# Taking a Bosphorus Ferry: Routes, Tickets and Tips > The public ferry is the cheapest and best way to see Istanbul from the water. Here is how the piers, the Istanbulkart and the long Bosphorus line work. Taking a **Bosphorus ferry** is the cheapest, easiest and most Istanbul way to see the city from the water. The public ferries, run mainly by the municipal operator Şehir Hatları, leave from piers at Eminönü, Karaköy and Beşiktaş, cross to Kadıköy and Üsküdar on the Asian side in roughly fifteen to twenty-five minutes, and run a longer sightseeing route up the strait toward the Black Sea. You pay with an **Istanbulkart**, the city transport card, and share the deck with commuters, students and families drinking tea. For most visitors it is the best boat trip in the city. ## Public ferries or tour boats? Istanbul has two kinds of boats carrying visitors on the Bosphorus, and it helps to know the difference before someone at the quay tries to sell you a ticket. - **Public ferries** are the city’s commuter boats: big, steady white vessels on fixed routes and timetables. Fares are low, you tap a card to board, and you share the deck with people going to work. - **Private tour boats** run short Bosphorus cruises from Eminönü and Kabataş, often with commentary or music. Some are pleasant, some are packed. They cost more and usually turn back after an hour or two without stopping. For a first trip the public ferry is the better choice. It is calmer, it is part of daily life, and it takes you somewhere real at the other end. ## Which pier: Eminönü, Karaköy or Beşiktaş? Most visitors start from **Eminönü**, on the old-city side of the Galata Bridge, where several piers stand in a row along the water. Each serves its own destinations, so check the boards above the turnstiles: one for Kadıköy, one for Üsküdar, and a separate pier for the Bosphorus line. ![Passengers boarding a white public ferry at an Istanbul pier in the early evening light](/uploads/blog/inline/bosphorus-ferry-guide-inline.webp) **Karaköy**, across the bridge, has frequent boats to Kadıköy, and **Beşiktaş** serves Üsküdar and Kadıköy from further up the European shore. If you are staying on the historic peninsula, Eminönü is a short downhill walk, and our guide to [getting around the historic peninsula](/en/blog/getting-around-peninsula/) covers the tram, the metro and the walking routes down to the piers. ## How do Bosphorus ferry tickets work? The Istanbulkart is the one thing you need. It is a rechargeable contactless card used on ferries, trams, the metro, buses and the Marmaray rail line, sold and topped up at machines near most piers and stations. Tap it on the reader at the turnstile and walk on. One card can pay for several people travelling together; tap once for each person. Fares change, so check the current price on the machine rather than trusting an old guidebook. Timetables also shift with the seasons, and the Şehir Hatları website and app show the current departures. On quieter routes the gap between boats can be an hour or more, so look before you walk down. ## The long Bosphorus line The full trip, the *Uzun Boğaz Turu*, leaves Eminönü in the morning and runs the length of the strait to Anadolu Kavağı, a fishing village near the Black Sea, calling at piers on both shores on the way. The ride up takes about an hour and a half. Most passengers climb to the ruined Yoros Castle above the village, eat fish by the water, and catch the afternoon boat back. A shorter Bosphorus tour turns around partway up for those with less time. On the way you pass Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortaköy and its mosque beneath the first bridge, the old waterfront mansions called *yalı*, the fortress of Rumeli Hisarı, and the long wooded shores further north where the city thins out. Heading north, the European shore is on your left and the Asian shore on your right. ## Short crossings to Kadıköy and Üsküdar If you have only an hour, take a short crossing instead. The ferry from Eminönü or Karaköy to **Kadıköy** slides past Topkapı Palace and the mouth of the Bosphorus and lands you in a lively market district on the Asian side. The boat to **Üsküdar** passes within sight of the Maiden’s Tower. Both run often through the day and into the evening, and both are as good a sightseeing trip as any tour, for the price of a commuter fare. Go one way at sunset and you will see why Istanbullus never tire of it. ## Tea, simit and where to sit Part of the pleasure is the routine on board. A tea seller walks the decks with a tray of tulip glasses, and many ferries have a small buffet selling *çay*, juice and toasted sandwiches. Buy a [simit](/en/blog/simit-story/) at the pier before you board; tossing pieces to the gulls that follow the boat is an old habit, though some passengers would rather you didn’t. - **Sit outside** on the open decks at the back or along the sides for the views. Bring a layer, even in summer; the wind on the water is cool. - **Board early** for the long tour in high season, when the outdoor seats fill quickly. - **Avoid the rush hours**, roughly 07:30 to 09:30 and 17:30 to 19:30, on the commuter crossings if you want space. - **Time it for the light**: early morning is calm and clear, late afternoon is golden. For framing tips, see our [photographer’s guide to the Bosphorus](/en/blog/bosphorus-photography-guide/). When you step off the ferry at Eminönü, Süleymaniye is a short climb up the hill. **Moss Lounge the Bosphorus** sits there on Fetva Yokuşu, with a rooftop terrace that looks back over the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus you have just crossed, and the Süleymaniye Mosque on the other side. Adem Özen, the host regulars call Moss Adem, keeps the çay coming. It is open from 08:00 to 02:00 daily, with reservations by WhatsApp.