After you are picked up at your hotel, there’s a stop at the “Spice Bazaar”, where the air is filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caraway, saffron, mint, thyme and every other conceivable herb and spice. After a brief visit, you continue past Istanbul’s ancient city walls to the “Golden Horn”, an inlet of the Bosphorus that divides Istanbul between the European and Asian Continents, and forms the natural harbor that has sheltered Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other ships for thousands of years.
From here, you embark on your Bosphorus cruise and enjoy panoramic views of the city’s Asian and European shorelines lined with centuries-old wooden villas, mansions, and ultra-modern high rise apartments and hotels. You’ll also see the Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi Palaces, the imposing Rumeli Fortress, and the Bosporus Bridge connecting the two Continents.