The best way of seeing the Bosphorus in all its beauty is to take a trip on a boat.

One of the most beautiful sights in the world, Bosphorus is a strategic waterway connecting the Black sea to the Mediterranean.

As the boat zigzags between Asia and Europe, you will admire the old Ottoman mansions, Emperial palaces and two suspended bridges.

• Maiden’s Tower

• Selimiye Barracks where Florence Nightingale worked.

• Dolmabahçe Palace. The house of the Ottoman monarch after the Topkapi Palace.

• Ortaköy. A chic art-boutique-and-cafe scene with the pretty Ottoman baroque Mecidiye Mosque

• Ç?ra?an Palace. Now a luxury hotel by the Kempinski company.

• Beylerbeyi Palace

• Kuleli Naval Academy

• Arnavutköy with its wooden seaside mansions

• Rumeli and Anadolu Hisar?. The mighty Fortresses of Europe and Asia.

• Bebek. A small village with a pretty bay and Bosphorus University.

• Kucuksu Kasr?. A fine little rococo palace.

• Hidiv Kasr?. Fine Art Nouveau villa of the Khedive of Egypt.

• Sar?yer with a fish market .