Scheduled ferry boats leave from the piers at the entrance to the Golden Horn and the piers near Dolmabahçe Palace. There are also cruise boats owned by some of the hotels and tour agencies, as well as privately owned and operated smaller boats which organize boat trips on the Bosphorus. These trips run a zigzag course up the Bosphorus towards the Black Sea.
Photo by Niyazi Uğur Genca
Leander’s Tower is at the entrance to the Bosphorus, and Dolmabahçe Palace is on the shore opposite Üsküdar. The Çırağan Palace Hotel, along with the Bosphorus Bridge are seen a little further up. The 1,074 metre-long section of the suspension bridge links the two continents. Ortaköy Mosque is next to the foot of the bridge on the European side and Beylerbeyi Palace is next to the foot of the bridge on the Asian Side. Therefore, one gets a chance to see both contemporary and old monuments side by side. Villa Bosphorus, (near Beylerbeyi Palace) where the tours on the Asian shores and the cruises on the Bosphorus stop for a brief rest and shopping, offers a splendid view of Bosphorus Bridge.
Photo by Niyazi Uğur Genca
Old seaside mansions next to modern residences line both shores of the Bosphorus bordered by hills adorned with different tones of green.
The wide, yellow building with two towers, seen after the first bridge, on the Asian shore going towards the Black Sea, is the famous Kuleli Military Lycee (19′h century). The Bay of Bebek is a natural yacht harbour, and the 20th century mosque on the seashore is a small structure exhibiting classical elements. The Bosphorus is a winding waterway which, at each turn, looks like a lake. Its narrowest point, nearly halfway towards the Black Sea, is approximately 800 metres wide. The second bridge on the Bosphorus was completed in 1988 and named after Fatih Sultan Mehmed.
Thu, Apr 2, 2009
Where to Visit