|
A traditional and
unforgettable boat excursion along
the Bosphorus is a must for a complete Istanbul trip, the curling strait
which separates Asia from Europe and
connects the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea. Best way
to see the Bosphorus is to board one of the passenger boats that
regularly zigzag along the coastline.
If you start from
Eminonu you can see the silhuets of
Hagia
Sophia and Sultanahmet on one side of
the Golden Horn and the
Galata Tower on the other side. After
passing the Galata Bridge, you will see the magnificent
Topkapi Palace on the right.
 During the journey you
can see the glorious Palace of Dolmabahce; farther along the hills rise the green
parks and imperial pavilions of the Yildiz Palace. On the sea shore edge
of
the parks stands the famous Ciragan Palace, refurbished in 1874 by Sultan
Abdulaziz, and now restored as a grand hotel (Kempinski). For 250 meters along the
Bosphorus coastline the palace's ornamental marble facades reflect the swiftly moving
water. At the next stop, Ortakoy, artists exhibit their art works in a
streetside gallery every Sunday. The variety of people creates a
lively and cosmopolitan scenery. In
Ortakoy, you can visit a church, a synagogue and a mosque that have existed
side by side for more than 400 years - a tribute to Turkish tolerance at
the grass roots level. The Bosphorus Bridge, lying over Ortakoy, one of
the world's largest suspension bridges, overshadows Istanbul's traditional architecture
and links Asia to Europe.
Find an Hotel in Istanbul at Thomas Cook.
 The Beylerbeyi Palace
lies across Ortakoy on the Asian side. Behind
the palace rises the Camlica Hill, the highest point in Istanbul with a
magnificent view of the Bosphorus. On the opposite coast, Arnavutkoy
with its wooden Ottoman villas create a contrast with the luxurious modern
apartments of its neighbor, Bebek. A few hundred meters farther along stand
the fortresses of Rumeli Hisari and Anadolu Hisari. The fortresses
face each other
across the coasts of Bosphorus as sentries guarding Istanbul. The Goksu Palace, graces the Asian
coast next to the
Anadolu Hisari. The second bridge between the two continents, is the Fatih
Sultan Mehmet Bridge (FSM) passes the waterway just past these two
fortresses.
|
