Zoe Yacht Istanbul | Private Yacht Rental & Bosphorus Cruises — Local services in Beşiktaş

Incredible experience. We booked the 8 hour Prince’s Island tour as a last minute addition to our Istanbul itinerary, based only off Tripadvisor reviews, unsure what to expect. (Spoiler alert: we loved it so much, we booked it a second day.)

Our group was myself, my sister, my mother, and our significant others. Ages 24-56. All are very different and have different expectations/traveling experience, but the boat was one of the top activities we did in Turkey for most of our party.

The yacht was lovely. Plenty of room to lounge, and very clean.

We sailed south on the Bosphorous around Prince’s Islands, stopping at Büyükada to walk around. We were worried about getting seasick, but the captain drove slowly and surely. We also anchored in coves to swim. The crew was very flexible with how long we wanted to spend on which activity.

We brought our own alcohol and snacks, and the company was kind enough to waive the 50Euro corkage fee. We did elect to pay for the mezze option on board. I wasn’t in love with the mezze, but it was more food than expected. The boat picked us up at a small port much closer to our hotel than a ferry would have been. The crew member was happy to grab us drinks or water or ice or whatever we needed whenever we needed it. Both he and the captain were so kind and helpful.

My parents, who are notoriously difficult to please, especially in a foreign country, loved it so much that upon leaving that day, they immediately requested I reach out to the company and ask if we could book the boat again the next day. Which we did.

On the second day, we sailed north on the Bosphorous to a fishing village, Anadolu Kavagi. A server from a waterfront restaurant met us at the boat to escort us to the restaurant, Yosun Restaurant, which had plenty of fish and some non-fish options at reasonable prices, as well as a beautiful view. We walked around a bit before setting sail again further north, to the edge of the Bosphorous and Black Sea, to do some swimming.

The captain and crew were very flexible on incorporating our last minute ideas and requests, and the individual I emailed with to set up each request was extremely helpful. Overall, the service was professional and luxurious, and the experience was more than I had...

Excellent.

We took the morning 2 hours bosphorus private cruise. Unfortunately for us, the morning was misty (it was clear the 1st 3 days we were here) hence the photo opportunity was not maximised. However, the cruise itself was still well worth the money!

Our apartment is right across the Kabatas pier (near the Dolmabahce Mosque) so we just had to walk there where the yatch was waiting for us at 8.30 a.m. We were greeted by Rasha (sorry if I got the name wrong) who paid close attention to our needs. Specifically, my dad has severe walking issues (arthiritis) hence even just crossing from our apartment to the pier was a bit of a struggle, and she tried her best to help and accomodate him, including arranging to disembark at another pier which is more accessible for my dad and arranging a taxi to our apartment.

For a small private yatch, it was surprisingly big and could easily accomodate 10-12 people (there were 5 of us). We sat mostly at the back of the yatch which seats max 8, but there is also a sitting area inside as well as the upper floor to the yatch!

We were brought past the two big bridges of the bospohorus and went past through the Europe side first before returning back closer to the Asian side, though most of the scenic route is on the European side. There is the new biggest mosque in istanbul and the tall radio tower on the Asia side, but it was misty so we could not really take very good photos of them as part of the background. Rasha also gave some brief explanation of the major castles and buildings we were passing by which was a big plus.

All in all, for €299 (morning session; lunch time and sunset is slightly more expensive), a private yatch for your family and friends up to 10/12 people, there is no better way of going through the bosphorus than this and fully recommend...

Zoe Yacht offers the most renowned, exclusive and impeccable Private Yacht Cruises services in the 31 km Bosphorus strait allowing you to enjoy a luxurious romantic experience admiring the architectural and natural wonders of Istanbul and the Marmara sea while sipping a glass of Moët. I chose to experience with my girlfriend the romantic “Evening Cruise on the Bosphorus - 2 hours” (399€) on a warm October night 20:30-22:30 + a Mediterranean Dinner Mezze Platter: warm pita, feta, marinated artichokes, asparagus, olives, tomatoes, hummus and a plate of fruits: pears, oranges, grapes, figs. (20€). The pick up place I chose was the “Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa Pier” right infront of the Shangri-La hotel. The Pier area is very crowded with locals onboarding ferries every 15 min therefore I would suggest you to pick a different spot unless you stay closer. The yacht approached the pier and the deckhand came outside the ferry station with a Zoe sign to let us bypass the ferry station and head directly to the yacht. The service was very good with the deckhand providing us a map showing the cruise route and describing history and figures on the landmarks as soon as we were approaching them: Dolmabahce Palace, Çırağan Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Küçüksu Pavilion and the 3 Bosphorus suspension bridges: 15 July Martyrs Bridge alongside Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge). Free coffee and Juice served. Zoe can accommodate 12 guests in their Yacht and can offer larger yachts for larger groups....