Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

1 SIGHTS The tour below follows the route of the Long Bosphorus Ferry Tour.

1 Eminönü to Beşiktaş Board the boat at the Boğaz İskelesi (Bosphorus Ferry Dock) on the Eminönü quay near the Galata Bridge. It’s always a good idea to arrive 30 minutes or so before the scheduled departure time and manoeuvre your way to the front of the queue that builds near the doors leading to the dock. When these open and the boat can be boarded, you’ll need to move fast to score a good seat. The best spots are on the sides of the upper deck at the bow or stern. The Asian shore is to the right as the ferry cruises up the strait; Europe is to the left. When you start your trip, watch out for the small island of Kız Kulesi, just off the Asian shore near Üsküdar. One of the city’s most distinctive landmarks, this 18th-century structure has functioned as a lighthouse, quarantine station and restaurant. It also featured in the 1999 James Bond film The World Is Not Enough . Just before the first stop at Beşiktaş, you’ll pass the grandiose Dolmabahçe Palace, built on the European shore of the Bosphorus by Sultan Abdül Mecit between 1843 and 1854. 1 Beşiktaş to Kanlıca After a brief stop at Beşiktaş, Çırağan Palace, once home to Sultan Abdül Aziz and now a luxury hotel, looms up on the left. Next to it on the left is the Four Seasons Hotel; on the right is the long yellow building occupied by the prestigious Galatasaray University. Across the strait on the Asian shore is the Fethi Ahmed Paşa Yalı ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Kuzguncuk; g 15 from Üsküdar) , a wide white building with a red-tiled roof that was built in the pretty suburb of