Bosphorus River, Istanbul

I first gazed upon the Bosphorus over a full moon from high up at the top of the hill in Arnavurkoy. It was in September 2000. I cannot forget that sight. Five years later I still find myself returning to gaze at that moon over the Bosphorus. It never fails to raise my spirits. The rest is icing on the cake. Some see Istanbul differently but its beauty never fails to impress me despite the street traffic, noise and general conditions that are prevalent in any large city. I always have a fantastic time with friends old and new. By the Bosphorus: have someone you love walk by you along its shores, wake up to its magnificence, kiss it goodnight (or good morning) before you go to bed, delight in its dancing ripples caught in the moonlight called yakamoz...perhaps like me, you 'll be dreaming of returning to it over and over again...

If you are going between Eminönü and Anadolu Kavagi you will all the way have Europe on one side and Asia on the other. And the ferry is going back and forth between both sides. It feels quite special to look at those two continents at the same time, so close to each other.

The photo is taken leaving Anadolu Kavagi, towards the Black Sea.

bosphorus might just look like any other place with a lot of boats passing by at first, but the place is brimming with history.
few places in this world has seen more battles over the years and it also devides europe and asia.
it's really a special feeling to see this place if you know a little history.

From Eminönü there is a ferry going up through Bosphorus to Anadolu Kavagi, stopping at a few places on the way, both on the European and on the Asian shore. The ferry leaves three times a day and a returnticket was in 2003 6 600 000 TL. From Eminönü to Anadolu Kavagi it takes 1 hour and 45 minutes.
If the weather is nice you probably want to sit outside but then you have to be early as those seats fill up quickly.

Well worth spending half a day cruising down the Bosphurus.

However, rather than doing the commercial tours, just as easy and more fun is to take a bus or taxi to the Black sea end of the Bosphurus, take a stroll around somewhere like xxxxx and enjoy the local culture.

Then jump on the local ferry and take the ride back to Istanbul ferry port oppiste the Spice Bazaar.

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A trip down the Bosphorus is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
From the boat you see mosques, palaces, the bridges and houses.
there is real sense of History, as well as enjoying the relaxing movement of the boat.

Renting a boat to tour around the Bosphorus would not be a bad idea. Since ferry service twice a day from one end to another was not arranged for the tourists and it has its share of aggressive marketing of Apple-tea and others on borad. A boat could give you a more personal feel.

Here is the place where some rich people in Istanbul make their homes. Bosphorus, though a narrow channel used for ships of Russian, Ukraine, Georgia and other Black sea coast countries as the only way out to the mediterranian. So this is always busy with international ships as well as domestic passenger ferries.