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ISTANBUL
Istanbul 2 Continents Tour: Europe & Asia in One Day
From $99 per person
- Duration: 8–10 hours
- Pick-up: Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- Meals: Lunch included · drinks extra
- Entrances: Entrance fees included
- Group: Small group or private · English or Russian
- Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours
Tour Overview
Istanbul 2 Continents Tour: Spice Bazaar, Bosphorus Cruise & Çamlıca Hill
This Istanbul 2 Continents tour takes you from Europe to Asia and back in one 8–10 hour day. It starts with hotel pick-up in an air-conditioned vehicle, with a licensed guide speaking English or Russian.
You browse the Spice Bazaar, cruise the Bosphorus past Dolmabahçe Palace and Rumeli Fortress, drive over the Bosphorus Bridge into Asia, tour Beylerbeyi Palace and look out over the city from Çamlıca Hill. The day ends in Kuzguncuk, where a mosque, a church and a synagogue stand side by side.
It suits first-timers, couples and families. Choose the Shared small-group tour or a Private tour with your own vehicle and guide; the program is identical, and the Bosphorus boat is a scheduled cruise boat shared with other passengers on both options. Both include the hotel transfer, boat trip, lunch at a local restaurant and Beylerbeyi Palace entrance. Compare the Bosphorus Highlights tour, see Istanbul tour packages or plan more days with our 7-day Istanbul itinerary.
Highlights
- Spice Bazaar tastings and browsing
- Bosphorus boat cruise
- Bridge crossing from Europe to Asia
- Beylerbeyi Palace entrance included
- Çamlıca Hill 360-degree panorama
- Kuzguncuk’s wooden houses
Quick facts
- Best time to visit: April–June and September–November.
- Runs daily.
- Wear comfortable shoes for palace gardens and the hill.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
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08:30Hotel Pick-up
Your day starts with a hotel pick-up in an air-conditioned vehicle: a private vehicle on the Private option, a shared one on the Shared small-group option. Your licensed guide, speaking English or Russian, stays with you all day. Times in this program are indicative, and your exact pick-up time is confirmed with your booking.
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09:15Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar)
The first stop is the Spice Bazaar in Eminönü, on the European side. This 17th-century covered market is known for colorful spices, herbal teas, Turkish delight and local cheeses. Your guide explains what each stall sells, and you have time to taste and browse before heading to the water.
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10:30Bosphorus Cruise
Sail between Europe and Asia on the scheduled Bosphorus cruise boat (shared with other passengers) on both the Shared and the Private option. You pass Dolmabahçe Palace, the 19th-century palace on the European shore, the wooden Ottoman mansions called yalıs, Rumeli Fortress and the Maiden’s Tower on its islet.
Optional: Upgrade: private yacht on the Bosphorus — see Private Yacht Rental -
12:30Lunch at a Local Restaurant
Lunch is a traditional meal at a local restaurant, often with Bosphorus views, and it is included in the price. It is a relaxed break after the cruise, and your guide explains the dishes and shares what to expect on the Asian side in the afternoon.
Meals: Lunch included -
13:45Bosphorus Bridge & Beylerbeyi Palace
Drive across the Bosphorus Bridge, the suspension bridge that takes you from Europe into Asia within minutes. On the Asian shore you tour Beylerbeyi Palace, a 19th-century Ottoman summer residence with Baroque and Oriental architecture and terraced gardens. The entrance fee is included.
Entrances: Beylerbeyi Palace: included -
15:15Çamlıca Hill
Çamlıca Hill is a high point on the Asian side with a 360-degree panorama over the city, the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea. Your guide points out the districts and landmarks you have seen during the day, and you have time for photos before the last stop.
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16:15Kuzguncuk & Hotel Drop-off
The day ends in Kuzguncuk, a peaceful historic district on the Asian side known for colorful wooden houses, where a mosque, a church and a synagogue stand side by side. After a short stroll with your guide, the vehicle takes you back to your hotel.
Places Along the Route
Spice Bazaar
Set in Eminönü beside the New Mosque, this L-shaped market has traded in spices, dried fruit, herbal teas and Turkish delight since the 1660s. Its domed halls are a lively, aromatic place to taste and shop.
Rumeli Fortress
Mehmed II had this fortress raised in about four months in 1452, at the narrowest point of the strait, to control shipping before the conquest of Constantinople. Three tall towers still crown the wooded slope.
Maiden’s Tower
This small tower stands on an islet off the Üsküdar shore. Rebuilt in the 18th century on far older foundations, it has worked as a lighthouse and a quarantine station, and legends about a sultan’s daughter still surround it.
Bosphorus Bridge
Opened in 1973, this suspension bridge was the first fixed road link between Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus. It is officially named the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, and the drive across takes only minutes.
Beylerbeyi Palace
Sultan Abdülaziz had this summer palace built in the 1860s on the Asian shore as a retreat and a place to receive foreign guests. Baroque and Oriental details and terraced gardens fill the grounds.
Çamlıca Hill
One of the highest points in the city, Çamlıca Hill rises on the Asian side with a wide outlook over rooftops, the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea. Its pine gardens are a favourite escape for Istanbulites.
Dolmabahçe Palace
Built in the 1840s and 1850s for Sultan Abdülmecid, this waterfront palace blends Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles behind a long marble façade. On this tour it is admired from the water, the way visitors first saw it.
Kuzguncuk
On the Asian shore, Kuzguncuk grew up as a mixed neighbourhood of Muslims, Greeks, Armenians and Jews. A mosque, churches and a synagogue still stand within a short walk of each other, along lanes of painted wooden houses.
Why Choose This Istanbul 2 Continents Tour?
Europe and Asia in one 8–10 hour day: you cross the Bosphorus by cruise boat and again over the Bosphorus Bridge, with hotel pick-up, lunch and the Beylerbeyi Palace entrance already included.
- Hotel to hotel — Your licensed guide, speaking English or Russian, collects you from your hotel at about 08:30 in an air-conditioned vehicle and stays all day, until the drop-off after Kuzguncuk.
- The scheduled cruise boat — On both options the Bosphorus cruise uses the scheduled cruise boat shared with other passengers, passing Dolmabahçe Palace, Rumeli Fortress and the Maiden’s Tower.
- Palace entrance and lunch included — Beylerbeyi Palace on the Asian shore and lunch at a local restaurant, often with Bosphorus views, are both included in the price.
- Shared or Private, same route — Join the Shared small group, or book Private with your own vehicle and guide; same program, ending with the Çamlıca Hill panorama and Kuzguncuk, where a mosque, church and synagogue stand side by side.
- Licensed local agency — TÜRSAB A-group licence #18154, Istanbul-based, rated 5.0 on Google (15 reviews), free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start date.
Tour Price & Booking
What’s Included
What’s Not Included
Optional Upgrades
Add these to your request — we confirm availability and the final total before you pay.
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Private airport transfer (IST)
A private vehicle meets you at Istanbul Airport (IST) and takes you straight to your hotel. Priced per vehicle, not per person.
Istanbul Airport (IST) · Vito View tour →
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Good to Know
Shared Boat on Both Options
The Bosphorus cruise uses the scheduled cruise boat shared with other passengers, also on the Private option. The vehicle and guide are private, the boat is not.
What to Wear
Comfortable walking shoes for the palace gardens and Çamlıca Hill, and a light layer for the boat deck. We do not enter mosques on this route.
Pick-up Times
Pick-up from 08:30; the exact time is confirmed the day before.
Dietary Requirements
Halal and vegetarian options are available. Please tell us about any dietary needs when you book.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, cancel up to 24 hours before the start date.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before, the amount paid is non-refundable.
- Changes made less than 24 hours before the start date cannot be accepted.
- If the tour is cancelled due to poor weather, you'll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Payment
Reserve now, pay later (no credit card required). Pay after we confirm, via secure link or bank transfer.
What guests say about TourQuaz
"Super und zuverlässige Organisation unseres Fimenausflugs. Zuverlässige Abholungen zu vereinbarten Zeiten und hilfreiche Tips beim Programm vor Ort.
Vielen Dank an das ganze Team. Jeder Zeit wieder!"
"Everything was very good specially the staff there
Special thanks to Mr. Emre for amazing efforts and support during all visit in istany"
"معاملة راقية تجربة تستحق الإشادة شكرا على حسن التعامل"
Frequently Asked Questions
Hotel pick-up and drop-off in an air-conditioned vehicle, a licensed English or Russian-speaking guide, the Bosphorus boat trip, lunch at a local restaurant and the Beylerbeyi Palace entrance. Drinks with lunch, tips and personal expenses are extra.
The tour takes 8–10 hours. It starts with hotel pick-up at about 08:30 and ends with a drop-off at your hotel after Kuzguncuk. Your exact pick-up time is confirmed with your booking.
The program is the same. Shared is a small group at $99 per person. Private gives your group its own vehicle and guide, priced per person by group size: $309 for 2 travelers, $189 for 4 and $149 for 6. The Bosphorus boat is shared with other passengers on both options.
Beylerbeyi Palace is included. The Spice Bazaar, Çamlıca Hill and Kuzguncuk are free to visit, and Dolmabahçe Palace, Rumeli Fortress and the Maiden’s Tower are seen from the boat.
Comfortable walking shoes and a light layer for the boat are enough. We do not enter mosques on this route.
Yes. Children 0–2 free, ages 3–7 receive 30% off.
Free cancellation: cancel up to 24 hours before the start date for a full refund. Reserve now, pay later (no credit card required). Pay after we confirm, via secure link or bank transfer.
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