When Istanbul’s heat, humidity and smog become too much to bear, cheap and easy relief is only a walk downhill to the ferry docks. It’s almost always 20 degrees cooler on the water, and the views of the city’s famous Sultanahmet and Galata districts, especially at sunset, are brilliant. Whether up the Bosporus or Golden Horn, out to the Princes’ Islands or a tour of shoreline villages, most rides cost about a dollar each.
When Istanbul’s heat, humidity and smog become too much to bear, cheap and easy relief is only a walk downhill to the ferry docks. It’s almost always 20 degrees cooler on the water, and the views of the city’s famous Sultanahmet and Galata districts, especially at sunset, are brilliant. Whether up the Bosporus or Golden Horn, out to the Princes’ Islands or a tour of shoreline villages, most rides cost about a dollar each.
Bogaz (Bosporus) Tour: Make like an Argonaut and take the public ferry from the Bogaz Iskelesi in Eminonu all the way up to Anadolu Kavagi, at the mouth of the Black Sea. The boat stops in the village for a few hours — enough time to hike up to the fort, enjoy the view, and have lunch at one of the many fish restaurants — before heading back. You can also debark at any of the villages along the way (Bebek, Arnavutkoy, or Emirgan for the exceptional Sabanci Museum are nice stops) and take a bus back to where you started. The ferry costs about $10 round trip, leaves at 10:35 a.m., and returns around 5 p.m. Don’t let the touts at the dock trick you into taking their more expensive tour by believing them when they say the public boat leaves at 11 a.m. There’s also a moonlight cruise up the Bosporus on the public ferry, but only until September.
Princes’ Islands: Steel yourself for a boardwalk-esque frenzy of cheese if you go on a summer weekend, but the car-free Büyükada and Heybeliada islands can be pleasant on weekdays. The islands attract families for weekend picnics and the better-heeled for lazy summer holidays in restored Ottoman-era wooden mansions. Or just go for the ferry ride out in the Sea of Marmara, from which the sprawling expanse of Istanbul can be truly appreciated. Fare is about a dollar, and the journey takes about 90 minutes each way.
Religious Istanbul: If you’ve developed the impression that Istanbul is nothing but bars and clubs, redeem your sorry self by starting the day in the Asian-side district of Uskudar, one of the city’s more conservative neighborhoods. After exploring its tiled mosques and hamams, hop a ferry that heads back toward Europe and up the more sedate Golden Horn, in the direction of Eyup. There are lots of interesting stops along the way (the old Greek districts of Balat and Fener, for example). Pilgrims from all over Turkey come to pray at the Eyup Mosque, which houses the tomb of one of Mohammed’s advisers. Watch bejeweled young boys collect blessings before their circumcision ceremonies, then take the funicular behind the mosque to the Pierre Loti Cemetery for a fine view of the Golden Horn.