Bosphorus Tour Audio Guide

During this wonderful tour, we will accompany you with short comments on the main attractions along the two shores of this magnificent waterway. The name Bosphorus​ comes from a Thracian word which ​means​ passage of the cow, deriving from the legend of IO who was one of many lovers of Zeus.

The Bosphorus is a 32 km long strait dividing Europe and Asia while connecting the Black and Marmara seas. The width is between 700 and 2500 meters and the depth is 36 to 124 meters. Today, up to 200 container ships are passing by daily through the Bosphorus. It is one of the busiest waterways of the world in the middle of a metropolitan city where millions of people are having intercontinental rides everyday. The Bosphorus has one upper flow coming from the black sea and the underflow coming from the Marmara sea. The height difference between the Marmara sea and the Black sea is 30 cm.

This sounds little but is huge which leads to very strong flows of up to 15 km per hour. Responsible for the difference in altitude are the 12 rivers that flow into the black sea. The most famous rivers are Danube, Dnepr and Dniester. Starting in the 1600s, the banks of the Bosphorus started to be filled with royal gardens, pavillions and small villages. After the introduction of the steamships, the villages along the Bosphorus were integrated into Istanbul neighborhoods. Along our journey, we will enjoy various sights including the spectacular Dolmabahce Palace, the Bosphorus Bridges, the iconic Ortakoy Mosque, the glorious Rumeli Fortress, unique neighborhoods, historical mansions thru the Bosphorus and also the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and  Maiden Tower from a distance. And if you are lucky, you will see one of the three ​different species of dolphin exists in Istanbul Strait; bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin and harbor porpoises.  

We hope you liked the trailer and if you want to know more about the districts, buildings and the history along the coast line download the full version.