Bosphorus Strait

The Bosphorus, Ox-ford in English, runs for about twenty miles, at times like a river, at times as if a land-enclosed lake; then, before joining the Black Sea, it becomes a rocky, wild channel. The Bosphorus breathes calmly and regularly, and the flow of caiques echoes the rhythm with their slow splashes. Not only does the Bosphorus electrify the traveler by its light, but it also intoxicates him by the white incandescence of the sun on its bosom with blue sky pouring into it. It runs through the city of Istanbul, splitting it into two halves the city built on seven hills and described by one of her early foreign lovers, Julia Pardoe: Its clear calm sky, its glittering sea, its amphitheater of thickly-peopled hills, its geographical position, its political importance and above all, its surprising novelty, tend to make every day in that gorgeous scene, and under that sunny sky, a season of intense enjoyment.

2 hours 30 minutes

Dolmabahce Palace (Pass By)

Until the 17th century, the area where t the palace is today was one of the bays along the Bosphorus the legendary sailing vessel, ARGOS on which the Argonauts set off to find the Golden Fleece, anchored here.

Ortakoy (Pass By)

Ortaköy Mosque officially the Büyük Mecidiye Camii in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey, is situated at the waterside of the Ortaköy pier square, one of the most popular locations on the Bosphorus.

Bosphorus Bridge (Pass By)

Which was inaugurated on October 29, 1973, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Turkish Republic, has the longest span in Europe and the fourth in the world. This suspension bridge has a total length of 1560 metres (1706 yards) and a width of 33.4 metres (110ft). The span between pylons is 1074 metres (1175 yards) and the clearance above sea level is 64 metres (210ft). The construction of the steel box-girder suspension was carried out by a British-german consortium. The second bridge to link Europe and Asia over the Bosphorus will be completed in 1989 between Emirgan and Kanlica.

Dolmabahce Mosque (Pass By)

The Dolmabahçe Mosque is a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. It was commissioned by queen's mother Bezmi Alem Valide Sultan.

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (Pass By)

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge, is a bridge in Istanbul, Turkey spanning the Bosphorus strait. When completed in 1988, it was the 5th-longest suspension bridge span in the world; today it is the 24th

Kanlica Meydani

Kanlıca welcomes its guests with its Pier (İskele) Square, monumental plane tree, 126 years old Turkish Caffee House, ever-smiling locals, seaside tranquility, and of course Kanlica Yogurt. İskele (Pier) Square is the heart of Kanlıca. The monumental plane tree in the center is almost resisting time with its grace and last big branch. It’s impossible not to daydream as you sip your foamy Turkish coffee at the 126-year-old coffeehouse İsmail Ağa Kahvesi with a view of the sea. Along with Turkish Caffee or instead of you should have Kanlica Yogurt, it is especially thick and citric, a quality coming from the mixture of cow’s and sheep’s milk. For full experience try it with powdered sugar or honey. Taking its name after the neighborhood. Kanlica Yogurt is a local trademark best enjoyed at its place of origin, established in 1870, İsmail Aga Cafe.

30 minutes

Beylerbeyi Palace (Pass By)

Situated on the Asiatic shore of the Bosphorus between the villages of Kuzguncuk and Cengelköy, the palace was built by Sultan Abdülaziz in 1865. Beylerbeyi Palace seen from the Bosphorus floats like a white vision in a fairy tale. It is the most extravagant royal house of the 19th Century on which millions were spent. It is built completely of marble, surpassing all the Palaces of European Kings. Empress Eugénie, during her visit of 1869 stayed in this palace as well as Czar Nicholas Il of Russia. Edward VIII was a guest in 1936. Stone lionesses recline on marble carpets set in lawns, and swans float and fish swim in the unobtrusive pool where pigeons fly to catch the spray of the fountain upon their wings.

Rumeli Fortress (Pass By)

At the narrowest point of the Bosphorus stands the Rumelihisarr Fortress, built by Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror on the European shore. The Sultan himself on the 26th day of March 1452 laid the foundation stone of the Fortress with a view to controlling the passage of the ships through the Bosphorus and using it as a base for his attack on the city. The fortress or castle was built upon the ancient site of Hermaion. It was completed in five months on August 28th 1452. The cannon on the towers could command this narrowest part of the Bosphorus opposite the older fortress of Anadoluhisarr. Darius in 500 BC had thrown a pontoon bridge across the Strait at this point and passed over 700,000 men. To Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror, it was the key to Constantinople. The design of the walls and the towers display the Prophet's and the Conqueror's name - Muhammet - Mehmet.

KIz Kulesi (Pass By)

About 180 meters away from the shores of Üsküdar stands this tower which bears two different names. Europeans who named it the Leander's Tower thought that it was here where Leander was drowned while attempting to swim the Bosphorus to reach his beloved Hero, the priestess of Aphrodite. But, in fact, Leander never crossed here even in the legend which refers to the The story of the Maiden's Tower, which has never been verified goes like this. Constantine built the tower here to protect his daughter since a magician had foretold she would be bitten by a snake. She was imprisoned and grew to womanhood there, until an officer of the Imperial Palace, fell in love with her beauty and sent her a basket of peaches and figs. The snake which had hidden under a fig leaf bit the Princess, who was at the point of death when the Officer arrived and sucked the poison from her arm. The lower was rebuilt during Ahmet III’s reign.

Galata Koprusu (Pass By)

The Galata Bridge is a bridge that spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. From the end of the 19th century in particular, the bridge has featured in Turkish literature, theater, poetry and novels.

Galata Tower (Pass By)

The Galata Tower, called Christea Turris by the Genoese, is a medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karaköy quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, just to the north of the Golden Horn's junction with the Bosphorus.

Kucuksu Pavilion (Pass By)

The summer Palace of Kucuksu, sometimes called the Palace of Göksu, is situated between the villages of Anadoluhisan and Kandilli on the Asiatic shore of the Bosphorus. The Kucuksu Palace was first built by Mahmut I in 1749. Later it underwent a restoration during the reigns of Selim Ill and Ahmet Il. It was renovated by Sultan Abdülmecit in 1857. Sultan Abdülaziz gave the palace a new face-lift and had it refurbished and redecorated. It is a small but elegant edifice, stretching along the lip of the Bosphorus, surrounded by intricately cast-iron railings. Waters and waves of the Bosphorus wash its terraces of glittering marble and sometimes penetrate their latticed and mysterious recesses.