Hotel Marius · Sirkeci
Bosphorus cruise from Eminönü: routes, timetables and prices
Updated:
Which boat goes where, how long each tour takes, and how to check today's departure times and fares without trusting a year-old blog. Eminönü is a five-minute walk from Hotel Marius.
Timetables and fares: where to check today's
Departure times and prices change with the season and are re-set every year, so any number printed in a blog is probably wrong. Three reliable places: the Şehir Hatları website and app for the public ferries and the long Bosphorus tour; the boards at the Eminönü piers, which show the day's departures; and our front desk, which checks the current timetable for you and can book a private boat if the public ones do not fit your day. As a rough shape of the day: the long tour leaves in the morning and returns in the late afternoon, the short loops run through the afternoon and more often at weekends and in summer, and the everyday commuter ferries to Üsküdar and Kadıköy run from early morning until late evening.
The long tour: up to Anadolu Kavağı
Once a day, in the morning, the long tour leaves Eminönü and calls at Beşiktaş, Üsküdar, Kanlıca, Sarıyer and Rumeli Kavağı before Anadolu Kavağı, the fishing village near the northern mouth of the Bosphorus. There is a break of a few hours there — time for lunch and the climb to the ruins of Yoros Castle — and the ferry comes back the same way in the afternoon. Allow about six hours in all. It is a long day and the return follows the same route, but it is the only way to see the whole strait from a public ferry. It runs every day of the year; check the current departure time on the Şehir Hatları website.
Stay at Hotel Marius
Stay with us in Sirkeci. Hotel Marius is a boutique hotel in Sirkeci, in the heart of Istanbul's old city: 50 m from the Marmaray and the tram, rooms cleaned every day, a quiet lobby and a front desk staffed around the clock — a comfortable, safe base to come back to. Breakfast is included, and booking direct costs no extra fee.
- Booked directly — no middleman, no booking fee
- Free cancellation up to 5 days before check-in (flexible rate)
- Breakfast included in every room
- 24-hour front desk, we answer in person
-
Superior Double / Twin20 m² · Double or twin beds
from about €101 per night
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Deluxe Double23 m² · Double or twin beds
from about €114 per night
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Deluxe Triple25 m² · Double bed & sofa bed
from about €126 per night
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The short tour: an afternoon loop
The short tour leaves Eminönü in the afternoon, calls at Üsküdar on the Asian shore and Ortaköy on the European shore, passing Dolmabahçe Palace on the way, and returns to Eminönü — roughly two hours on the water. It suits a day when you also want to see Hagia Sophia or the Grand Bazaar in the morning.
Private boats and the everyday ferries
Along the Eminönü waterfront, private boats sell shorter trips, often around an hour and a half; agree on the route and the return time before you board. For just a taste of the water, the ordinary ferries from Eminönü to Üsküdar or Kadıköy run all day and cross to the Asian side in under half an hour, with tea served on board.
Where to sit and when to go
Heading up the Bosphorus, the European shore — Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortaköy Mosque, Rumeli Hisarı — is on the left and the Asian shore on the right. In summer the open decks fill first, so board early. The light is softest late in the afternoon, and coming back into the old city at sunset, with the domes and minarets ahead, is the view people remember. In winter the saloons are heated but the wind on deck is sharp; our front desk lends umbrellas free of charge.
From Hotel Marius
Walk down to the Eminönü waterfront — about five minutes from our door — and buy your ticket at the Şehir Hatları pier. Breakfast is included, so the morning long tour fits in after breakfast and you are back in the old city by early evening. If you would like help with the day's timetable or a private boat, ask the front desk, which is open 24 hours.
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