Bosphorus with kids — would you just take a regular ferry?

erdinç yazman

22d ago

🛡️ Traveler · 1,875 points

Yep, I’d go for the municipal “Kısa Boğaz Turu”—the Short Bosphorus Cruise. It’s roughly two hours, takes you up the Bosphorus and brings you back without the long lunch stop that turns the full tour into an all-day outing. You stay aboard for the return, so no dragging the stroller through another queue halfway through 😅 From Sultanahmet, take the T1 tram towards Kabataş and get off at Eminönü. You want the Şehir Hatları Boğaz İskelesi—the Bosphorus tour pier—not the Üsküdar crossing. Go to the official ticket window and ask for “Kısa Boğaz Turu.” No need to buy a package from someone approaching you on the waterfront. The departure currently listed is 2:40pm daily. I’d arrive around half an hour early so you have time for tickets, toilets and finding a seat without rushing. For a foreign adult, budget around 350 lira for the whole cruise. That’s a separate tour ticket, not the roughly 60-lira commuter crossing. Kids aged six and under are free. There’s an under-12 fare too, but the published table doesn’t clearly show a separate foreign-child price, so don’t budget using the local child rate. Bring the stroller, but aim for the main deck rather than hauling it upstairs. You may be able to leave it open where there’s room; keep it foldable in case access or crowds make that necessary. Put the brake on and keep passageways clear. The larger ferries have toilets, though I’d still do a bathroom stop before boarding and ask the crew where the onboard one is. Bring water, snacks and an extra layer—the breeze can feel surprisingly chilly even when Eminönü is warm. The one catch: two hours is still two hours if a kid decides they hate boats. If that feels like a gamble, take the short Eminönü–Üsküdar crossing instead. But if you actually want to cruise along the Bosphorus, the municipal short tour is the better fit.