BOSPHORUS UNPLUGGED

There’s no greater way to kick back and take in Istanbul than cruising the scenic waterway from up close, Bosphorus that separates Asia from Europe and unites the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and Aegean. The Bosphorus is the 32 km (20 mile) long strait and it’s no surprise that any conqueror who was anybody had his sights set on the Bosphorus. During World War I, the Bosphorus was the key to the Black Sea and Russia. The Sultan held the key. The Entente powers wanted it. What they failed to get in battle they got by a treaty.

Pass by pastel-colored old wooden mansions home to many celebrities, posh marble palaces, majestic mosques with their ubiquitous minarets, quaint villages dotting the riverside and colorful neighborhoods, mighty fortresses of Rumelia and Anatolia. Since the strait is a seasonal migration route for fish to and from the Black Sea, the Bosphorus is heavily fished. It is crossed by three bridges and two underground tunnel with railway and road. One of the most beautiful coastlines in the world!

This cruise takes you on a journey to Istanbul’s lesser-known Asian Continent too, for an orientation walk in Kadikoy market district and have our lunch at quite possibly the best restaurant in Istanbul, Ciya Sofrasi. Make a link with Marmaray, world’s first underwater tunnel that connects two continents. It was inaugurated and opened after four years of construction delays that were largely due to the discovery of ruins dating from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. In theory, it brings closer the day when it will be possible to travel from London to Beijing via Istanbul by train! Visiting Spice Bazaar (stock up on bargain spices, dried fruits, nuts, seeds and Turkish baklava and delight here!).

Before tour’s end, we set out on a unique, short-walking tour of Taksim, nestled in the heart of Istanbul, is a vibrant nexus where history, culture, and modernity converge. Visiting Gezi Park, is what replaced a huge Ottoman artillery barracks, removal of the park’s trees ended up with a nationwide 2013 protests. Independence Monument, commemorates the Turkish Republic’s founder, Kemal Ataturk, in both his roles, as military commander-in-chief and as statesman. Istiklal Avenue or Grande Rue de Péra, visited by nearly 3 million people in a single day over the course of weekends.

This tour is a comprehensive experience and you’ll be oriented to the city’s layout. You will be familiarized with your surroundings enough to enjoy the remainder of your time visiting some other spots that you may like to see on your own. They can easily be negotiated on your own after you’ve had a good day of orientation. Tour ends where we began.