Beginners first
Every session opens with a safety briefing and a lesson on shore. Nobody is expected to arrive knowing anything. If you can hold a paddle, the water is open to you.
Üsküdar, Istanbul · On the water
Experiences on the Bosphorus
We run small-group experiences on the water in Istanbul, from the Salacak shore in Üsküdar.
- No payment today
- Pay at the meeting point
- Free cancellation, 24h
- Instant confirmation
Reserve now, pay at the meeting point · Free cancellation up to 24 hours · About 1 hour
From $30
Bosphorus Workshops runs guided experiences on the water in Istanbul. Groups are small. Every one starts from the Salacak shore in Üsküdar and faces the Maiden's Tower. Each is built so a complete beginner can turn up and take part. Your guide stays with you, and you pay at the meeting point rather than online.
Salacak shore Maiden's Tower
Vertical exaggeration 2.9 times. Depths are published survey figures. The profile between them is schematic, and the canoe is drawn larger than scale.
What we run
One experience today, chosen and led by people who paddle this stretch of water every week.
Canoe the Bosphorus to the Maiden's Tower
See Istanbul from water level. You paddle out from Salacak, glide up to the Maiden's Tower, and take in the old city skyline from right between Europe and Asia. No experience needed. A guide is with you the whole way.
See the experience →More experiences on the Bosphorus are in preparation. This is the one we run today, and we would rather run one thing properly than list six.
How the hour goes
What the hour is actually like
- 00:00First 10 minutes
Meet at the harbour
You meet your guide at the small fishing harbour in Salacak. It sits right across the water from the Maiden's Tower. The group is small, so this part is relaxed. You leave your bag in a safe spot and put on a life jacket.
- 00:10Next 10 minutes
Safety briefing and paddling lesson
Your guide shows you how to hold the paddle and how to steer. It is short and easy to follow. Most people have it after a few tries. If you have never been in a canoe, this is the part that settles the nerves.
- 00:20About 50 minutes
Out onto the Bosphorus
Now you push off. Within a few minutes you are out on open water. You paddle at your own pace toward the Maiden's Tower while your guide stays close. Ferries cross in the distance. The city noise drops away fast.
- 00:45Partway through
The photo break
Your guide picks the right spot and the right moment. From here you can see the old city skyline across the water. This is the shot people come back with. You get time to take it properly.
- 01:00Last 10 minutes
Back in, and tea
You paddle back to the harbour and step out. Then you sit down with a glass of hot Turkish tea and watch the strait for a while. It is a quiet way to end an hour on the water.
On the water
How we work
Small groups, always
Ten people at the most. That is not a marketing line, it is what fits the boats and what lets a guide stay close to everyone on the water.
Pay when you arrive
You reserve online in under a minute and nothing is charged up front. Cancel free up to 24 hours before. We would rather you came because you wanted to.
The facts
- Price
- $30 per person
- Duration
- About 1 hour, around 50 minutes paddling
- Group size
- Up to 10 people
- Starts
- Every hour, 09:00 to 19:00, seven days a week
- Meeting point
- Salacak fishing harbour, Üsküdar
- Languages
- English and Turkish
- Experience needed
- None
- Payment
- Pay at the meeting point, nothing up front
- Cancellation
- Free up to 24 hours before
Ready to get on the water?
A guided hour on the water in Istanbul, from the Salacak shore in Üsküdar. No experience needed. Everything is provided.
Pick a day and a time. You pay at the meeting point, and you can cancel free up to 24 hours before.
Reserve a Seat · $30