Luxury Bosphorus Dinner Cruise — All In

On most evenings out, the number you were quoted and the number on the bill are two different numbers. Here they are the same one. What follows is the whole ledger of this cruise: what the €24.30 buys, what may be added and exactly what it costs, and what is never charged at all.

All-In

The evening · one price

Dinner Cruise

€40.50€24.30/ person

Doors at 20:00, lines off at 21:00, alongside again between 23:45 and midnight. Nothing on this list is billed by the item once you are aboard.

3 hours on the water Kabataş departure Pay on board

In the €24.30

A table held in your name — in the heated salon, along the panoramic windows, stage in view
Ten cold mezes, on the table as the boat leaves the pier
Hot starter — börek straight from the oven
A main course of your choosing, from five:
Fish: grilled salmon · grilled sea bass
Chicken: chicken skewer
Meat: beef skewer
Vegetarian: falafel, roasted potatoes, bulgur pilaf, stewed vegetables
Seasonal salad and semolina dessert
Unlimited soft drinks all evening — water, cola, juice
The complete night show — whirling dervish, folk dance, belly dance, then DJ and live saxophone

Reserve the Evening →

If you want it — optional, fixed, decided when you book

+

Drinks Package +€10 / person

Two glasses per person from the bar on board — wine, beer, rakı, vodka, whisky, gin, tequila, rum, cognac or champagne. Soft drinks stay unlimited for everyone at the table whether or not anyone takes this.

+

Hotel Transfer +€5 / person

Both directions. A driver collects you from your hotel in time for doors, and the same driver is waiting at Kabataş when the boat comes alongside — which matters more than it sounds when the evening ends near midnight.

+

Romantic Table +€15 / table

Candles and flowers, set before you arrive, so the table is already dressed when you are shown to it. Booked most often for proposals, anniversaries and first nights in Istanbul.

Never charged — not at booking, not on board

–

No deposit, no booking fee

Nothing is taken to hold the table. Payment happens once, on board, in cash (EUR, TRY, USD) or by card.

–

No cover charge, no service charge

The per-person price is the whole per-person price. Children aged 0–3 come aboard free, ages 4–9 pay €5 less, and from age 10 the full price applies.

–

No cancellation fee

Free up to two hours before we cast off — until 19:00. Since nothing was paid in advance, a message is all it takes.

One thing to be straight about

This is a shared cruise, not a private charter. You get your own table for the evening; so does everyone else on board. That is precisely why the night costs €24.30 instead of the several hundred euros a private boat runs to. If you are after exclusive use of a vessel, this is not it — and you should know that now rather than on the pier. If what you want is an evening that feels like an occasion, that is exactly what this is built for.

Four hours from doors to pier, and none of them rushed. Here is what happens and when, so you can plan the rest of the night around it.

Begin

The boat at Kabataş Pier before the evening cruise departs

Doors

20:00

Kabataş Pier, a minute's walk from the tram. Come early if you can — the hour before departure is the quietest the deck will be all night, and the light going down over the strait is worth the early arrival. Your reservation is confirmed at the gangway and you are shown to your table.

Cold Turkish mezes on the table as the cruise departs

Cast off

21:00

Lines come off and the mezes are already down. Salad and your main follow as the European shore starts sliding past the windows. There is no pace to keep up with — eat when you like, go up to the deck when you like, come back when the stage lights change.

Whirling dervish ceremony performed on board

The stage

Once under way

It opens quietly, with the whirling dervish ceremony. Then the folk dances of Anatolia and the Caucasus, the Oba Dombra rhythm, and belly dance as the high point of the night. All of it visible from your seat — nobody is asked to move.

Finale

Dessert, then the deck

After dessert

Dessert arrives and the night changes register: the DJ takes over with live saxophone over the top, the floor fills for those who want it, and the open deck stays for those who do not. The boat is alongside at Kabataş again between 23:45 and midnight — tram a minute away, taxis at the entrance, and your driver already waiting if you booked the transfer.

The Bosphorus after dark is a different strait from the one in the guidebooks. Marble that reads white at noon turns amber under floodlight, and the whole run of it goes past your table in three hours.

01Kabataş: The lines come off at 21:00, on the European shore.
02Dolmabahçe Palace: The long white façade lit from the water, minutes after departure.
03Çırağan Palace: The Ottoman waterfront at its most theatrical.
04Ortaköy Mosque: Small, floodlit, framed by the bridge standing behind it.
05The Bosphorus Bridge: Passing beneath, the colours shifting overhead.
06Bebek: The storied European bay — waterfront mansions, cafés and the promenade sliding past.
07Rumeli Fortress: Mehmed II's fortress of 1452, floodlit above the narrowest point of the strait.
08Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge: The second bridge — and the turn beneath it, where the run home begins.
09Anadolu Fortress: The older fortress across the water, first landmark of the Asian shore.
10Kandilli: The quiet headland where the strait narrows.
11Beylerbeyi Palace: The summer palace, seen from the water it was built to face.
12Kuzguncuk: Wooden houses and quiet piers along the Asian shore.
13Üsküdar: The Asian shoreline running past on the return leg.
14Maiden's Tower: The closest pass of the night, and the photograph everyone takes.
15Kabataş: Alongside again between 23:45 and midnight.

The route may vary with weather and sea conditions.

Comfort on the water is mostly a question of whether the weather can reach you. It can't.

Panoramic salon: Heated, glazed end to end, laid out so the Bosphorus is on view from every table rather than from a lucky few.
A stage, not a corner: The performance space is placed to be seen from the whole room. You are not choosing between a view of the water and a view of the show.
Open deck: Up top, in the air, for the bridge passes and the photographs. In rain it closes and the evening carries on inside without missing a beat.

Bar on board: Soft drinks are unlimited and already paid for. Anything from the spirits list comes through the drinks package, priced before you board.
A pier you can find: Kabataş: one minute from the T1 tram, five from Dolmabahçe Palace, five down from Taksim on the funicular.
Answered in your language: Reservations and questions run through WhatsApp in 32 languages, from the first message to the moment you step aboard.

Every photograph here was taken on this cruise — the table, the stage, the deck and the shoreline going past. Tap any of them to open the viewer.

The boat on the Bosphorus at night, seen from above

The whirling dervish ceremony opens the show

Çırağan Palace on the Bosphorus waterfront

Belly dance, the high point of the night

Rumeli Hisarı above the strait after dark

The cruise under way between the two shores

Dolmabahçe Palace seen from the Bosphorus

Caucasian folk dance during the programme

The deck rail, the city going past on both sides

Eminönü and the old city skyline from the water

Dinner plated as the boat leaves Kabataş

The strait from above, both continents in frame

Luxury Bosphorus dinner cruise — frequently asked

Is this a private yacht charter?

No. This is a shared evening cruise: you have your own reserved table, and other guests have theirs. That is exactly why the price is €24.30 rather than the several hundred euros a private charter costs. If you want the table itself to feel private, the romantic table setting (+€15 per table) is the closest thing to it.

What makes it a luxury dinner cruise at this price?

Everything that usually turns up as a surcharge is already inside the €24.30: a table by a panoramic window, ten cold mezes, a hot börek starter, a main course you choose from five, dessert, unlimited soft drinks and the complete live night show. Once you are aboard, nothing is billed by the item.

Can I request a window table?

The salon is built around its panoramic windows and the stage is placed to be visible from every table, so there is no bad seat to be stuck with. Tell us your preference on WhatsApp when you book and we will do what the night's seating plan allows.

Is alcohol included in the price?

Soft drinks — water, cola, juice — are unlimited and included for every guest. Alcohol is a separate, optional package: +€10 per person for two glasses of wine, beer, rakı, vodka, whisky, gin and more, served from the bar on board.

Do I pay in advance?

No. There is no prepayment and no booking fee. You pay on board, in cash (EUR, TRY or USD) or by card, and cancellation is free up to two hours before the 21:00 departure.

What should I wear?

Smart casual is right — most guests dress up a little for the evening, and there is no formal dress code to worry about. The open deck can be breezy over the water even in summer, so bring a light layer if you plan to spend time up there.

Is hotel transfer available?

Yes, both directions at +€5 per person. A driver collects you from your hotel before the cruise, and the same driver waits at the pier afterwards to take you back — worth having when the evening ends near midnight.

Can you arrange a proposal or an anniversary on board?

Yes. Add the romantic table (+€15 per table) — candles and flowers, set before you arrive. Message us on WhatsApp with the details and we will plan the timing of the moment with you.

What happens if it rains?

The salon is heated and enclosed, so dinner and the show carry on exactly as planned. Only the open deck closes. The cruise sails in any weather.

Do children pay?

Ages 0–3 come aboard free. Ages 4–9 pay €5 less than the adult price. From age 10 the full €24.30 applies. The vegetarian main is included at no extra cost if it suits them better.

Can I book for tonight?

Yes — same-day reservations are taken right up to the 21:00 departure, subject to availability. Message us on WhatsApp and we will confirm immediately.