Bosphorus, Turkey

The Bosporus or Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait, is a strait that forms the boundary between the European part (Rumelia) of Turkey and its Asian part (Anatolia). The world's narrowest strait used for international navigation, it connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara.

There are two suspension toll bridges on this Strait: the Bogazici Bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. The shores of Bosphorus rise to heights up to 200m (650ft) and are lined with palaces, ruins, villages, and gardens. The best way of seeing the Bosphorus in all its beauty is to take a trip on one of the coastal boats, in this way you can also admire many of the old Ottoman wooden houses (called Yali in Turkish).

Some of the interesting palaces, buildings or neighborhoods on the Bosphorus are: Galata tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Ciragan Palace, Yildiz Palace, Besiktas, Ortaköy, Arnavutköy, Bebek, Rumeli Fortress, Tarabya, Yeniköy, Istinye, Sariyer, Uskudar (Scutari), Kanlica, Beykoz, Anatolian Fortress, Beylerbeyi Palace and Kuleli Military High school.

Things to See & Do

* Visit Ottoman Palaces
* Shore Villages
* Istanbul Modern Art Museum
* Fortresses

General Information

Cruise Season – Feb to Dec
Currency - New Turkish Lira (YTL)
Language – Turkish
Land Area – 780, 580 km² (Turkey)
Population – 73,000,000 approx (Turkey)
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC plus two hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 90

Port Location – Cruises dock at a number of locations along Bosphorus, including Eminonu Ferryboat docks, Rumeli Kavagi and Anadolu Kavagi.

Travel Links – The cheapest way to experience Bosphorus in Istanbul would be to take one of the public ferries that travel between the Anatolian and Rumelian sides of the city. They depart every 45 minutes. There are also faster ferries that take off every 10 minutes, but the slower ones will give you more opportunity to see the city. One can also take a ride on a variety of tourist ships, from modern ones to Ottoman style ones.