Bosphorus Sunset Group Tour

Best price guarantee. Booking on this page gets you our lowest price for this departure. If you find the same date and the same option cheaper on a booking platform, send us the screenshot before you sail and we will match it. No arguing, no small print.

Book here, not on a platform. Viator and GetYourGuide resell this exact departure — same yacht, same crew, same golden hour. What they add is their own commission, and it comes out of your pocket, not ours. Book on this page and you are buying from the operator itself: AST Turizm, TÜRSAB licence no. A-805, on the Bosphorus since 1967. The price in the calendar is the price you pay, cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure, and if something changes you message a person instead of a support queue.

Booking and cancellation. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, with a full refund. If you booked through a partner platform, cancel there — that platform’s own terms apply to your booking. If the captain cancels a departure for safety, you choose: another date or a full refund. Full terms in our FAQ.

Read what guests say on our reviews page: 800+ verified ratings across Google, Viator and GetYourGuide, quoted with names and dates.

Want the yacht to yourselves instead? Start with our private yacht tour Istanbul overview, then pick a date.

For bigger parties, our page on yacht rental in Istanbul for 20 guests compares buying tickets for everyone with chartering a private yacht for the whole group, and shows which yacht fits.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Bosphorus Sunset Group Tour

How much is the Bosphorus sunset group tour?

€34 per person through to 2 November, after which the winter rate applies and adult tickets start from €26. Children aged 3 to 7 pay €15 year-round, and under-3s travel free.

What time does the tour depart?

Today in Istanbul the sun sets at 18:06; this month’s boarding time is in the Daily Departure Times table on this page. Boarding is timed to the day’s sunset rather than to a fixed clock time, which means it moves through the year — sunset in Istanbul shifts from around 19:38 on 1 September to 18:02 by the end of October. Check your date in our sunset table or ask us and we will tell you the boarding time for that day. If you are fitting the cruise between two flights, our Istanbul layover guide works out how many hours you need on the ground.

Where does the group tour board?

From a pier at Karaköy, by gangway. The exact meeting point with photographs is sent with your booking confirmation.

Is food or drink included?

Yes. Snacks, Turkish delight, tea and coffee are included in the ticket. Wine is an optional upgrade of two glasses per guest. Tell us in advance if you have a specific requirement and we will tell you plainly what is possible on your date.

Is the group tour suitable for guests with limited mobility?

Boarding is by gangway from a pier, which means the shared tour is not suitable for guests with significant mobility impairments. A private charter allows far more planning around it — ask us before booking and we will give you a straight answer about what is possible.

What happens if it rains?

The tour runs. Every yacht has an enclosed saloon as well as an open deck. If the captain cancels a departure for safety, you choose between another date and a full refund.

Can I cancel my booking?

Yes, free of charge up to 24 hours before departure, with any prepayment refunded in full.

Is the price per person or for the whole yacht?

Per person. This is a shared departure: you buy a seat and share the yacht with other guests. If you would rather have the yacht to yourselves, a private charter starts at €150 per hour with a two-hour minimum.

Who operates the tour, and are you licensed?

Constantine Yachts is the boutique yacht brand of AST Turizm, an Istanbul operator licensed by TÜRSAB (licence A-805) that has worked the Bosphorus since 1967. Every departure sails with a professional crew.

How will we find the boarding point on the day?

Boarding is at Karaköy on the European side, a few minutes from the Galata Bridge and the Karaköy tram stop. After booking we send the exact map pin and photographs of the pier, so nobody is searching on the day.

Are there any hidden fees or port taxes?

No. The ticket price is the price you pay. Anything optional is shown before you confirm, never added at the pier.

Is booking directly with us cheaper than booking through a platform?

Yes. Platforms add their commission to the same departure; the last time we compared our own listing, the direct price was about 4% lower.

Can we check your reviews before booking?

Please do. We are rated 5.0 on Google from 292 reviews, with more than 800 guest reviews in total across Google, Viator and GetYourGuide.

How much deposit do you take, and how do we pay?

A deposit of at least 30% holds your date; the balance is paid on the day of the cruise. Payments run through Stripe over a secure SSL connection, so your card details are handled by the payment provider and never stored by us.

Can a guest who uses a wheelchair come on board?

Unfortunately not. Boarding is from the pier over a gangway with a step, and we would rather tell you now than have someone turned away on the day. If a guest has limited mobility but can manage a step with help, write to us and we will talk it through honestly.

Can we bring our dog?

Yes, pets are welcome on board. Let us know in advance so the crew can prepare for them.

Do children pay the full price?

No. On the shared group tour children under 3 travel free and ages 3 to 7 pay a child fare of €15. On a private charter the price is for the whole yacht and includes up to 12 guests, so children cost nothing extra unless the group is larger than 12 (each guest above 12 adds a one-off €25). Tell us their ages when you book so the crew can prepare.

Is it safe to bring young children?

Yes. The Bosphorus is sheltered water rather than open sea, so the crossing is calm. Life jackets are on board including children’s sizes, and the crew is told in advance how many children are aboard. On a private charter you also control the pace and the route.

Will anyone get seasick?

Very unlikely. The Bosphorus is a strait, not open sea, and the water is calm for most of the year. In years of hosting, seasickness has almost never been an issue — and if someone in your group is worried, we can keep the route close to the shore.

Do you sail in winter, and is it worth it?

Yes, year-round. Every yacht has an enclosed saloon as well as an open deck, so a cold evening does not cancel anything. Winter has fewer boats on the water, sharper light and, on the shared sunset tour, a lower fare — €26 instead of €34 from 3 November to 18 March.

What happens if the weather cancels our departure?

If the captain calls off a departure for safety, you choose: another date or a full refund. Cancellation is also free up to 24 hours before departure, so a bad forecast never costs you anything.

What safety equipment is on board?

Life jackets for every guest, including children’s sizes, and a professional crew on every departure. We operate as AST Turizm under TÜRSAB licence A-805 and have worked the Bosphorus since 1967.

Can we add catering or our own music to a group tour?

Not on the shared tour — it runs to a fixed departure with other guests on board, so the sound system and the menu are not ours to hand over. If you want a menu built around your table or your own playlist, that is a private charter, from €150 per hour with a two-hour minimum.

How do we get to Karaköy for boarding?

Karaköy is one of the easiest points in Istanbul to reach. The T1 tram stops at Karaköy, city ferries call at the Karaköy pier, and the M2 metro at Şişhane is a short walk up the hill — as is the Tünel funicular from Beyoğlu. From Sultanahmet it is four tram stops. Once your booking is confirmed we send the exact map pin and photographs of the pier.

Is an overnight stay on the yacht possible?

Yes — that is a separate product. On an Istanbul yacht stay you sleep on board for two to four nights and the yacht becomes your hotel as well as your transport, from €1,400 per night for the whole yacht.

What does a family of four actually pay?

On the shared sunset tour: two adults at €34 and two children aged 3 to 7 at €15 comes to €98 (€82 in winter, when adults pay €26), and under-3s are free. A two-hour private charter is €300 for the whole yacht for up to 12 of you, plus €25 for each extra guest — which is why larger families usually end up chartering.

Can we book for this evening, or do we need to book ahead?

Same-day seats are often possible outside the busiest weeks, and WhatsApp is the fastest way to find out – we will tell you straight away whether that departure still has room. Summer weekends and the days either side of a public holiday do sell out, so book ahead if your date is fixed.

What will we actually see in two hours?

Leaving Karakoy you pass Dolmabahce Palace, the Ortakoy Mosque sitting under the first bridge and Beylerbeyi Palace on the Asian shore, then continue up past Bebek to the fortress at Rumeli Hisari before turning back. The return leg is the one people photograph, because the shoreline lights up behind you as the sun goes.

Is there a toilet on board?

Yes. Every yacht has a bathroom on board as well as an enclosed saloon and an open deck, so a two-hour cruise is comfortable whatever the weather does.

What should we wear?

Whatever you would wear ashore, plus one more layer than you think. The wind on the water is stronger than it looks from the shore, and it drops several degrees once the sun goes – that is true in August as well as in November. Flat shoes make the gangway easier.

We are a group of ten – is it better to buy seats or charter the yacht?

At 34 EUR a seat, ten tickets come to 340 EUR (260 EUR at the winter price of 26 EUR, which moves the crossover to about twelve guests), while a two-hour private charter starts at 300 EUR for the whole yacht with no one else on board. So at ten guests the private yacht is already the better buy. In the winter season the seat price drops, which moves the crossover a little higher.

Why take a yacht rather than a large cruise boat?

Scale, mostly. This is a yacht with an open deck and a saloon rather than a multi-deck vessel, so you are close to the water and to the shoreline you came to see, and there is no scramble for a place at the rail. It sails under TURSAB licence A-805 with a professional crew, and we hold a 5.0 rating on Google from 292 reviews.

Is there a Russian-speaking guide or a Russian audio guide?

Yes. On the group tour every guest can use the free audio guide, which includes Russian. A live Russian-speaking guide is available only on private charters, for an extra fee quoted at booking.

Do you operate in winter?

Yes, year-round. The yacht has a heated saloon as well as the open deck, the water is quieter, and the shared tour drops to €26 a seat from 3 November to 18 March.

Can we bring our own food and drinks?

On the shared sunset tour the ticket includes tea, coffee, water and snacks, and wine is available as an optional upgrade. If you want your own food, drinks or a full dinner on board, a private charter is the right product: the yacht is yours.