A VIP lounge table on the upper deck is a seating choice only, and it does not include the VIP menu, so pick the two separately.
- Drinks
- Soft drinks, Turkish coffee and tea are part of the ticket. Unlimited alcoholic drinks come with some options only, and extra alcoholic drinks are bought on board.
- Pickup or the pier
- Some options include a transfer from your hotel in an air-conditioned van and a drop-off afterwards. Others have you meet at the port. The meeting point depends on the option, so read your confirmation before you travel.
From the water
The Bosphorus in pictures
Ortaköy Mosque by night, the Dolmabahçe and Beylerbeyi palaces, the Rumeli Fortress, Maiden's Tower, the Galata Tower at sunset, both bridges, a halay circle in folk costume and a meze tray.
Cruises to compare
Three Bosphorus dinner cruises to compare
| Cruise | What it offers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Dinner cruise and show with a private table | A yacht dinner cruise with a live Turkish night show, a standard or VIP menu, table add-ons such as window-side or close-stage, and a transfer or port-meeting option. | Guests who want to choose their table, drinks and how they arrive. |
| Dinner cruise and Turkish night show, another operator | A separate operator's three-hour dinner cruise with a show programme of about an hour and a half, dances and a DJ, with a drinks package that varies by option and a transfer option. | Travellers who want a drinks-led package and the same format from a different operator. |
| Golden Horn and Bosphorus dinner and show | The same operator as the main cruise, with a sailing that starts on the Golden Horn, a private table, a mezze-led dinner, a mobile audio guide and an optional transfer. | Guests who want to start on the Golden Horn and follow the route on an audio guide. |
Dinner cruises on the Bosphorus
Book a Bosphorus dinner cruise
The first card opens the cruise this guide describes. The second is a separate operator's dinner cruise with its own show and drinks package, and the third is a sailing that starts on the Golden Horn. More Istanbul activities sit in the strip below.
Dinner cruise and Turkish night show, another operator
A separate operator's three-hour dinner cruise with a show programme of about an hour and a half, dances and a DJ, with a drinks package that varies by option and a transfer option.
See sailings ↗Golden Horn and Bosphorus dinner and show
The same operator as the main cruise, with a sailing that starts on the Golden Horn, a private table, a mezze-led dinner, a mobile audio guide and an optional transfer.
See sailings ↗More to book in Istanbul
Before you go
Before you go
- Pick your departure
- The meeting point depends on the option. Some options include a transfer from central hotels, and others meet at the port. Departures can change in bad weather, and the operator informs guests on the day.
- Give a working phone number
- Add a phone number with the right country code at booking, because pickup messages and day-of changes go to it. Reviewers most often ask for clearer boarding and transfer information, so read the confirmation twice and keep the contact details to hand.
- Bring ID
- Take your passport or an ID card. It is the one item the ticket asks you to bring.
- Seating
- Tables are private except for solo bookings. On the GetYourGuide ticket, add-ons such as the window-side table, the close-stage table and the VIP lounge are chosen at booking, and a window-side table is only guaranteed with that add-on.
- Food and dietary needs
- The ticket says the evening caters to vegetarian, pescetarian and halal requests. Tell the booking page about any other need at the time you book.
- Access
- If anyone in your party uses a wheelchair, read the access notes on the booking page before you buy.
The strait, the show and the table: guides
The strait, the show and the table: guides
Which cruise to book Bosphorus dinner cruise: how to pick
How to choose a Bosphorus dinner cruise with a Turkish night show: what the evening is, how tables, drinks and pickup differ, and which option to book.
Read the guide → Boarding and practicalities What to expect on a Bosphorus cruise
The practical guide to a Bosphorus dinner cruise: reaching the boat, boarding, what to bring, the table, the food, the drinks, the weather and who it suits.
Read the guide →FAQ
Questions before you book a cruise
How long is a Bosphorus dinner cruise?
Between three and five hours, depending on the option you choose. A transfer adds the drive, and the calendar shows the start time for each date.
Is dinner included?
Yes. The ticket includes a dinner at your table, with a standard menu or a VIP menu. Soft drinks, Turkish coffee and tea are included, and unlimited alcoholic drinks come with some options only.
What is in the show?
The ticket names Turkish folk dancing, Latin flamenco, belly dance and a DJ, with live Turkish music and a dervish number. The programme can differ between nights, so treat the list as the kind of show, not a fixed running order.
Do I get a window seat?
Only if you choose the window-side add-on at booking. Standard tables do not guarantee a view from the glass, and there is a separate close-stage table for people who want to be near the dancers.
Is there a hotel transfer?
Some options include a transfer from central Istanbul hotels and a drop-off afterwards. Others meet at the port. The option you pick decides, and the confirmation states the meeting point.
Can vegetarians and halal eaters book?
Yes. The ticket says the evening caters to vegetarian, pescetarian and halal requirements. Choose the right dietary line at booking, and mention any other need on the booking page.
What should I bring?
Your passport or an ID card. Wear something you can sit in at a table for a few hours, and take a light layer for the deck after dark.
Is this the operator's own site?
No. Bosphorus Dinner Show is an independent guide. It does not run any boat or show. Every booking button opens GetYourGuide, which takes payment and handles cancellation.
A yacht dinner on the Bosphorus with a live Turkish night show, and Istanbul lit up on both shores.
Book a table on the Bosphorus ↗Fares shown are per adult in US dollars and appear in your own currency once you open the booking page.