BOSPORUS STRAIT ISTANBUL
CRUISING THE BOSPORUS STRAIT
Location: Istanbul, northwestern Turkey
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This week we are featuring the Bosporus Strait Cruise of our guest travelers and photographers Reino & Sharyn from the U.S.A.
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Introduction
Bosporus Strait also spelled as Bosphorus is a "natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Turkey, and it is the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation." (Wikipedia)
Bosphorus Strait divides Turkey into two parts - the Asia part and the Europe part, shown below:
Disclaimer: We do not own this photo. Credit to the owner.
Copyright infringement not intended.
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Istanbul, where most cruises on Bosphorus Strait emanates, is visited by around 9 million tourists in 2019 and increased to around 16 million in 2022 as reported by Zeynep Dierks of www.statista.com. It, therefore, implies that a significant number of the tourists who visited Istanbul, may have made a cruise of Bosporus Strait too. The population of Istanbul is estimated at 15,519,267 million people. (Reports from en.wikipedia.org).
What to do in Istanbul?
There are a lot of things to do in Turkey, specifically in the old city of Constantinople now known as Istanbul. As one of the two top largest international gateways, Istanbul is also the center of economic, cultural, and tourism activities in Turkey.
First, where to eat?
1. Backyard Restaurant & Bar at Bebek Mah. Bebeköy Sk., No:4, Bebek, Istanbul
2. Asmali Cavit - Asmalimescit Istiklal Street
3. 360 Istanbul Restaurant - Istiklal Street
4. Calipso Fish Restaurant at Turgut Ozal Boulevard, Cumhuriyet Str., No:2 Kucukyali, Istanbul
5. Araka Restaurant in Sariyer
6. Spago Restaurant and Bar - in Nisantasi
7. Neo Lokal in Karakoy
8. Mikla Restaurant in Beyoglu
9. Turk Fatih Tutak - in Sisli Bomonti
10. McDonald's at Fatih Sultan Mehmet & Sultanamet, Istanbul.
11. Starbuck at Bebek Mahallesi, Istanbul & at 6 Meclis i Mebusan Caddesi, Istanbul.
12. Other American Restaurants in Istanbul, are:
**Shake Shack
**Buffalo Express
**Harvard Cafe
**The Waffle State
**Virginia Angus
Where to go?
There are lots of historical sites and places in Istanbul that are worth visiting. The website of Traveling Topic Dot Com suggested these historical sites and places for you to visit, as follows:
1. Hagia Sophia Museum & Mosque
2. The Magnificent Palace of Dolma Baghche
3. The Basilica Cisten
4. Galata Tower in Istanbul
5. Carpet Museum in Istanbul
6. Chura Church
7. Cruise the Bosphorus Strait
8. Visit the Market and Souvenir Shops
9. Do a walking tour of the marketplace like Arasta Bazaar
10. Join a group tour. Please click the link to find a Private Guided Tour
a........Private Guided Istanbul Day Tour 2023 (viator.com) - $95.00 approximate.
b........Small Group Tour: Essential Istanbul 2023 (viator.com) - $99.00 approximate.
c.........Best of Istanbul: 1, 2 or 3-Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour 2023 (viator.com) - $195.00 approximate.
d..........Topkapi Palace Skip-The-Line Entry with Guided Tour 2023 - Istanbul (viator.com) - $48.17 approximate.
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Where to stay?
There are several hotels to stay in Instanbul. Ranging from budget hotels to the luxury ones. Here are the suggested hotels where you can stay:
1. Duhok Otel - Taksim, Istanbul
2. Ottopera Hotel - Taksim, Istanbul
3. Taksim View Hotel Istanbul
4. Hilton Hotel Bosphorus
5. Holiday Inn Hotel Istanbul
6. JW Marriott Istanbul Bosphorus
7. Burj Al Istanbul, Taksim
8. Maroon Hotel Pera Istanbul
9. Nine Istanbul Hotel
10. Zimmer Bosphorus Hotel - Special Class
....and many more hotels...mostly located in Taksim, around 2 miles from the capital Istanbul.
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HOW TO GET TO ISTANBUL?
1. By Plane -
Istanbul is accessible by Plane from anywhere in the world. Please consult your travel agent.
2. By Ships -
Most of the ships visiting Istanbul are Cruise Ships like
**Norwegian Cruise Line - JADE
**MSC Line or Mediterranean Shipping Company
**Holland America Line Cruises, among others.
**Tourist Ships can access Istanbul through the Bosphorus Strait in the East, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles Strait, and Canakkale to countries like Greece and others, or VICE VERSA.
3. By Trains - Can you remember the ORIENT EXPRESS from Paris to Istanbul? Yes. That's the proof.
NOW, it is Venice Simplon-Orient-Express from PARIS to BUDAPEST to BUCHAREST to ISTANBUL. ($23,063.00 per pax).
Istanbul - Sofia Express (Ä°stanbul-Sofia Ekspresi), with a connection to Bucharest, Romania, is the only scheduled train between Turkey and European countries. You can click this link for more information here - Trains Turkey Europe (turkeytravelplanner.com)
***It is also worth noting that there are connecting trains from anywhere in Europe to Istanbul Train Station.
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Trivia on Train Travel? You can click this link to have a snippet on how to travel from Europe to Hong Kong, even to Vietnam up to Thailand. - - - here - TRAVEL BY TRAIN CAN BE AN ADVENTURE - Touristang Pobre
4. By Bridge - Bosphorus Bridge connects Istanbul Turkey to Europe and the neighboring countries thereat.
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Istanbul is at the "crossroads" between Europe and Asia. Why? The Bosphorus Strait, along with the Strait of Gallipoli, divides Istanbul from Europe and Asia. Turkey is a country that is divided by Bosphorus Strait; therefore, a part of Turkey is on the Europe side and Turkey on the Asia side.
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The continents of Europe and Asia, through Istanbul, is connected by the Bosphorus Bridge. According to Expedia Dot Com, Bosphorus Bridge is a 1-mile (1.5-kilometer) long suspension bridge that crosses the Bosphorus Strait. It stretches between Istanbul’s Ortaköy and Beylerbeyi districts. Opened in 1973, it was the first bridge to connect the continents of Europe and Asia.
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This week, our feature travelers and photographers are Reino & Sharyn from the U.S.A.
They shared with us their trip to Turkey by these photos, specifically, of their Bosphorus Strait Cruise.
Why go for a cruise?
One of the best ways to discover the Bosphorus Strait is through a Cruise. There are many interesting spots to see along the route of the cruise vessel.
Now, we thank you for visiting Touristang Pobre. If you like this feature blog, please LIKE our Facebook Page, and SHARE with your friends. Thank you.
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Before you go, you can check this Blog about Barcelona - BARCELONA ON A SUNNY DAY - Touristang Pobre
or this one - TAWHAY NGA RESORT SA MASULOG - Touristang Pobre
May 8, 2023
Henry Libo-on
New Jersey, U.S.A.
Reviewed on March 11, 2024.
*****
Reviewed by Touristang Pobre
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1:35:00 PM
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Henry L. is the face behind Touristang Pobre. He had been a travel writer for What's On in the Visayas and Mindanao, based in Cebu in the 90's. As a former columnist of the Negros Daily Bulletin, based in his hometown of Bacolod, in the Philippines, he tackled major issues on environment protection and conservation, travel and community development, among others. You can also visit his other sites: http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Touristang-Pinoy and Earthniversity at http://www.earthniversity.com
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