Yacht Charter Istanbul

Quick answer: Private yacht charter in Istanbul starts at €150 per hour (2026 season, priced per yacht — not per person), minimum 2 hours. Routes and timing are set around your plan, from couples to larger groups, for cruises, celebrations and corporate events on the Bosphorus.

For worked examples by duration and occasion, see the Istanbul yacht rental price guide.

Private Yacht Charter in Istanbul — The Whole Yacht Is Yours

Chartering a private yacht is the most comfortable way to experience the Bosphorus: no crowds, no fixed route, no shared deck. You choose the date, the duration and the pace; we provide the yacht, the crew and a plan built around your group. Charters start from €150 per hour with a two-hour minimum, and the price always covers the whole yacht — never per person.

Booking a longer day? From six hours the rate starts from €120 per hour — see the full day charter.

How Chartering Works

1. Tell us your date and group size. A WhatsApp message or the contact form is enough to start.
2. We suggest a yacht and a clear price. You see what is included before you decide; optional extras are always listed separately.
3. We shape the route and menu together. Sunset timing, swimming stops, catering and music are set to your plan.
4. You board in Karaköy. Our departure point is central and easy to reach by tram, metro or taxi.

Fleet and Capacity

Our own and partner fleet covers groups of every size — from an intimate yacht for a couple to event yachts built for large celebrations. Every charter sails with a professional captain and crew.

What Affects the Price

Four things shape a charter quote: the yacht itself (size and class), the duration, the date and time slot — sunset hours are the most requested — and the extras you choose, such as catering, DJ, decoration or photography. The hourly rate covers the yacht and crew; extras are optional and itemized separately, so you always know what you are paying for.

Popular Charter Routes

• Classic Bosphorus cruise (2–3 hours): Dolmabahçe Palace, the Bosphorus Bridge, the waterfront yalı mansions and Maiden’s Tower — all from the water.
• Sunset cruise (2 hours): the same skyline timed to golden hour, the most popular slot of the day.
• Swimming charter: away from the city traffic, with swimming stops in calm, scenic spots.

Celebrations on Board

A private charter is also the setting for the occasions we host most often: a marriage proposal, a wedding or engagement, a birthday, a bachelorette party, a graduation celebration or a corporate event. Each has its own page with details and add-on options.

New: not sure how renting a yacht works here? Our yacht rental in Istanbul guide walks through the hourly model, what is included and how to book.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the price per person?

No. Every price we quote covers the entire yacht for your group.

Staying several nights rather than chartering for an evening? We also run multi-night yacht stays where the yacht is your hotel as well as your transport — from €1,400 per night for the whole yacht.

How many guests can join?

From a couple celebrating alone up to 200 guests, the right yacht depends on your group; the largest come from our partner fleet. Tell us your number and we will match the yacht.

Where does the charter start?

Karaköy, in central Istanbul — easy to reach from both the old town and the new town.

How far in advance should we book?

Sunset slots on summer weekends fill first. For a specific date and hour, earlier is safer.

Are there any hidden fees, port taxes or fuel surcharges?

No. The hourly price covers the yacht, its crew and the fuel for your route. Extras such as catering, decoration or a photographer are priced separately and agreed before you confirm, never added afterwards.

Who operates the yacht, and are you licensed?

Constantine Yachts is the boutique yacht brand of AST Tourism, 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. Once your date is set we send the exact map pin and photographs of the pier, so nobody is searching on the day. For private charters we can also board at Kuruçeşme, Bebek, Kadıköy, Beşiktaş or Kabataş — in fact almost anywhere on the Istanbul shoreline — for a surcharge that depends on the distance from Karaköy. Details for each pier are on our boarding points page.

From how many guests is a private yacht cheaper than per-person tickets?

A two-hour private charter starts at €300 for the whole yacht. A seat on a shared sunset cruise costs around €34. From roughly nine guests upward the private yacht works out cheaper per person, and the yacht is yours alone.

Is booking directly with you 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. You also speak to the operator rather than a call centre.

Can we check your reviews before booking?

Please do. We are rated 5.0 on Google from 259 reviews, with more than 700 guest reviews in total across Google, Viator and GetYourGuide.

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

A 30% deposit holds your date; the balance is due before departure. 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 covers the whole yacht, so children add nothing to it. 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 Tourism under TÜRSAB licence A-805 and have worked the Bosphorus since 1967.

Can you arrange halal, vegetarian or vegan catering?

Yes. Catering is quoted separately and built around your table, so halal, vegetarian, vegan and allergy requirements are straightforward — tell us when you enquire rather than on the day.

Can we bring our own music or a DJ?

Yes. On a private charter the sound system is yours: bring a playlist or bring a DJ. Tell us in advance if you are bringing equipment so the crew can plan the power and the setup.

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 two 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, and under-3s are free. A two-hour private charter is €300 for the whole yacht regardless of how many of you there are — which is why larger families usually end up chartering.

Can we design our own route?

That is the point of a private charter. Tell us what you want to see – the palaces on the lower strait, the fortresses and the yali mansions further up, a cove for swimming, a restaurant to be dropped at – and the captain plans the route around it. Nothing is fixed except the departure time.

How many hours do most people book?

Two hours is the minimum and suits a sunset run down the lower Bosphorus. Three to four hours is the most common choice and reaches the second bridge comfortably; a full day is what you need to go up to the Black Sea mouth or across to the islands with a swim stop.

Can we charter in the morning rather than the evening?

Yes, and mornings are underrated – the water is at its calmest, the light is good for photographs and the strait is quiet. Morning charters are also the easiest slots to get at short notice in high season.

Can we extend the charter on the day?

Often, at 150 EUR per hour, depending on whether another booking follows yours. If you think you might want longer, book the extra hour up front and release it if you do not use it – that way the time is guaranteed.

Do you have more than one yacht?

We operate our own yacht and work with a partner fleet, which together cover groups from around a dozen guests up to 200. When you tell us your group size and the kind of day you want, we put forward the yacht that fits rather than the one that happens to be free.

Can we look around the yacht before we book?

Yes – viewings are arranged at the pier when the yacht is in, usually with a day or two’s notice. If you are not in Istanbul yet we send photographs and a walkthrough video of the actual yacht rather than a stock gallery.

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

Yes. A free audio guide, including Russian, is available on every cruise. On a private charter we can also arrange a live Russian-speaking guide for an extra fee, quoted at booking.

Get a Charter Quote

Message us on WhatsApp or use the contact form. Tell us your date and group size, and we will reply with available yachts and a clear, whole-yacht price for your Bosphorus charter.

Our Yacht on the Bosphorus

The Yacht Up Close

Route reading: our Bosphorus landmark guides cover what you pass on each leg of the strait.

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 extras are agreed with the same people who prepare the yacht.

Booking and cancellation. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure — any prepayment is refunded in full. Inside 24 hours, contact us and we will try to move you to another slot. If the captain cancels a departure for safety, you choose: another day or a full refund. Full terms in our FAQ.