Bosphorus Cruise and Istanbul's Egyptian Bazaar

Istanbul, Turkey

Breathe in the heady mix of spices and herbs in the Egyptian Bazaar, then take an invigorating cruise on the Bosphorus for superb views of the magical city of Istanbul. You'll cruise past the famous Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi palaces, and see the historic European and Asian shores.

You begin your adventure with a visit to the 17th-century Spice Bazaar one of Istanbul's most colorful and bustling attractions. Breathe in the heady mix of spices and herbs in the Egyptian Bazaar. Next you'll take an invigorating cruise on the Bosphorus for superb views of the magical city of Istanbul.

You'll cruise past the famous Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi palaces, and see the historic European and Asian shores, you can also admire the mosques, fortresses, 19th-century masions and Sultan's fanciful gingerbread palaces and hunting lodges. Your cruise will pass the 15th-century Rumelihisar Fortress.

Time spent in each place will be determined by your guide on the day, depending on the group's size and overall preference.

Egyptian Bazaar:
Built in 1660 with the taxes collected from the trade of Egyptian herbs and spices, the exotically domed bazaar is filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint and thyme. Browse the stalls and compare the prices!

USD $46.25

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Ann L	March 2012
proved rather bland excursion

Review by: Ronald C	November 2011
Realy glad my husband booked this tour. We have lurned obout this in our history books but when you get to see this whit our own eyes, this is something else. A good tour to take.

Review by: lsoderberg	November 2011
The Egyptian Bazaar is a must see, but our guide was a real disappointment. We arrived at the Bazaar at 9:55 am and were only given 35 minutes to shop on our own. The cruise was fine, but our guide slept the entire time and I had to wake her to find out when to depart from the boat. Upon return, we were dropped at a different hotel without explanation as to why we weren't being dropped at our hotel. When we asked for directions to our hotel, she sent us in the wrong direction. Very disappointed and would not recommend.

Review by: Lucy D	October 2011
A sort of "must be done" trip but fairly boring and could barely hear the audio guide over the speakers on the boat. You could take yourself to the Spice Market so that part is pointless.

Review by: Nadia F	October 2011
The guide was funny and informative. Very good.

Review by: Rowan T	October 2011
This trip was very poorly organised by the company that ran it. We were picked up from our hotel and then driven past the Bazaar and Bosphorus boats to another bus terminal where we had to then get on another bus which drove us back to the Bazaar. The tour of the Bazaar itself was good. Then we had to get on another different bus again and travel back to the Bosphorus boats. The cruise was good. After the cruise, we were driven past the Bazaar again and practically all over Istanbul dropping passengers back at thier hotels, which there was also some confusion about by the organisers. We only did the half day tour but there were passengers on the bus who had paid for the full day tour which included lunch and other sights, who had to stay on the bus for an hour, dropping everyone else off. I would have been even more disappointed if I were them. The individual sights were good but the organisation was terrible!

Review by: omar b	October 2011
Long drive through busy streets and then the boat ride. Interesting sights but heard mostly from another guide on the boat. no time to stay in the spice market because of limited time.

Review by: Doug S	September 2011
need a more structured trip. Some interesting history up canal but could have done most of this trip on my own and been more than satisfied

Review by: Priscilla F	September 2011
The cruise is nice and worthy. The bazaar is a must. But, you don't need to book a tour for them. There is no extra for paying a tour. Both are reachable by taxi or tram and you can do them on your own.

Review by: divya m	July 2011
Since it was to be a cruise, we truly believed that it would be and we would stop by and see the Palaces as well but to my surprise we went by a local ferry and just admired everything from a distance. It wasnt entirely what we expected, I have booked a lot of tours with you 6 months back for france and Italy which were wonderful but this one needs improvment.

Review by: Joseph C	July 2011
The Bosphorous cruise tour was great!! The guide was really informative and super friendly. He gave us all the information we needed and plently of time to explore and see everything. The pick up and drop off service was great so we didn't have to stress about how to get everyehere.

Review by: Monica G	June 2011
excellent

Review by: Gerth S	June 2011
We had to wait nearly 1 hour after pickup-time. The trip was a bit confusing with stressed guide. Too short time (15min) at the Egyptian bazaar. The boat was old and dirty. The trip was nice and information satisfactory.

Review by: John g K	May 2011
Great way to see the coastline and Asia side of Istanbul.The Egyptian Bazar is much more manageable than the Grand Bazar.Nice ship.

Review by: Fong yi Y	May 2011
The coach is very comfortable.

Review by: Wang O	May 2011
It was good but could have been better.

Review by: sandi	May 2011
This tour was a major disappointment!!!! The guide was late picking us up at our hotel. Once we got started on the tour we first visited the Spice Bazaar. Shortly before we arrived at the Bazaar we were asked to get out of the van we were riding in and change to another. We were being "transfered" to another tour operator to take the tour----Viator uses another company in Istanbul as the tour operator for this tour. The other company put us with another tour operator and the tour left much to be desired. The guide did not give us much information on anything. We were very disappointed! When we finished the Bosphorus cruise and got back in the van to be taken back to our hotels, we first made a stop at the tour operators office so he could get off the van and head home for the day. The van driver was taking us back to our hotels. Due to road construction, we were let off by the van driver a distance away from our hotel. We could not find our hotel!!!!! We walked and walked. Finally ended up in another hotel where we found a desk manager that spoke english and told us where we needed to go. Expected more from Viator and their local tour operators!!!

Review by: Santiago O	April 2011
Well organized and with very useful information from the guide when visiting the Egyptian Bazaar, Information during the cruise was quite limited (and a rainy day did not help)

Review by: Robert N	March 2011
This and the half day two continents was combined into a full day trip. The trip only draw back was the weather.

Review by: Jusna B	February 2011
This tour really needs taken during the summer period so that you can enjoy taking pictures outside the boat.

Review by: Patti M	December 2010
It was hard to hear the commentary for this tour.

Review by: Juan Diego T	December 2010
very good

Review by: Mary Jane H	November 2010
No one had a record of our paid reservation. Fortunately, our travel agent had given us vouchers, so after faxing prrof of them to their office, someone picked us up at our hotel.

Review by: Patrick M	November 2010
Worth doing. Not a lot of time was spent in the spice bazaar, but enough to get an idea of what to do on a return trip. Note that the guide will try to steer you to a store just inside the bazaar. If that bothers you just keep walking. The cruise was fun. The narration in english was spotty so i just went out on the bow of the boat to enjoy the view. Also note that they will offer you food and drink on the boat but they do cost extra. overall worth doing.

Review by: Nic	October 2010
30mins in a bazaar is ridiculously far too short. River cruise a little too long.

Review by: Michael S	October 2010
Trip was interesting. The trip to the spice market was educational and well worth it. The cruise up and down the Bosphorus had entertaining commentary and there were plent of excellent photo opportunities. Well worth the money.

Review by: GABRIEL D	October 2010
excellent

Review by: Staci F	October 2010
Guide was very friendly, knowledgeable and informative. The ferry ride didn't include any commentary for anyone else except for us with our guide. Would have been pretty dull without her. Was interesting to hear about her experiences with university and contrasts to her native land. Was a great afternoon.

Review by: Lucine G	October 2010
4 stars good We needed a bit longer time to visit and buy something from the Egyptian Bazaar, unfortunate they allow us only 30 minutes ( not too much)

Review by: Colleen R	October 2010
Good tour and the guide on the bus section was excellent. Spice Bazaar definitely worth a look. Only negative there is not enough time devoted to being able to browse. Cruise good-similar to others.

Review by: Lucienne D	September 2010
Convenient and reliable pick-up from hotel. Spice market is a must see, wish we had more time. Bosphorus cruise was good in that it gave a more overall perspective of Istanbul as a city. Large boat with lots of people, not an intimate experience if that's what you're looking for.

Review by: Gary C	September 2010
Poor communication led to no guide on bus and an English speaking guide who was from another company and not expecting me. I was dumped off after the cruise in the middle of Istanbul because of inconvenient traffic.

Review by: Mark L	August 2010
Lovely views from the river. The spice market was a great experience- no hassle from the shop keepers and small and compact shoppimg.

Review by: Kamalesh K	August 2010
Worth the money. Must take this.

Review by: Tracy H	August 2010
This tour was very bad. They picked us up at our hotel and took us to another hotel and didn't say anything. I had to call twice to get information about who was picking us up and when. Once the tour started, not a lot of information was given.

Review by: Deborah M	August 2010
enjoyable morning

Review by: Michael F	August 2010
guide was awful - barely spoke english - trip was very boring and was a total waste-please eliminate this vendor !!!!!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2010
The tour was excellent. The bus showed up on time and the cruise down the Bosphorus was excellent. We enjoyed looking at the beautiful houses on the shoreline. The trip to the Egyptian Bazaar could have been a little longer but we were able to buy a number of items and even haggle over the prices with some of the merchants. All in all a very relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

Review by: Andre A, Portugal	June 2010
Very good

Review by: Gloria N, United States of America	May 2010
Very nice tour. The guide was helpful in giving us instructions for catching the sea bus ferry to Uskudar after the tour.

Review by: Patricia A, Australia	May 2010
A good introduction to Istanbul. The Egyptian Market was fascinating with spices and wonderful exotic aromas and goods. The cruise showed us a variety of architecture and attractions - great opportunities for the photographer.

Review by: Andrea W, United States of America	April 2010
A must see activity! Recommend to do it on first day soas to get an overview of the city and know what you want to see later. Wonderful tour guide, very informative! Bring your camera, lots of photo opportunities! Bring a jacket, it can be windy!

Review by: Azhar A, Singapore	April 2010
The tour was organised as planned. Hotel pick up was punctual. The only comment that I have was that too short time given for shopping at the Spice Market. But overall, was fantastic and we had a great time. Especially the Bosphorus Cruise, you can have the view of Istanbul within short time.

Review by: Charles M, United States of America	January 2010
Cruise is good. It alone is worth the price. For me, the Egyptian Bazaar was not particularly interesting and seemed mostly to provide an opportunity for the guide to eat breakfast.

Review by: Raymond G, Philippines	December 2009
We were supposed to have the cruise in the morning, but due to bad weather our flight was delayed, but the local tour operator was gracious enough to postpone it in the afternoon. The cruise was awesome and we were treated to an afternoon delight of culture, history and nature. The cruise is one of the best ways to see Istanbul. Furthermore, the spice bazaar is to die for. I bought a lot of spices and samples of the local tea. The guide was very knowledgeable and very courteous.

Review by: Randi P, United States of America	November 2009
Guide very nice and helpful. Would have liked more time in the Spice Bazaar and have opportunity to see more than just one store.

Review by: Anonymous, Saudi Arabia	October 2009
The Bosphorus Cruise was awesome. The bazaar was interesting. I would recommend it specially to those who arrived Istanbul for the first time.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	September 2009
The cruise was fabulous. We spent a very short time at the Egyptian bazaar. It looked interesting would liked to have stayed just a little bit longer. Return journey back to the hotel was painful. We were virtually the last to be dropped and there were a lot of people on the trip it took forever because the hotels were in the north and south parts of Istanbul. After the tour it would have been easier to drop us first as we were in the Sultanemat area but no they went to Taxim first and then we got caught in the traffic. After the tour finished the journey back was almost 2 hours. So this spoilt the tour.

Review by: Lemiel P, United States of America	August 2009
Great views on the cruise and I loved shopping at the Egyptian Bazaar!

Review by: John O, United States of America	August 2009
Great trip.