- All three cruises with an Asian side stop last 150 minutes according to the operator listings.
- The stop is Beylerbeyi or Kanlıca on two of them and Beylerbeyi only on 324060P2.
- No listing states the time ashore or includes entry to Beylerbeyi Palace.
- Best for travellers with one slot for the Bosphorus who want commentary plus a foot on the Asian shore.
- For a longer visit, take a commuter ferry from Eminönü, Karaköy or Beşiktaş to Üsküdar instead.
Highest-rated of the three, small-group yacht with a live guide and a stop in Beylerbeyi or Kanlıca.
Check Availability →Near-identical format with a multilingual guide, the backup when the first is full.
Check Availability →The only one that commits to Beylerbeyi, under the first bridge by the palace.
Check Availability →Starting prices are indicative, taken from the operator listing and subject to change.
What happens on a Bosphorus cruise with an Asian side stop
Three small-group yacht cruises in our catalog add a landing on the Asian shore to the usual Bosphorus loop. All three last 150 minutes according to the operator listings, all three have a multilingual guide on board, and all three pass the same landmarks: Topkapı Palace, the Blue Mosque skyline and the Maiden's Tower at the southern end, Ortaköy and Bebek on the European shore, the bridges and Rumeli Fortress further north.
The stop is where they differ. Two listings say the boat pauses in Beylerbeyi or Kanlıca. The third names Beylerbeyi only. None of the three says how the village is chosen on the day or how many minutes you spend ashore, and that is the first thing to ask the operator after booking. What is clear from the maths: the stop has to fit inside the same 150 minutes as the cruise, so it is a walk along the waterfront, not a visit to a museum.
The two Asian side villages: Beylerbeyi and Kanlıca
Beylerbeyi
Beylerbeyi sits on the Asian shore right next to the first Bosphorus bridge, so the stop puts you under the bridge deck with the European shore across the water. The village is known for Beylerbeyi Palace, the Ottoman summer palace built in the 1860s for Sultan Abdülaziz, and for the small mosque on the quay. None of the three cruise listings includes entry to the palace. On a short stop you will see its waterfront façade, the quay and the tea gardens, and that is the honest expectation.
Kanlıca
Kanlıca lies further north, close to the second bridge and across the water from Rumelihisarı. It is the quieter of the two, a ferry landing with a few cafés, and it is known across Istanbul for its yogurt, served in small bowls with powdered sugar on top. If your boat stops here, that is the thing to try in the time you have.
Comparing the three Bosphorus cruises with an Asian side stop
| Cruise | Stop per listing | Duration | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 395193P2, yacht with live guide | Beylerbeyi or Kanlıca | 150 min | from $58.47 | 5.0 (2,381 reviews) |
| 69435P26, yacht with guide | Beylerbeyi or Kanlıca | 150 min | from $46.78 | 4.9 (1,891 reviews) |
| 324060P2, luxury yacht | Beylerbeyi | 150 min | from $32.74 | 5.0 (1,014 reviews) |
Istanbul Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with Live Guide & Asian Side Stop has the highest rating of the three, 5.0 from 2,381 reviews. Its listing describes spacious decks and a small-group format and leaves the stop between Beylerbeyi and Kanlıca. Pick it if you want the most reviewed option and do not mind which village you get.
Istanbul Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with Guide and Asian Side Stop reads almost the same: small group, multilingual guide, Beylerbeyi or Kanlıca, and the option to move freely between decks. Treat it as the backup if the first one is full on your date.
Istanbul Luxury Bosphorus Yacht Cruise with Asian Side Stop is the only one of the three that commits to Beylerbeyi. If you want to stand under the first bridge and see the palace façade from the quay, this removes the uncertainty. See all of them side by side on our Asian side cruises page.
If you want to go inside Beylerbeyi Palace, none of these three is the right product. The full-day Istanbul: 2 Continents of Bosphorus ( Boat & Lunch ) (from $58.47) lists a visit to Beylerbeyi Palace, Çamlıca Mosque, lunch on board and the cable car to Pierre Loti Hill, for 420 minutes in total.
Asian side stop vs crossing by public ferry on your own
You do not need a cruise to set foot in Asia. Commuter ferries run from Eminönü, Karaköy and Beşiktaş to Üsküdar and Kadıköy all day, and you pay with the Istanbulkart transit card. From Üsküdar, Beylerbeyi is a short bus or taxi ride north along the shore, past Kuzguncuk. Check routes and fares on sehirhatlari.istanbul and the other ferry operators' sites, since they change by season.
The trade-off is plain:
- By ferry on your own you choose how long you stay, you can spend an afternoon in Kuzguncuk or visit Beylerbeyi Palace, and the crossing costs a transit fare. You get no guide and you only see the southern mouth of the strait from the water.
- On the cruise you see the whole stretch up to Rumeli Fortress with commentary and set foot on the Asian shore in the same 150 minutes. You do not control the stop, and the listings do not say how long it lasts.
If you have a free afternoon, the ferry gives you more of the Asian side. If you have one slot for the Bosphorus and want both shores, the cruise is the efficient choice. For the ferry routes in detail, read our public ferry guide.
Before you book a Bosphorus cruise with an Asian side stop
- Ask which village and for how long. Two of the three listings leave the stop open between Beylerbeyi and Kanlıca and none gives the time ashore.
- Wear shoes you can walk in. You step off a yacht onto a quay and walk on cobbles, not the deck shoes you would wear for a sit-down cruise.
- Carry a little cash in Turkish lira. Tea gardens and yogurt stands in small Bosphorus villages may not take cards.
- Check the boarding pier. The listings summarised here do not name one. Get it in writing and use our pier guide to plan the tram ride.
- Prices are "from" prices. All three cruises are listed with free cancellation, but read the cutoff on the booking page before you commit.
More Bosphorus cruise guides
- Bosphorus cruise to the Asian side: the overview
- Bosphorus landmarks you see from the boat
- The best Bosphorus cruises in Istanbul, compared
- Is a Bosphorus cruise worth it
- The 2-hour Bosphorus cruise without a stop
Frequently asked questions
Three small-group Bosphorus yacht cruises in our catalog stop on the Asian shore: 395193P2 and 69435P26 in Beylerbeyi or Kanlıca, and 324060P2 in Beylerbeyi. All three last 150 minutes. The highest rated is 395193P2, from $58.47 with 5.0 from 2,381 reviews.
None of the three Bosphorus cruise listings states the time ashore. The stop fits inside a total of 150 minutes that also covers the cruise from the southern piers up to Rumeli Fortress, so expect a short walk on the waterfront rather than a visit. Ask the operator after booking.
Beylerbeyi sits beside the first Bosphorus bridge on the Asian shore. In a short stop you can walk the quay, see the waterfront façade of Beylerbeyi Palace, built in the 1860s for Sultan Abdülaziz, and sit in a tea garden. Palace entry is not included in any of the three cruise listings.
Kanlıca is a quiet village on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus near the second bridge, across from Rumelihisarı, known across Istanbul for its yogurt served with powdered sugar. Two of the three cruises with an Asian side stop, 395193P2 and 69435P26, may land there instead of Beylerbeyi.
It depends on your time. A commuter ferry from Eminönü, Karaköy or Beşiktaş to Üsküdar costs a transit fare and lets you stay as long as you like, but has no guide and only crosses the southern mouth. The cruise covers the strait up to Rumeli Fortress with a guide plus a short stop in 150 minutes.
Not on the three 150-minute Bosphorus cruises with an Asian side stop. The full-day tour 223894P3, from $58.47, lists a visit to Beylerbeyi Palace along with Çamlıca Mosque, lunch on board and the Pierre Loti cable car, for 420 minutes in total.
