Bosphorus guide
The landmarks a Bosphorus cruise passes, grouped by shore. Dates are when each was built; whether it can be visited, and when, is decided by those who run it.
Sarayburnu · the Ottoman court for nearly four centuries
On the point where the Golden Horn meets the Bosphorus, Topkapı was the seat of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th century until the court moved up the shore to Dolmabahçe in the 19th.
From the water you see what the sultans saw from their terraces: the meeting of three waters and the Asian shore opposite.
Galata · built in 1348
Built by the Genoese of Galata in 1348, the round stone tower has watched over the mouth of the Golden Horn ever since. It is now a museum with a viewing gallery near the top.
Beşiktaş · 1843–1856
Built for Sultan Abdülmecid I by the Balyan family of architects, Dolmabahçe replaced Topkapı as the main residence of the sultans when it was completed in 1856. Its long marble façade was designed to be seen from the sea.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic, died here on 10 November 1938.
Beşiktaş · 1863–1867
Built for Sultan Abdülaziz, Çırağan burned in 1910 and stood as a shell for decades. Restored, it reopened in the 1990s as a hotel; from the water it looks much as it did in the 1870s.
Ortaköy · completed in the mid-1850s
Officially the Büyük Mecidiye Mosque, it was built for Sultan Abdülmecid I by the Balyans and completed around 1854–1856. Standing right at the water’s edge beneath the first Bosphorus bridge, it is the strait’s most photographed view.
Sarıyer · built in 1452
Sultan Mehmed II raised this fortress in 1452, the year before the conquest of Constantinople, to control the narrowest stretch of the strait. Its walls climb the hillside from the water; it has been a museum since 1960.
Ortaköy – Beylerbeyi · opened in 1973
The first bridge between the two continents, opened on 30 October 1973 with a main span of 1,074 metres. Long known as the Bosphorus Bridge, it was renamed in 2016.
Rumeli Hisarı – Kavacık · opened in 1988
The second Bosphorus bridge crosses just north of the two fortresses. It is named after Mehmed II, whose fortress stands at its European end.
Off Üsküdar · rebuilt in stone in 1763
A tower on a tiny islet about 200 metres off Üsküdar, at the southern entrance of the strait. It has been a watchtower, a lighthouse and a café; after restoration it reopened to visitors in May 2023.
Beykoz · built 1393–1394
The older of the two fortresses, built for Sultan Bayezid I on the Asian shore at the mouth of the Göksu stream. With Rumeli Hisarı opposite, it closed the strait in 1453.
Beykoz · completed in 1857
A small, lavishly decorated waterside pavilion built for Sultan Abdülmecid I by the Balyans, used for short stays and excursions. It has been a museum since 1944.
Beylerbeyi · 1861–1865
The summer palace of Sultan Abdülaziz on the Asian shore, later used to receive visiting royalty — Empress Eugénie of France stayed here in 1869 on her way to the opening of the Suez Canal.
Every landmark on this page can be seen from the deck of the Bosphorus sightseeing cruise.
About two hours from Ahırkapı Pier, up the European shore and back along the Asian side.
Dates and ticketsBooked on our sister site, bosphorustour.org.