Iftar Cruise Istanbul: A Private Yacht on the Bosphorus for Ramadan Evenings

Iftar on the Bosphorus

Price and booking: an iftar cruise is a private charter: the whole yacht for your group, from €150 per hour (per yacht, never per person) with a two-hour minimum; since the table has to be laid and cleared, we recommend three hours. The price is the same for up to 12 guests, and each guest above 12 adds a flat €25, not per hour. Soft drinks are included; the iftar menu is added at ₺2,000 per guest. A deposit of at least 30% confirms the date and the balance is paid on the day. In Ramadan 2027 iftar is at 18:36 on 8 February and 19:09 on 8 March; the daily times are on the Istanbul iftar times page.

Why Iftar Is Different on the Water

The quietest hour on the Bosphorus in Ramadan is the one before iftar: the ferries thin out, the shores sit down to eat and the water is almost empty. The call to prayer reaches you from Karaköy, Üsküdar and Beşiktaş one after another; the yacht slows off the Maiden’s Tower or in mid-strait, and iftar begins in that minute, with the lights of two continents coming on around you. No queue at a restaurant, no race through traffic to make it in time: the table is yours and so is the clock. Guests who are not fasting are served from departure. You are welcome to pray Maghrib in the yacht’s saloon; space is prepared before the call to prayer.

How the Evening Runs

You board at Karaköy pier, 10 minutes before departure (boarding points). The route leaves the Golden Horn past the Galata skyline and comes to rest off the Maiden’s Tower; a few minutes before the call to prayer the captain slows the yacht here, where the view is widest. Dates, olives and soup are served at the call; with the table open, the yacht runs along the Dolmabahçe and Çırağan palaces and Ortaköy Mosque towards the bridge, and the main course and dessert come on this stretch; the cruise then continues as a night cruise up to the fortresses by the second bridge and returns to Karaköy. Two hours is enough for the meal and the lights; three hours is a relaxed evening with tea on deck. Boarding or landing at another pier can be arranged on request.

The Iftar Menu and Drinks

The iftar menu is ₺2,000 per guest and is prepared for your headcount. The classic order is: dates, olives, cheese and pastırma (air-dried spiced beef) to open, Ramadan pide (the soft sesame flatbread baked only in Ramadan), soup, a meat or chicken main course with rice, güllaç (a milk and rosewater dessert) to finish, then tea and Turkish coffee. The menu can also be vegetable-based. Soft drinks are included in the charter; no alcohol is served on an iftar cruise. Table settings, Ramadan decoration and a photographer are priced separately in the same quote.

Who Books an Iftar Cruise

Families: three generations at one table, with no washing-up and no traffic. Companies: a team, dealer or client iftar through corporate yacht charter; the 20-guest and 50-guest pages have sample budgets, and larger receptions go on the big yachts of our partner fleet, up to 200 guests. Visitors spending Ramadan in Istanbul, from the Gulf, Europe and beyond, who want one iftar with the city’s lights around them. Associations and foundations that would rather hold the members’ iftar on the water than in a hotel ballroom. Laylat al-Qadr (Friday 5 March) and the weekend evenings of Ramadan are worth booking early.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the yacht at iftar time?

A few minutes before the call to prayer the captain slows the yacht off the Maiden’s Tower or in mid-strait, where the view is widest, and the table is served at the call. Iftar time is the Maghrib (evening prayer) time that Diyanet, Türkiye’s religious affairs authority, publishes for Istanbul; it is the same minute on both shores; the daily times for 2027 are on the iftar times page.

How much does an iftar cruise cost?

From €150 per hour for the whole yacht with a two-hour minimum, so the yacht itself starts at €300 and a three-hour iftar cruise at €450. The rate covers up to 12 guests; each guest above 12 adds €25 once: 20 guests for 3 hours is €650, 30 guests for 3 hours is €900. The iftar menu is added at ₺2,000 per guest.

What is on the menu, and how much per guest?

The classic order: dates and olives to open, Ramadan pide, soup, a main course with rice, güllaç and tea. The iftar menu is ₺2,000 per guest and is prepared for your headcount. Soft drinks are included in the charter.

Is alcohol served?

No. No alcohol is served on an iftar cruise: water, soft drinks, tea and Turkish coffee.

Can we pray on board?

Yes. You are welcome to pray Maghrib in the yacht’s saloon; space is prepared before the call to prayer.

How many guests can you host?

On our own yachts the price is the same for up to 12 guests; each guest above 12 adds €25 once, and with the big yachts of our partner fleet we host up to 200. Once the date and headcount are set, we tell you in writing which yacht fits.

Where and when do we leave?

From Karaköy pier, about an hour before iftar: about 17:35 in early February, 18:00 at the end of February and 18:00 to 18:10 in the first week of March. Be at the pier 10 minutes before departure. Boarding at Kuruçeşme, Bebek, Beşiktaş, Kabataş or Kadıköy can be arranged on request.

What about guests who are not fasting?

They sit at the same table; drinks are served from departure; the iftar table is opened for everyone at the call to prayer, with the main course on the way back.

What are the deposit and cancellation terms?

A deposit of at least 30% confirms the date; the balance is paid on the day by secure Stripe card link, cash or bank transfer. An iftar is a fixed-date event, so the cancellation terms are stated in your written quote. If the captain cancels for weather, the date is moved free of charge or the deposit refunded.

Do you also cruise during Eid al-Fitr?

Yes. On 9–11 March, Eid al-Fitr, and on the afternoon of the eve (8 March, a half-day public holiday), daytime and sunset charters leave at the usual hours. The holiday and long-weekend dates are on the Türkiye public holidays 2027 page.

Booking direct — no agency in the middle. Booking sites do not sell what is on this page: they sell seats, we charter you the whole yacht. Write to us and no reseller takes a commission out of your budget, and your request does not travel through a third platform. We are a TÜRSAB A-805 licensed agency, a family business since 1967.

Booking and cancellation for Ramadan dates. A deposit of at least 30% confirms your date and the balance is paid on the day, by secure Stripe card link, cash or bank transfer. An iftar is a fixed-date event, so the cancellation terms are stated in your written quote. If the captain cancels for weather, the date is moved free of charge or the deposit is refunded.

Book Your Iftar Date

Send the date and your group size on WhatsApp or in the form below; we confirm availability and a fixed total for the whole yacht in writing the same day. Outside Ramadan, see the private dinner cruise; for the yacht all day, yacht charter; sunset and dusk times are on the Istanbul sunset times page.

Moments from Our Evening Tables