What a great experience for Turkish night! The entertainment was amazing! Food, service, and care…read morefrom staff was phenomenal. Will definitely be back next trip.

This was such a wonderful experience. So here I am in Turkey and I'm solo going to this dinner…read morecruise. My experience at this point led me to majority of people who did not speak English (expected). In my mind I'm quite nervous because I'm thinking I'm going to be thrown at a table with strangers and won't be able to have a conversation. I was wrong. I was at a table with some very nice ladies and we had a good time. The staff: Very nice and personable staff. They had 1 member who was what I will call the hype man. He was really great at his job. Tahsin, was there to get the crowd dancing after the show. He even danced with the ladies who wanted to dance. You could tell he genuinely was there to make sure you had a good time. He also was happy to take some pictures for me. The cruise: The boat is very well maintained and it has an indoor and outdoor area. During warmer times the show is outdoors. This night it was inside but the windows were very large and you still had a wonderful view. As you are eating dinner and the boat goes down the water way and there is an announcement periodically that will tell you about the landmarks. It's very beautiful because everything is lit up bright. Before you get off if you are indoors make sure to go upstairs outside where there are wonderful photo opportunities and views. I was concerned with the attire for the show since most people in Turkey were rather conservative (not many bare arm tank tops or cleavage) I played it safe and wore a a shawl around my open arms and low top. I didn't feel out of place. The show: The show itself was so cool. They had a few different dances that told a non-verbal story and the final performer was a belly dancer. She was really great as she engaged with the entire crowd. I joke and called her dance the Turkish Twerk. When she was shaking her boody right in front of me, I was not sure if it was appropriate to "make it rain" with tips for her. I did notice she did have some bills in her top, so chances are tipping is okay. After Party: After the show the dance floor opens up and the DJ plays a variety of world dance party music. The beats were good now matter what type of music you listen to so you can have a good time dancing even if you don't know the words to the song. The Food: The food was good. The appetizer was what seemed to be a traditional Turkish cold dish. The main course was a pretty standard meal. You had the choice of Chicken or Fish. I chose the Chicken. I saw others with the fish and it was full piece of fish with head attached. (yikes for me!) Transportation: Transportation was provided from and to your hotel. My hotel was a little ways out of the normal route however, the company was able to provide a driver to accommodate me for a small fee. After the show, make sure you follow the guides to the pickup area so you get to your correct bus.

We took a ferry from Kadikoy to Eminonu and it was just easy as pie. First of all, you need to…read morefind the terminal to go to, since there are many destinations across the Bosphorous. We found the one for Eminonu and using our IstanbulKart, we got into the area for the specific ferry we wanted...between the two towns there are ferries like every 5-10 minutes...so it's easy to get on at a convenient time. The ferries are huge and most have an upper deck and a lower deck. Some have a triple open deck. We sat on the second deck and admired the sights as we went from one side of Istanbul to the other. It took about 30 minutes and the cost was less than a $1. All these ferries have lavatories and a coffee shop. Once they arrive to port, it takes them like 2-3 min to empty the passengers and they are ready to load the next group to go back....Amazing...

The TurYol bosphorous "cruise" is 12 TL, and leaves every half hour. Be there a half hour…read morebeforehand for boarding, and if you can, snag a seat on the port (left side) of the boat for the best views. The announcer only discusses the sights you're passing in Turkish, and the PA is very difficult to decipher so if you're not Turkish-fluent, don't expect a lot of guidance. Tour guides can get on for free, though, so if you have a guide with you you're golden! Great opportunity for some nice photos of all the riverside palaces in Istanbul, and to get a sense of just how permeated this landscape is with history. You will be packed in, though, with tons and tons of families and plenty of rowdy children... So if crowds aren't your thing, spend the extra cash and go on a more private Bosphorous excursion.

The day cruise on Bosphorus River is almost a must do tour by many tour group. This cruise display…read moremany buildings and historic landmarks along river. The cruise is about 1 hour. The ship did a stop near Asia side Istanbul. Then head back to the original port. If you join the second tour to Asia side of Istanbul, you will get off here. I decided to head back to the Europe side Istanbul. The cruise allows you to see the long suspension bridge that cross under. You also can see some landmarks on the top of the hill. Palaces mostly on the riverside.

The Bosphorus cruise is a must do in Istanbul…read more The Bosphorus is where Europe and Asia flirt shamelessly across a narrow strip of water. This strait, slicing Istanbul in half, has been causing geographical identity crises since forever. Want to sip tea on one continent while judging the traffic on another? The Bosphorus says, Sure, hun. Historically, it's been the watery red carpet for empires including the Byzantines, Ottomans, and now Instagram influencers. Fun fact: the current flows two ways because one direction just wasn't dramatic enough. So yeah, even the water here is extra. In short: it's blue, it's historic, it's chaotic, just like your life.

They're the worst. Don't expect anything from them, they won't even begin to consider your needs -…read morethey just reject what you request, up front. At least they are honest in this regard. Find another yacht service. This one is really bad news. Avoid them like the plaque.

From the owner: Specializes in operating private yacht cruises in Istanbul ideal for couples, families and small…read moregroups or we also provide larger yachts for corporate groups and weddings. If you are looking for a cruise in comfort and style that is calming and relaxing with great service and views, then Zoe Yacht is it. Try one of our tours on the Bosphorus, Black Sea or Princes' Islands to see the difference. Hourly and daily custom cruises available. * Best rates guaranteed owner-direct on our website, nowhere else. * FREE pick up from selected piers and European side city center hotels. * 24/7 English speaking office support. Book online instantly and securely using our online booking system on our website.

I'll start with WOW and go from there. I've done a few of the free walking tours with the…read moreSandeman's folks and they did a great job in Edinburgh and Prague but they're not in Istanbul so I turned to Yelp and found these folks. Meeting by the Cistern, we walked a solid 20,000 steps (according to my Fitbit) through a half dozen of Istanbul's best known sites including the Topkapı Sarayı, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia. Along the way, we made several stops and there were a good number of spots where our super tour guide gave us time to explore on our own. When she led us around, she had constant knowledge of the sites and the city of Istanbul and of Turkey. A vast and deep knowledge. I was impressed. Our tour was well organized and well run. The lunch spot was excellent. A couple of tips. - Bring a backpack and a bottle or two of water. - An umbrella is a good idea as the tour runs even if it's raining. - Sunscreen! - Comfortable walking shoes that have a good tread. Istanbul's streets are smooth stone and you don't want to slip and fall. - For the Blue Mosque, you'll be expected to dress appropriately. There are free head coverings. - Extra batteries for your phone/camera. You will take a lot of pictures in six hours! - Pay attention to the meet up spots after the self-exploration. A certain Yelper *cough* Bruce K. *cough* got himself separated from the tour and was nearly stuck on his own until he spotted the green umbrella!

In the past year I've had some pretty fun adventures all over the USA, in China, Korea, Australia,…read moreNew Zealand, Canada, Germany, the UK, Spain, the UAE, and now Istanbul. While I've had a lot of fun in all those places, I can say unequivocally that my Istanbul Classics small group tour with Metin has been the best $90 USD I have ever spent on any activity in any of those places. If you are considering a tour of Istanbul and questioning whether you should do it with Daily Istanbul Tours, with some other tour organizer, or on your own, I can assure you that the best decision will be to book with DIT and be sure to request Metin as your guide. I won't bore you with details of the sites we saw, since you can get all of that information from their website. What I'll do instead is share a little about why this tour ended up being the highlight of our holiday: * It's easy enough to find and get into the sites, but there is so much information out there about them that it's really hard to distill it all into useful material. Metin is an expert on each site and knows exactly what the most interesting and relevant details are; he'll definitely help you make the most of your time at each place you go. Going on our own would be been stupid; we would have wasted hours wandering around, not really knowing what the more significant parts were or what we were looking at, etc. With so little time and so much to see, it was important to use our time efficiently, which we definitely did. * There can be something intimidating about being in a foreign country, especially if you are easily recognizable as a foreigner, don't speak the language, and aren't traveling with a group. Spending a day with Metin lets you truly relax and focus on the amazing sites without having to constantly watch your back or worry about getting screwed (which is a concern in any major city). With Metin, there's no pressure to buy any random crap, no worries about cultural faux-pas, and nobody bothering you at all when they see you are with him. If someone does approach you, he will dispatch them quickly. * Whatever random questions you have, I guarantee Metin will be able to answer them. Want to know what material a wall was built from? Metin knows its chemical composition. Want to know what year a building was constructed? He can tell you when each part of it was created, how long it took, how it was made, who made it, how many times it has been destroyed, where the materials came from, etc. Curious about some Turkish or Islamic history? Metin knows the years, the people, the hows, and the whys. And don't worry about being able to understand him and communicate easily; his English is fantastic, with a slight British accent on some words, which is an extra bonus for us Americans who don't get to hear real English very often * Metin is very personable and took a sincere interest in making sure we had the best possible time in Istanbul. When I mentioned that I really wanted to smoke some narguile, he made sure we were able to get some after our lunch. While we were hanging out at the café, several of his friends happened to be passing by or were around, so he introduced us to all of them and we ended up having some very interesting conversations. We had such a great time on the tour but didn't have any plans later for our last night in Istanbul, so Metin invited us to meet up with them later since they would be hanging out along Istiklal near our hotel. We ended up spending another few hours together that evening and into the early morning hours talking about all sorts of interesting topics, exploring some really fascinating areas that we would otherwise have missed, and meeting more people. This was advertised as a 4 to 6-person small group tour, but due to the season and perhaps people's irrational fears about coming to Turkey, it ended up just being me, my dad, and Metin. This definitely helped contribute to the awesomeness of the experience, but I have no doubt that a group of any size would get great value out of a tour with him as well. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Daily Istanbul Tours and Metin for making our trip to Turkey so memorable.

Very nice boat ride. Charlie, the MC, and the entertainers were fabulous…read more The food was ok. Nice view.

From the owner: Istanbul Dinner Cruise. istanbul Bosphorus Boat Tours…read more istanbul Daily City Tours. Istanbul Tours. Bursa Tours. Gallipoli Tours.

The istanbulcard is sold here in front of the station. From here you can also take the boat to the…read moreprince's islands.