Istanbul Night Cruise: your questions, answered

Yes. Every booking includes a full Turkish dinner: eight cold mezes served to the table, a hot starter of kalem böreği, one main course per guest (köfte, grilled chicken, grilled salmon or mixed grill) and baklava for dessert. Unlimited soft drinks and the four-act live show are included too.

€24.7 per person, down from a list price of €40, with dinner, the live show and unlimited soft drinks included. Children aged 0 to 3 are free and children aged 4 to 9 pay €19.7. Nothing is charged when you book: you pay on the boat.

Yes, children are welcome and get the same dinner and show. Ages 0 to 3 cruise free and ride the hotel transfer free. Ages 4 to 9 pay €19.7, which is €5 off the adult price. From age 10 the adult price of €24.7 applies.

Boarding at Eminönü Pier opens at 20:00 and the boat leaves at 21:00, every night of the year. We are back at the pier between 23:45 and 00:00, so you spend about three hours on the water. The cold mezes are on your table from 20:00, while the boat is still at the pier.

Eminönü Pier, on the old city's waterfront beside the Galata Bridge, where the Golden Horn meets the Bosphorus. The Eminönü stop of the T1 tram is about a minute's walk away, Sirkeci station (Marmaray) about five minutes, and Sultanahmet about ten minutes on foot. We send the exact meeting-point pin when we confirm your booking.

Both shores of the Bosphorus after dark. From Eminönü we pass Karaköy and Galata Tower, sail up the European shore past Dolmabahçe Palace, Çırağan Palace and Ortaköy Mosque, under the Bosphorus Bridge to Bebek and Rumeli Fortress, and turn at the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. We come back along the Asian shore past Beylerbeyi Palace, Üsküdar and Maiden's Tower.

A live Turkish night in four acts: a whirling dervish ceremony, Anatolian folk dances (horon, zeybek and halay), a drum ensemble on davul, darbuka and bendir, and belly dance. There is also a DJ, and the dance floor belongs to the guests. The programme runs through dinner in the main salon, with no interval and no fixed showtimes.

Unlimited soft drinks are included, and alcohol is optional. The unlimited drinks package costs €15 per adult (18+) and covers beer, rakı, vodka, gin, and red and white wine all evening. Imported drinks such as whisky, tequila and champagne, and cocktails, are sold at the bar at an extra charge.

Yes. Hotel transfer costs €5 per person and covers the pickup before boarding and the ride back after the cruise. We collect from Sultanahmet, Fatih, Laleli, Eminönü, Sirkeci, Topkapı, Yenikapı, Beyoğlu, Taksim, Şişli (except Gayrettepe, Esentepe, Levent, Maslak and Zincirlikuyu), Beşiktaş, Ortaköy and Kağıthane. Children aged 0 to 3 ride free. Same-day requests after 19:00 depend on vehicle availability.

No. There is no prepayment and no deposit. To book we only need your name, phone number, date and number of guests. You pay on the boat on the night, in cash (euro, Turkish lira or US dollars) or by card, together with any extras you chose.

Yes, free of charge up to two hours before departure, which means until 19:00 on the day. Just send us a message in the chat where you booked. Because nothing was paid in advance, there is nothing to refund and no form to fill in.

Yes. Same-day bookings are accepted until 21:00, the departure time. Book on our website or message us, then come straight to Eminönü Pier: boarding opens at 20:00. Same-day hotel pickup requests after 19:00 depend on vehicle availability.

Yes. A vegetarian main course is prepared on request in place of the meat or fish main, and most of the eight cold mezes are meat-free already. You do not need to tell us when you book: just ask your waiter on board.

No. Most guests come smart casual, as they would for a good restaurant. Bring a light layer if you want to step out onto the open-air terrace for the views, because the air on the water is cooler than in the city, and wear shoes you can dance in.

A 46-metre boat with two enclosed, climate-controlled dining decks with panoramic windows, a stage in the main salon, a bar and an open-air terrace on top. It carries up to 300 guests, and tables are assigned in advance, so you do not need to arrive early to get a good seat.

For most visitors, yes, if you want an evening out rather than a quiet sightseeing ride. Dinner, a four-act show and about three hours on the Bosphorus come in one price of €24.7, with no prepayment. It suits couples, families, groups of friends and first-time visitors to Istanbul.

Choose your date and guests on our website: the form takes about a minute and shows your total before you send it. Send the summary to us on WhatsApp or Telegram, or simply write to us there. We confirm your place in the same chat and send the meeting-point pin.