The Bosphorus Travel Guide

It is really worth to make a daytrip along the Bosphorus, the strait that separates Europe from Asia.  The channel is 30 km long and 1-4 km wide. There are  strong currents from the  North (10km/hr) where Black Sea flows to Sea of Marmara. It is most difficult water way in the world, lots of  dangerous turns and sea trafficing, every year 50,000 ships go by. Traditionally the shores on both sides of the channel are exclusive residential areas, with old ottoman style villas and 19th century palaces with beautiful gardens.  There are two suspended bridges over the Bosphorus, built in 1973 , the Bosphorus Bridge and  in 1983, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge that is dedicated to the conqueror of Istanbul in 1453.

As soon as you walk along the shores of Beşiktaş, Ortaköy or Sarayburnu one can find regular ferry boats of the commuter traffic and you will see as much as you would see with the far more expensive touristic ships! :  Trip takes about 1 hour upto second bridge,   subparallel to  the Europena  coast line  and return  subparalle to the Asia coast  line. It costs about $4.00

On both sides of the Bosphorus, Sultan Mehmet Fatih, the conqueror, has built two fortresses in the middle of 15th century: Rumeli Hisar (see the picture)  and Anadolu Hisar, the "Anatolian Castle". With the help of those he was able to control the traffic through the Bosphorus and stop the supply for the besiegeed Constantinopel.