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Istanbul's 34 big traditional passenger
ferryboats, operated since 2010
by Istanbul
Şehir Hatları ("Istanbul
City Routes"), serve 45 docks throughout
the metropolis. Here are the most important
services:
The big traditional ferries are my
favorites for Bosphorus
cruises. More...
A Golden
Horn cruise is
great for photographing the city, takes
just over a half-hour from Eminönü,
and the fare
is only TL2 single/one-way! More...
Şehir Hatları ferries
depart Kabataş for
the islands at least eight times daily
year-round, with additional voyages
in summer. More...
Ferries depart each dock every 15
or 20 minutes from about 07:00 am until
about 20:30 (8:30 pm) every day on
the 35-minute voyage. Voyages in late
afternoon may
stop at Haydarpaşa Station. Fare is TL2
single/one-way.
Ferries depart each dock every 15
or 20 minutes from about 06:30 am until
about 22:30 (10:30 pm) every day on
the 25-minute voyage. Fare is TL2
single/one-way.
Ferries depart each dock every 20
or 30 minutes from about 06:30 am until
about 23:00 (11:00 pm) on the 25-minute
voyage. This is the best boat to take
to reach Haydarpaşa
Station,
the terminus for trains to
and from Asian Turkey. Voyages from
late morning to early evening may also call
at Kadıköy. Fare is TL2
single/one-way.
Ferries depart each dock every 20
or 30 minutes from about 06:30 am until
about 23:00 (11:00 pm) on the 30-minute
voyage. Some voyages—but not all—may
call at Haydarpaşa
Station. Fare
is TL2
single/one-way.
Ferries about every hour and half-hour
from 07:00 am until 20:00 (8:00 pm)
on the 40-minute voyage (TL2), but no
voyages on Saturday, Sunday or holidays.
Departures at least every 30 minutes
(every 10 minutes on weekdays at morning
and evening rush hours) from 07:00
am until 20:30 (8:30 pm) on the 20-minute
voyage, for TL2.
Departures every 30 minutes at 15
minutes past the hour and before the
hour, from 07:15 am until at least
20:45 (8:45 pm), on the 40-minute voyage,
for TL2.
Two breakfast-time commuter boats
and oin the evening
from Küçüksu, one
breakfast-time and two evening boats
from Beşiktaş, weekdays only, TL2.
Sarıyer-Rumeli Kavağı-Anadolu Kavağı
These "ring voyages" depart Sarıyer 12 times daily for Anadolu Kavağı,
with five voyages stopping at Rumeli
Kavağı on the way, on the 15- or 20-minute
voyage, for TL2.
Most voyages are in the morning and
evening, with midday voyages from Sarıyer
only at 10:30, 13:30 (1:30 pm) and
15:30 (3:30 pm).
İstinye-Emirgan-Kanlıca-Anadolu Hisarı-Kandilli-Bebek-Arnavutköy-Çengelköy
These mid-Bosphorus ring voyages connect
the towns on the European and Asian
shores five or six times daily for TL2.
Istanbul Ferryboat History
The Şirket-i
Hayriye ("Beneficial
Company") was founded (1851)
in Ottoman Istanbul to
facilitate transport in this
city of three parts land and three
parts water.
In the later 20th century the new Bosphorus
bridges, new bus
routes, trams and
fast catamaran
"sea buses" rendered
many traditional ferry routes obsolete
or unprofitable.
The route system will shrink again
when the Marmaray rail
link is completed (2012? 2013?) beneath
the Bosphorus,
but you'll still find the big white
boats a convenient—and extremely
pleasant—way to travel
from Europe to Asia and back again.
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