The Bosphorus: the back story

About The Bosphorus: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Istanbul Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

The Bosphorus links the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, separating Europe from Asia. Its currents, its fish and its shipping have shaped the city’s history; its shores were lined with Ottoman palaces and the yalıs, waterside summer mansions, of the elite.

A strait between two seas

The Bosphorus runs for about 30 km from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, from barely 700 metres wide at its narrowest to over 3 km. A surface current flows south while a deeper one flows north, which made it famous for its fishing. Tankers and cargo ships pass day and night between the ferries.

Palaces and fortresses

On the European shore, Dolmabahçe and Çırağan palaces line the water; further north, the fortress of Rumelihisarı, built in 1452, faces the older Anadoluhisarı across the narrowest point. On the Asian shore, Beylerbeyi Palace sits beneath the first bridge.

At its narrowest, by Rumelihisarı, the Bosphorus is only about 700 metres wide.

The yalıs

The yalıs, wooden waterside mansions, were the summer homes of Ottoman pashas and wealthy families. Several hundred survive, restored or rebuilt, painted in deep reds, ochres and whites, with boathouses at water level. They are best admired from a boat.

The villages

Each village has its own character: Ortaköy with its mosque under the bridge, Arnavutköy with its wooden houses, chic Bebek, Emirgan’s park, Kuzguncuk on the Asian shore, and the fishing villages of Rumeli Kavağı and Anadolu Kavağı near the Black Sea.

The cruise

The public ferry company, Şehir Hatları, runs a full Bosphorus tour from Eminönü up to Anadolu Kavağı near the Black Sea, with a stop of a few hours for lunch and the climb to Yoros Castle, and a shorter round trip; private boats leave from Eminönü and Kabataş. Check the current timetable, especially in winter.

Our advice: take the full ferry tour on a clear day, sit on the left going up to see the European shore and on the right coming back, eat fish at Anadolu Kavağı and walk up to Yoros Castle. On another day, explore Ortaköy, Arnavutköy and Bebek on foot.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The Bosphorus: the back story before you go.