Christmas Dinner Cruise Istanbul

Christmas Dinner Cruise on the Bosphorus

Price and booking: a Christmas dinner cruise on the Bosphorus is a private charter: the whole yacht for your group, from €150 per hour (per yacht, never per person) with a two-hour minimum; for a seated dinner most guests take three hours. The hourly rate covers the yacht, the captain and crew, fuel for the route and soft drinks, and it includes up to 12 guests; each guest above 12 adds €25 once per charter. Dinner, wine or champagne and decoration are quoted separately, before you confirm. Send your date and group size on WhatsApp or in the form below and you get a written quote the same day. Christmas is a fixed date, so the cancellation terms are stated in that quote.

Why Christmas Works in Istanbul

Christmas is not a public holiday in Türkiye, so nothing closes: the yacht, the crew, the caterers and the city itself all work as normal on 24 and 25 December, and you are not competing with a whole country for a table. What you do get is the Bosphorus in winter: fewer boats on the water, flatter sea, clear air and lights that come on early. Every yacht has an enclosed, heated saloon as well as the open deck, so dinner is served inside with the lit shoreline in the windows and the deck is there whenever you want the photograph.

How the Evening Runs

You board at Karaköy pier, 10 minutes before departure. The route leaves the Golden Horn past the Galata skyline and the Maiden’s Tower, runs along the Dolmabahçe and Çırağan palaces and Ortaköy Mosque, passes under the 15 July Martyrs Bridge and reaches the narrows at Rumeli Hisarı and Anadolu Hisarı before turning back along the Asian shore; two hours covers it, three hours lets the captain hold position under the bridge and slow the yacht down for the dinner service. Dinner is served when you want it: starters as the lights come on, mains in the calmer water of the upper Bosphorus, dessert on the way home. If you want to stop for a photograph or linger in front of a palace, the route is yours. Boarding points other than Karaköy are described on our boarding points page.

Dinner, Drinks and Decoration

Catering is quoted by menu and headcount so you only pay for the evening you actually want. The usual shape for Christmas is a four-course dinner served at the table: cold starters and Turkish meze, salad, hot starters, a main of chicken, meat, fish or vegetarian, and dessert or seasonal fruit; at the current catalogue rate a four-course menu is 800 ₺ per guest. Soft drinks are included in the charter; wine is €40 a bottle and champagne €60 a bottle when ordered through us, and you are welcome to bring your own cake or wine. Halal, vegetarian, vegan and allergy requirements are routine, tell us when you enquire. Festive table styling and lights can be arranged on request and are itemised in the quote. Music is yours: bring a playlist for the yacht’s sound system. How dinner on board works in detail is in our private dinner cruise guide.

Who Books a Christmas Cruise

Couples spending the holidays in Istanbul who want one evening that is theirs alone. Families and groups of friends visiting over Christmas week, often three generations at one table. Expats who host their own Christmas dinner in the city every year. Small teams closing the year together; for larger company evenings see our corporate dinner cruise. If you are in Istanbul for 31 December as well, New Year’s Eve has its own programme and pricing on our New Year’s Eve yacht page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Christmas a public holiday in Istanbul?

No. Christmas is not a public holiday in Türkiye, so shops, restaurants and the Bosphorus traffic run as on any other day, and our departures run as normal on 24 and 25 December. The dates are popular with visitors, so book early.

How much does a Christmas dinner 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 dinner cruise at €450. The rate includes up to 12 guests; each guest above 12 adds €25 once. Dinner is priced per person on top and quoted before you confirm. Everything is in one written quote the same day.

What time should we start on Christmas Eve?

Sunset on 24 December is at about 17:40. A 17:00 departure gives you daylight, the sunset and the lights in one cruise; a 19:00 or 20:00 departure is a dinner entirely under the lights. Boarding is at Karaköy, 10 minutes before departure.

Can you serve a Christmas dinner on board?

Yes. The usual format is a four-course dinner served at the table, 800 ₺ per guest at the current catalogue rate; wine is €40 a bottle and champagne €60. Soft drinks are included in the charter. You may bring your own cake or wine, and halal, vegetarian, vegan and allergy needs are routine.

Is the yacht warm in December?

Yes. Every yacht has an enclosed, heated saloon where dinner is served, plus the open deck for the photographs. Most guests spend the sunset outside and the dinner inside with the lit shoreline in the windows.

What is the cancellation policy for Christmas dates?

Christmas is a fixed date, so the cancellation terms are stated in your written quote. A deposit of at least 30% confirms the date and the balance is paid on the day, by secure Stripe card link, cash or bank transfer. If the captain cancels a departure for safety, you choose another day or a full refund.

Can we book 31 December instead?

New Year’s Eve has its own programme and pricing: a private yacht for your own group or a shared party cruise with dinner and fireworks. Both are on our New Year’s Eve pages; the Christmas dinner cruise on this page covers 24 and 25 December and the rest of Christmas week.

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 pass through a middleman who flattens it into a standard package. Constantine Yachts is run by AST Turizm — TÜRSAB licence no. A-805, on the Bosphorus since 1967. Your date, your boarding time, your route and your menu are agreed with the same people who prepare the yacht.

Booking and cancellation for Christmas 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. Christmas is a fixed date, so the cancellation terms are stated in your written quote. If the captain cancels a departure for safety, you choose another day or a full refund.

Book Your Christmas Evening

Send the date (24 or 25 December, or any evening of Christmas week), your group size and whether you want a seated dinner or a lighter spread, on WhatsApp or in the form below; we confirm availability and a fixed total in writing the same day. If you would rather start with the sunset alone, see the private sunset cruise; for a later start under the lights, the night cruise; for the yacht all day, yacht charter.

Moments from Our Winter Evenings