A Bosphorus cruise guide: which boat, how long

The boat passes Dolmabahce Palace, Ortakoy Mosque, Rumeli Fortress, the Maiden's Tower and the wooden waterside mansions on both shores. Seeing the city from the water gives a perspective hours of walking cannot, and it is the most productive part of the day for photographs. The upper deck is best for the view but windy; a light jacket helps.

At midday the sun is overhead and photographs come out harsh. Late afternoon and sunset are best for both light and temperature; in summer that is also when it starts to cool. Fixing the boat time in advance also settles the order of the day's other stops.

The municipal ferry is the cheapest and most local option. It leaves from Eminönü, you board with an İstanbulkart, and it passes close to both shores. The drawbacks are the crowds and being tied to a timetable; finding a seat at busy hours is hard.

A tour boat is a scheduled service organised for visitors. It leaves from the Eminönü and Kabataş piers, usually takes two hours, and runs up to Rumeli Fortress or the second bridge and back. The deck is open, there is commentary, and it is the easiest for photographs. Tickets are bought at the pier.

Chartering a private boat is the third route; chosen for groups or a special day, and priced noticeably above the other two. We do not offer private yacht or boat charter — the Bosphorus trip in our tour uses a scheduled tour boat.

Which to choose depends on the purpose: the ferry is enough to see the view, a tour boat for comfortable photographs and commentary, and the early morning for staying away from the crowds.

A boat leaving Eminönü passes first under the Galata Bridge; the silhouette of the historic peninsula on one side, Karaköy on the other. Then Tophane and Kabataş.

Seen from the water, Dolmabahçe Palace shows its true façade — the one you cannot see from the land side. Immediately after come Beşiktaş and Ortaköy; the frame in which the Ortaköy Mosque appears with the foot of the bridge is the most photographed point on the Bosphorus.

Past the bridge the waterfront mansions begin on both shores: wooden houses, most of them nineteenth century. Kuzguncuk and Beylerbeyi on the Asian side, Arnavutköy and Bebek on the European.

Rumeli Fortress is the turning point of most tours; built by Mehmed the Conqueror before the siege, its scale only registers from the water. Opposite stands Anadolu Fortress, smaller and older.

On the way back the light changes and the same shore looks entirely different — which is why moving seats is worth it if you would otherwise stay on the same side.