Bosphorus Cruise Prices 2026: From €30

A shared Bosphorus cruise with MerrySails costs €30–€35 per person in 2026, and a private yacht starts at €220 for the whole boat. The sunset cruise (2 hours) is €30 / €35 on Mon–Thu and €34 / €40 on other days (without / with wine). The dinner cruise (2 hours 45 minutes) is €30 with soft drinks and €35 with 2 glasses of local wine, beer or raki; boarding at Kabataş Pier opens at 19:45 and the hotel service covers the listed zones only. For the broader comparison of routes and boats, start at the Bosphorus Cruise page. To check live availability for either evening option, open the sunset cruise or the dinner cruise page.

What separates the tiers is what each one includes and excludes, and when a request is better handled as a custom quote than a fixed ticket. The table below summarizes the current price ranges; for every package with its live price, see the Bosphorus cruise prices page for every package, the live price and booking, updated whenever the catalogue changes. Every sailing, departure time and ticket in one list sits in the Bosphorus cruise catalogue, including the private Bosphorus cruise price per vessel.

Daytime, lunch, multi-stop and other special cruises are priced on request for your group. Tell us the date, group size and what you want to see; we send a route with the stops and any meal you choose, priced for that plan.

The Bosphorus sunset cruise now runs on a verified two-step price list: €34 for the Without Wine option and €40 for the wine-served option. Both use the same 2-hour golden-hour route from Karaköy Pier (Balıkçı Kemal), with the exact berth pin sent after booking. On Monday to Thursday sailings the same options are €30 and €35, which is where the "from €30" figure comes from. The live sunset prices, dates and seats are always on the Bosphorus sunset cruise page, which is the page to book from. The shared product includes light hospitality rather than a full meal: a snack platter (mixed nuts, crackers, fresh fruit), tea, Turkish coffee, cold drinks and bottled water, plus a live guide. Hotel pickup and drop-off is an extra charge, and tips are not included.

The wine option adds 2 glasses of wine per adult. From 1 November to 31 December boarding starts at 15:45 and the boat departs at 16:00; the clock is set month by month, so check the date planner for the day you want. The reason the product converts so well is its clarity: it does not try to be a dinner cruise or a long sightseeing excursion. It simply gives you the best light on the Bosphorus in a premium-feeling shared format.

A shared Bosphorus dinner cruise costs €30–€35 per person, the same price every day, with dinner, the Turkish night show and hotel pickup and drop-off included in both packages. What each tier adds is in the Bosphorus dinner cruise Istanbul price page, with every package listed. For today's live dinner cruise prices and to book, use the Bosphorus dinner cruise price page; this guide only explains how the tiers compare.

Private yacht charter is priced per boat rather than per person, which is why the maths improve quickly as the group grows. Pricing is per vessel: the boutique 12-guest yacht from €220, the premium 15-guest from €320, and the 40-guest group yacht from €380 for 1–15 guests or €500 for 16–40 guests, all based on the same 2-hour private Bosphorus cruise logic. The boutique yacht is the clean entry point with captain, crew, and base beverages. The premium yacht adds a wider top deck and a more refined lounge. Every yacht with a published price takes 10% off from 3 hours. The event yachts are priced by quote, with 10% off from 5 hours on the Event Yacht 90 (4-hour minimum) and from 3 hours on the Mega Event Yacht 150.

The group yacht scales the same private experience for larger parties, before any further celebration extras are layered in. From there, the 4-course meal is the one priced extra (from €55 per guest); decoration, drinks packages, music, transfer, photography, and other extras are quoted against the real brief.

If the private evening should include dinner, the private Bosphorus dinner cruise lists the per-boat dinner packages and what each one serves.

Understanding what is included prevents surprises and helps you compare the three main options honestly. Every licensed Bosphorus product includes the operational basics: trained crew or staff, safety equipment, and standard onboard facilities. Beyond that baseline, the differences are clear. Sunset is a light-hospitality product centered on the route and golden-hour timing. Dinner is the full shared evening format centered on the route, meal, entertainment, and package-based drinks.

Yacht charter is the private base vessel, then expands through yacht tier and tailored extras. If your plan does not fit these options, ask for a quote rather than forcing it into a fixed ticket. Families comparing prices can see what suits a family on board on the Bosphorus cruise for families page.

Tipping is voluntary (see the Istanbul tipping guide) and is not part of any published price: the sunset, dinner and yacht pages all list tips under what is not included. There is no fixed amount or percentage, and the price you book is the price you pay.

If the crew looked after your group well, a tip is a personal gesture rather than an expectation. For a private charter, ask your host on the day how the crew prefers to receive it.

The single cleanest way to shop Bosphorus pricing is to book direct with the company rather than relying on vague reseller summaries, hotel concierge markups, or street-agent descriptions. Direct booking lets you compare the real published price list — sunset €30 / €35 (Mon–Thu) or €34 / €40 (other days), dinner €30 / €35, and yacht from €220 per vessel (boutique €220, premium €320, group €380 for 1–15 guests or €500 for 16–40 guests) — instead of guessing which package a third party is actually selling. Current Bosphorus cruise prices, with a direct booking link for each package, are on the Bosphorus cruise prices 2026 page.

If your needs fall outside the price range, move into a custom quote service brief rather than forcing the wrong fixed ticket. Groups should contact the company directly for shared-cruise or private-yacht planning, and yacht charters become increasingly attractive as the vessel price is split across more guests. A strong first-Istanbul strategy is to pair sunset on one day with dinner on another, or replace one of those with yacht charter when the trip is celebration-led.

To see the Bosphorus cruise price for each sailing side by side, including the private Bosphorus cruise price per vessel, the cruises catalogue lists every option.

If the cheapest boat ride on the water is the only goal, the public ferry costs less than any cruise but has no narration, no food and no route planned around the light; our Bosphorus cruise vs ferry comparison sets the two side by side.

What moves a MerrySails price is the product and the day of the week, not a hidden surcharge. The shared sunset cruise is €30 / €35 on Monday to Thursday sailings and €34 / €40 on the other days. The dinner cruise price is the same every day. On yacht charters: Every yacht with a published price takes 10% off from 3 hours. The event yachts are priced by quote, with 10% off from 5 hours on the Event Yacht 90 (4-hour minimum) and from 3 hours on the Mega Event Yacht 150.

The sunset departure changes with the season, and the date planner shows the confirmed clock for the day you pick. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure, and if weather makes sailing unsafe the cruise is moved or refunded under the booking terms, so booking early carries no penalty.

A boat ride in Istanbul can mean two different things on a budget. The public Şehir Hatları ferry to the Princes' Islands costs 151.23 TL per person per ride at full fare, and you plan the day yourself. A shared MerrySails cruise is a fixed €30–€35 per person, with a set departure from Karaköy or Kabataş and a guide on board. The ferry suits a cheap crossing; the cruise suits a 2-hour sunset or a dinner evening with a known pier and time.