Small-Group Bosphorus Cruise and Istanbul’s Egyptian Bazaar
Description
Explore the aromatic maze of stalls that make up Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar, and then hop aboard a sightseeing boat for a jaunt along the famous Bosphorus Strait! After traveling to the bazaar by coach and learning about the city from an onboard guide, enjoy some free time to explore and browse stalls selling fresh mint, cardamom, cinnamon and more. Follow up the market visit with a Bosphorus sightseeing cruise and see a collection of sights including the decadent Dolmabahçe Palace and Rumeli Hisarı Fortress.
Tour Options
Itinerary
spice bazaar
will be seen from the boat
will be seen from the boat
cruise on the bosphorus
Choose from a morning or afternoon tour, and then start your experience with a pickup from your European-side Istanbul hotel. As you travel through the city, sit back and relax as your onboard guide talks about Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar— your first destination of the tour. One of the city’s most colorful and bustling attractions, the market has operated since the 17th century and remains as popular with locals as it is with visitors. Hop out of your coach and head inside the market while breathing in its heady aromas of fragrant spices and herbs. Hear tips for interesting stalls to visit from your guide, and then enjoy roughly 45 minutes of free time to explore and shop at leisure. After shopping and sightseeing around the famous souk, travel by coach to the banks of the Bosphorus Strait for your cruise. Learn about the famous stretch of water that straddles both the Asian and European continents as you travel, and then board your sightseeing boat for the cruise. Take a seat out on deck or inside the cabin, and cruise past an impressive selection of Istanbul’s showpiece sights. Look out for Dolmabahçe Palace with its decadent façade as well as 15th-century Rumeli Hisarı Fortress and Beylerbeyi Palace where Ottoman-era sultans spent their summer vacations. Your route takes in sights on both the European and Asian shores and, in addition to Istanbul’s big-name attractions, the cruise also passes some of the city’s lesser-known gems: mosques, fortresses, palaces and more. Having admired the sights of the Bosphorus Strait from the water, return to land and finally finish your experience with a hotel drop-off.
View the Palace outside
Pass under the bridge that connects the two continents
Walk through the historical Eminonu Square
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please note that; For Morning Bosphorus Cruise & Spice Market Tour your pick up time will be between 08:00 - 08:30 a.m. For Afternoon Bosphorus Cruise & Spice Market Tour your pick up time will be between 12:00 - 12:30 p.m. Please contact us at our Emergency Number one day prior to your tour.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children aged 18 years and under must be accompanied by an adult
- During religious holidays on July 28, 29 and 30 and October 4, 5, 6 and 7, 2014, the Spice Bazaar will be closed
Reviews(208)
Egyptian market (spices and tea) Be careful with the methods of tea sellers: prices are very high. Especially compare prices well, pass your way and go to the Asian shore where prices are affordable.
Dear Guest, As you know, the Spice Bazaar included in our tour is a historic marketplace where all our guests can freely explore and experience. This touristic location houses stores that collect and sell spices from nearly every corner of the world. We have also received feedback regarding the high prices; however, since this is a free market area, even the authorities are unable to intervene in such matters. We apologize for not being able to assist with this issue, which is beyond our control. We hope you had an enjoyable experience on our tour. Thank you
We fell in love with Istanbul and Turkey. But this would never be the case if it was not for our guide, SEVİLAY TOKMAK, employed by Neon Tours. She made everything easy. For pick ups from Cappadoccia, for hotel transfers to airports. Guiding us on 2 different daily tours. She was humble and friendly. A true friend. If I sent her a whatsapp she would take her personal time to communicate with her managers and get me information that I otherwise did not get. She walked that extra mile. Neon Tours you are blessed to have her. When my company bring their 2 yearly group guest again next year, she will be on my request list. #family #tourist guide!
Dear Guest, we are very happy to hear that you were satisfied with our service. Your feedback is very helpful to us in improving our service. We hope that your entire trip to Turkey was wonderful and that you leave our country with beautiful memories. We would be delighted to see you in our country again. Thank you.
Was supposed to be with another three people but my guide told me they cancelled at last minute so it's only me. My guide is very knowledgeable and seems to know a lot of people in Istanbul. I like the cruise, only wished the weather would be nicer (but this is not something to do with the tour itself). We didn't spend too much time in the bazaar as its not very big and everybody there tries to get you buy something.
Dear hloe, Thank you for your kind review. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed your cruise. We hope to see you again in our beautiful city, Neon Tours
This was a well put together trip, the guide was very knowledgable and made the tour interesting, great value for money
Dear our valued guest, It's a great pleasure to know that you satisfied with our services. We hope to see you again soon, Neon Tours
Excellent trip to the spice market and nice easy site seeing cruise along the bosphorus. Only slight niggle was no air con in the transfer bus. Would still not hesitate to go a again.
Dear our valued guest, Thank you for this kind review. We're more than happy to hear that you enjoyed our services. We hope to see you again soon, Neon Tours
We were even picked up 20” earlier than scheduled, which lowers anxiety. Transport in excellent condition. The cruise, comfortable, only for the group, no pileup. Too bad q was only in English and the guide had a strong taaan Turkish accent that made it very difficult to understand that he said
Although this was my second visit to Istanbul and also my second Bosphorus cruise, I enjoyed it as much this year as I did last year. The guide , Ali, was extremely professional and well documented, he taught us a lot about Istanbul's history and present. As for the Bazaar, it's amazing, everything inside smells so good, sellers are friendly, the atmosphere is welcoming, you just don't know what to choose...I think I could do this every year and never regret it for one second. Highly recommended to all visitors.
Dear Carmen, We're delighted to hear that you visited again. We'll deliver your kind word to Ali. Third time's the charm so come again soon, Neon Tours
We were blown over by The Egyptian and Spice and The World Biggest Bazaar The Grande Bazaar the atmosphere of these Bazaars is Hypnotic
Dear our valued guest, We're very happy to hear that you liked our tour. Thank you for sparing your time and writing this nice comment. Please visit our beautiful country again, Neon Tours
This tour was the perfect addition to my Istanbul afternoon! The driver picked me up at the hotel and ended up having to walk us over the bridge because of street closures due to a bike race (think Turkey's answer to the Tour de France). Weather was good and the walk was nice, although it meant our time in the Spice Market was cut very short. No one in the group complained -- I made note of what I wanted to get on the return and came back the next day. Plus, our guide offered directions for individuals who wanted to return so we could find it easily. Once on the boat, we sat together as the guide narrated our trip up the European side. Our return trip took us down the Asian side. The guide was friendly and informative, offering details on Turkish culture and history, including the architecture we saw. After our ride, the driver took us back to our hotels, and in total, the trip was about 3 hours (~2h on the water). I'd definitely recommend this to other visitors, especially those looking for a relaxing way to see both sides of Istanbul and sail a bit on the Bosphorous.
Dear Sarah, Thank you for sparing your time to write these nice comments. Great to hear that you had great time and enjoyed our services during the tour in Istanbul. Hope you had wonderful memories about Istanbul with our program and also had explanatory details about Istanbul and its amazing history. Once again we would like to thank you on behalf of Neon Team and looking forward to be able at your service on your next trip to Turkey, with traditional Turkish hospitality and famous Neon Tours' high quality services.
<p>We did the afternoon tour as had a morning walking tour. Pickup from hotel was on time and very good guide who explained about the region and life in general. Only had about 20 minutes at the Spice Bazaar as election due in a couple of days and lots of noise and things happening. The river cruise was great - it was on a hop-on hop-off cruise, but we stayed on board as we viewed both the European and Asian sides of the river. Good value for money.</p>
