Cruising The Bosphorus

May 2, 2026

When in Istanbul, you are surrounded by water and history.  I had taken a cruise down the Bosphorus many years ago in summer, when you could do it by ferry. But the ferry schedule changes later in the year, so we were forced to take a tour.  It isn’t ideal, but it works.  It was so cold today that staying inside the boat was the most logical, but it was still a lovely day.

You begin in the Golden Horn on the east side of the Galata Bridge and very soon cross under it.  Then, when you head up the Bosphorus, you are navigating between the Asian and European sides of the city.

 

One of the first sites you see upon entering the Bosphorus is the Galata Tower.

During the Byzantine period, the Emperor Justinian had a tower erected in the area now known as Galata. This tower was destroyed by the Crusaders during the Sack of Constantinople in 1204.

In 1267, a Genoese colony was established in the Galata part of Constantinople. It was surrounded by walls, and the Galata Tower was first built at its highest point as the Christea Turris (Tower of Christ), in Romanesque style, in 1348, during an expansion of the colony. At the time, the Galata Tower was the tallest building in the city.

 

Anadoluhisarı was built between 1393 and 1394 on the commission of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I, as part of his preparations for a siege of the then-Byzantine city of Constantinople.

The fort, built primarily as a watch fort, is nearly 2 acres in size and stands at the narrowest part of the Bosphorus.

After the Ottoman conquest of the city, Anadoluhisarı served as a customs house and military prison, and after several centuries, it fell into disrepair. It was restored between 1991 and 1993.

Rumelihisari sits directly across the Bosphorus from Andoluhisari. Conceived and built between 1451 and 1452 CE on the orders of Sultan Mehmed II. It was built in preparation for a planned Ottoman siege on the then-Byzantine city of Constantinople, with the goal of cutting off maritime military and logistical relief that could potentially come to the Byzantines’ aid.

After the Ottoman conquest of the city, Rumelihisarı served as a customs checkpoint and occasional prison. After suffering extensive damage in the Great Earthquake of 1509, the structure was repaired and was used continuously until the late 19th century.

Restoration work began in May 1955 and lasted until May 1958. Since 1960, Rumelihisarı has been a museum.

There are many grand palaces on the Bosphorus, but this one caught my eye. Commissioned by Sultan Abdulaziz, the palace was completed between 1861 and 1865. It served as a summer residence and a venue for hosting foreign dignitaries. Its design combines European architectural influences, particularly Neo-Baroque, with traditional Ottoman interior decoration. Today, it functions as a museum.

In 1110, Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus built a wooden tower protected by a stone wall. During the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the tower held a Byzantine garrison commanded by the Venetian Gabriele Trevisano. Later, the structure was used as a watchtower by the Ottomans during the reign of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.

The tower was destroyed during the 1509 earthquake, rebuilt, and then burned down in 1721.  Reconstruction was ordered by the grand vizier Damad Ibrahim Pasha, and the new building was used as a lighthouse; the surrounding walls were repaired in 1731 and 1734. From 1829, it was used as a quarantine station before being restored again by Sultan Mahmud II. In 1998, it was restored and then appeared in the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough. How it got its name is a mystery.

Istanbul’s 2026 population is now estimated at 16,419,100. In 1950, the population of Istanbul was 967,497. The number of tall apartment complexes going up is astonishing.

I have always loved the old wooden homes of Turkey.  This small, well-kept home caught my eye. While there are many large mansions, this quaint little spot was a visual gem.

There are a number of schools that sit right on the Bosphorus. Kuleli Military High School was the oldest military high school in Turkey. Established in September 1845, it is now used by the Istanbul Technical University.

The Kuleli Mosque was built in 1720 by Kaymak Mustafa Pasha, son-in-law of Ahmed III’s powerful grand vizier, Nevşehirli İbrahim Pasha.

Despite the chilling temperatures, it was a really lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Saying Goodbye

Since our flight is at 7:00 in the morning and the airport is a solid hour from downtown Istanbul, we decided to stay in a hotel near the airport. We chose Villa Business in the small town of Karaburun. As the cab driver worked his way here, we were seriously questioning our choice.  And yet, the hotel is absolutely fabulous. And the drive in the morning to the airport a mere 24 minutes.

The wind is blowing hard enough to knock you down, but the view from my room and a hot cup of tea are all I need at this point in the trip.

The view from my bed:

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On to Uzbekistan in the morning.