Get to know the city without worrying about traffic . Relax on the boat while gazing the wonders of İstanbul. Listen to your guide and learn the history of one of the oldest capitals in the world.
Posted By : Stephen_P
The hotel pickup and drop-off was very well organised, with the professional and friendly transfer guide offering to drop off in other major tourist areas (Eminonu, Sultanahmet etc.) if that fits better with your plans, which was a nice touch.
The boat was great and a couple of small drinks and snacks were provided. Guidance was provided as to what we were passing.
The first stop was at the Ortakoy district, home to a small mosque and some shops. Whilst it was nice to visit the mosque (which was guided), and it was a good photo opportunity, there wasn’t nearly enough to fill over an hour of free time.
The second stop at Kucuksu Pavillion was nice, although it’s quite a smalll building so it doesn’t take long to see it. Again, plenty of free time here.
By contrast, the third stop at Rumelli Fortress felt a little rushed, and it would have been nice to spend a little more time here to explore fully and take in the spectacular views. It is quite a climb up to the middle and top sections, with views over the Bosphorous. It is worth the climb if you are able, but the stop would be of little interest to anyone not able to manage the steps.
After the fortress, the group splits, with those on the morning cruise taking the bus back to Istanbul and the remainder (in my case, the majority) rejoining the boat for lunch then swimming.
In conclusion it was a very pleasant morning and a nice addition to my week-long stay on the city, but for those on a whistlestop tour (2 or 3 days) then I think your time could be spent more efficiently elsewhere.
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Posted On : 2023-10-11 13:30:55 
Posted By : Robert_A
Very nice cruise. Enjoyed the view and the information. There was plenty of shade on the first level with the ability to still see the view and to take photos. The stops were pleasant and just the right amount of time,
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Posted On : 2023-06-30 12:01:51
Posted By : Robert_W
Prepaid and the cruise got cancelled. Still waiting to hear from Viator how they will compensate me or confirm a new cruise.
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Posted On : 2023-04-16 14:12:35
Posted By : Riddhi_B
Our guide was nice and so was the boat in spite of the heat. However, there was not much to see given Rumeli is all ruins and the top is inaccessible. Kucuksu was closed cause of national holiday which we were not informed. They tried to provide Anadolu Hisari as an alternative but it literally was nothing but seeing some walls from far. I’d rather not do it again. But it’s cheap and easy. Also, they drop wherever you want which was very nice. Very friendly people.
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Posted On : 2022-09-26 10:42:21
Posted By : Sandra_M
The guide was incredible... Easy to understand his English, knew his history, well organized. Snacks were delicious.
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Posted On : 2022-09-23 09:30:29
Posted By : Anissa_S
This was a wonderful tour and we’re happy we did it. Everything went really smoothly. The boat and the shuttles were comfortable. We were happy that we could sit in the shade on the lower level of the boat while enjoying the open air breeze and views. Our guide, Aslan, was super nice, spoke excellent English, and provided great information. We did the half day which was perfect because we weren’t interested in swimming. The three stops were exactly as described with time to grab breakfast at the lovely restaurant right next to the pier in Ortakoy. That worked out well. We’d definitely recommend this excursion.
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Posted On : 2022-08-11 15:38:48
Posted By : Angela_D
The tour was very beautiful and the tour guide knowledgeable and friendly. The only reason why I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is that the drop off to the hotel was a mess: firstly they said I had to take a tram as there was traffic, I said I was happy to if they gave me further instructions on how to get to the hotel as it was my first day in Istanbul and I had no internet to check on Google maps, but the guy (not the guide) said that he had to go and couldn't help. Then the driver dropped me in a totally different hotel which was 15 mins walking away from my hotel. He didn't speak English so he couldn't give me instructions on how to get to the hotel and kept referring to the wrong hotel.
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Posted On : 2022-08-07 14:28:34
Posted By : Aiman_J
Loved stopping at the historical Rumeli fortress which we would not have gone to otherwise.
Ortakoy mosque and the palace are really beautiful.
This tour takes you to some lesser known places which is good if you’ve already seen the main sites in central Istanbul.
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Posted On : 2022-05-13 02:44:20
Posted By : Michael_H
This is a wonderful cruise on the Bosphorus. The half day tour goes out to Rumeli fortress; the full day goes all the way to the Black Sea. So it depends on how much time you wish to spend. You get to visit several sites including a a mosque next to Dolmabahce Palace, Climbing the ruins of Rumeli fortress is fascinating. You can just picture the Ottomans beseiging Constaninople. Out guide was very knowledgable about the history.
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Posted On : 2019-09-23 15:49:17
Posted By : hm_vaca
This was a really fun tour. The pickup process was a breeze and the boat was very comfortable. Once we started the tour, they informed us we'd be skipping the Rumeli Fortress since it's closed on Wednesdays, and we went to the Maiden Tower instead. I had been looking forward to the fortress and didn't realize they had a different itinerary on Wednesday, so that was disappointing. The rest of the tour was lovely, though. Our tourguide was friendly, helpful, and knew a lot about all the places we visited.
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Posted On : 2018-11-24 15:17:21 
