Istanbul · Cibali Pier · families

The Bosphorus, for the whole Family Dinner Cruise tonight

Children under four sail free, children from four to nine pay €5 less than an adult, and everybody sits at one table in a heated salon with the show in the room and the Bosphorus behind the glass. The show is eight acts — a spinning dervish, a belly dancer in sequins, Romani dancers, Caucasian dancers with a knife show, folk dances, drums the whole room claps to, a live violin and then a DJ — which goes a long way towards three hours of a child's attention. Here is the family evening honestly: what it costs, what the children eat, how late it runs and what to bring.

Reserve a Family Table → See the Children's Prices →

Ages 0–3 free Ages 4–9 pay €19.60 Heated salons 4.9 Google rating

The adult price is €24.60 with dinner, the show and soft drinks included. Children are priced by age, and the family bill is added up below so that the number on the night is the one you expected.

Ages 0–3: Free. A place at the family's table, sharing from it, and nothing on the bill.
Ages 4–9: €19.60, which is €5 less than the adult price. A seat of their own, a main course of their own from the four, dessert, and the same unlimited soft drinks as everyone.
Age 10 and over: €24.60, the full price. Teenagers eat like adults and are priced like them.
Two adults, a 7-year-old and a 2-year-old: €24.60 + €24.60 + €19.60 + €0 = €68.80 for the whole family, paid on board.
Two adults and two teenagers: 4 × €24.60 = €98.40. Add the transfer for four at €5 each and it is €118.40 with the hotel handled both ways.
Never charged: No deposit, no booking fee, no service charge, and free cancellation until 19:00 on the day. A child who falls ill in the afternoon costs you a message, not a fee.

Tell us the ages when you book

The reservation form on this page asks for the number of children and their age band, and a WhatsApp message can simply say "two adults, one child aged seven, one aged two". The booking and the bill follow from it: the right number of places and a total that matches this page.

There is no children's menu, and there does not need to be one. A Turkish dinner is a table of small dishes before it is anything else, and a child can make a whole meal out of the first course without ever meeting a plate they did not choose.

01The meze: Ten cold dishes to share, on the table before the boat leaves. A child picks at what they recognise and ignores the rest, and nobody minds.
02Börek: Warm savoury pastry after the cold mezes, and the easiest course on the table for a child who is unsure about the rest.
03The main: Every child with a paid place chooses their own from the four: salmon, sea bass, a chicken skewer or a beef skewer, each with a seasonal salad and garnish. A skewer is the easy answer for a child who does not want fish.
04Dessert: The house semolina dessert, sweet and simple, and rarely left on a child's plate.
05Drinks: Water, juice and cola for every guest, all evening, without limit and without a bill: unlimited soft drinks are inside the price. There is nothing to order and nothing to add up at the end.
06Allergies: Tell us on WhatsApp when you book and we pass it to the kitchen. A vegetarian platter is prepared on request at no extra cost.

This is the part of the page a parent should read twice. The cruise is an evening, not an afternoon: the boat leaves at 21:00 and is back between 23:45 and midnight, and in between it does not stop. Here is the evening as a family will live it.

20:00: Doors open. Come early with children: the boat is still alongside at Cibali, the open decks are quiet enough to explore with a parent, tables are chosen as you arrive so you can pick one that suits a family, and the meze is on the table before the engines start, so the first half hour is dinner at a standstill.
21:00: The ropes come off and the boat slides out of the Golden Horn under the Galata Bridge, with Galata Tower lit above Karaköy, and the hot courses arrive. The salon is warm, the seats are chairs at a table, and a small child can be on a lap or in a seat as they prefer.
The show: Eight acts, described below from a child's point of view. It runs while dinner is served, in the same room, so there is no moving anywhere and no interval to fill.
After dessert: The DJ takes over the dance floor in front of the stage, the adults drift onto it, and it is normal at this hour to see a child asleep on a chair by the window with a coat over them. The Asian shore goes past outside.
23:45 to 00:00: Back in the Golden Horn and alongside at Cibali. The T5 tram stop is a short walk from the pier, but with a sleeping child the hotel transfer at €5 a person, free under four and arranged before you board, earns its price on this stretch alone.

The one thing to decide before you book

Bedtime. The boat cannot stop and nobody can go ashore early, so a child who is finished at half past ten is on board, warm and fed, until midnight. For most children over five that is an adventure. For a toddler it depends on the toddler, and you know yours. If you book, book the transfer, arrive at 20:00 rather than 20:50, and let them sleep at the table when they are done.

The Turkish night programme was not written for children, and that is why it works for them: nothing is talked down, everything is loud, bright and close, and it is over before anyone asks how much longer. Eight acts, one by one here; on the night the order changes.

01The spinning man: The whirling dervish: a man in a white skirt and a tall hat who turns on the spot for minutes at a time with one hand up and one hand down, and does not fall over. It is the quiet act of the night, and he turns on the floor between the tables. Tell them beforehand that it is a kind of prayer and they will watch it differently.
02The dancers: The folk dances of Turkey, by a troupe in embroidered costume: fast, loud and precise, and often right between the tables. This is the act children talk about in the taxi home.
03The drums: The rhythm show: darbuka and drums, played live and loud enough to get the whole salon clapping in time. The first act a child takes part in rather than watches.
04The belly dancer: Sequins, light and a full routine on the floor between the tables. It is a family show: belly dance in Turkey is the dance of weddings, performed in front of grandmothers and toddlers, and on this boat it is exactly that.
05The Romani dance: Turkish Romani dance: quick, bright and playful, with a beat that small children pick up and clap to almost at once.
06The knife show: The Caucasian dance and the knife show that comes with it: stamping feet, flashing blades and perfect timing, all in the hands of professionals. The act older children tend to remember; a younger one may want a hand to hold.
07The violin: A live violin, played among the tables rather than only from the stage, a few steps from a child's chair.
08The DJ: Dessert, then the DJ on the dance floor in front of the stage for the run home, and the lit shore of the Asian side going past the windows for anyone still awake.

The questions parents ask that other guests do not, answered as plainly as we can.

The salons: Two of them, enclosed, heated in winter and air-conditioned in summer, with tables and chairs rather than benches, and panoramic windows so a child at the table has the shore going past at eye level.
The open decks: At the bow and at the stern, out in the air. They are for the bridges and the photographs, and children go out with an adult. On a wet night they close and the evening carries on inside.
The water: The Bosphorus is a sheltered strait rather than open sea, and the Golden Horn, where the evening starts and ends, is calmer still. On an ordinary night the motion is slight enough that most people forget they are afloat.
Toilets: On board, as on any passenger boat.

Noise: The show is a stage show with amplified music and it is loud in places, the rhythm show and the DJ set most of all. A baby who sleeps through anything will sleep through it; one who does not may not. The open decks are the quiet option.
Prams: Bring one if you need it. The Cibali stop of the T5 tram is a short walk from the pier, or the hotel transfer brings you to the pier itself. Tables are chosen on arrival, so come early and pick one with room for a folded pram beside it.
High chairs: Ask on WhatsApp when you book and we will tell you what the boat has that night.
What to bring: A layer for the open decks in any season, and something for a child to sleep under after dessert. Nothing to print: the reservation is a name on the list at the gangway.

Bosphorus dinner cruise with kids — frequently asked

Is the Bosphorus dinner cruise suitable for children?

Yes. Families sail every night. The salons are heated and enclosed, the show is a family show, soft drinks are unlimited, and children are priced by age: free under four, €19.60 from four to nine, full price from ten.

Do babies and toddlers pay?

No. Children aged 0–3 sail free, with a place at the family's table and nothing on the bill.

What does a child aged 4 to 9 pay?

€19.60, which is €5 less than the adult price of €24.60. That buys a seat of their own, their own main course chosen from the four, dessert and unlimited soft drinks.

From what age is it full price?

From age 10. Teenagers pay the adult €24.60.

Is there a children's menu?

No separate menu, and no need for one: ten mezes to pick at, warm börek, a main course from four that includes a chicken skewer, the house semolina dessert, and unlimited soft drinks, which means juice, cola and water all evening. A vegetarian platter is prepared on request. Allergies: tell us on WhatsApp when you book.

How late does it finish?

The boat is alongside at Cibali between 23:45 and midnight, every night. It is a late evening for a young child, which is why we say so here rather than after you have booked. The hotel transfer at €5 a person, free under four, is the easiest way home with a sleeping child.

Can we leave early if the children get tired?

No. The boat does not stop between departure and return, so nobody can go ashore before midnight. Plan for the full evening: arrive at 20:00 so the children have eaten before the boat moves, and let them sleep at the table after dessert.

Is the belly dance suitable for children?

Yes. It is a family show: belly dance in Turkey is a wedding dance performed in front of every generation, and the routine on this boat is exactly that. It is danced on the floor between the tables, close enough for a child to see every sequin.

Are the open decks safe for children?

The open decks are at the bow and the stern, and children go out with an adult. The salons are enclosed, and on a wet night the open decks close and the whole evening is indoors.

Can I bring a pram?

Yes. The Cibali stop of the T5 tram is a short walk from the pier, or the hotel transfer brings you to the pier itself. Tables are chosen on arrival, so come early and pick one with room for a folded pram.

Are there high chairs?

Ask on WhatsApp when you book and we will tell you what is available on the night, rather than promising something here and being wrong.

Can a family book for tonight?

Yes, until the 21:00 departure, subject to space. Say how many adults and children and their ages, and the booking is confirmed by message within minutes. Cancellation is free until 19:00.

The Bosphorus, for the whole Family Dinner Cruise tonight

What children pay

Tell us the ages when you book

What a child actually eats

How late it runs, honestly

The one thing to decide before you book

The show, seen from a metre off the floor

Warm, enclosed, and on calm water

Questions parents ask us

Bring everyone

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