The Bosphorus cruise & Asia tour is a nice escape from the city and offers some great photo opportunities as well as chance to see some of the major attractions in passing. For over 2,500 years,kings and commanders have confronted the challenge of the Bosphorus,building rudimentary bridges out of boats and floating jetties to increase the size of their empires.Now that several bridges connect the shores of Europe & Asia, staying on the water has become more fashionable than actually crossing it.The shores are dotted with yalis,or classic waterfront mansions,built as early as the 18th century:yellow,pink,and blue wooden palaces perched along the waterfront.The surrounding neighborhoods.Retain much of their characteristic village feel,in stark contrast to the restored homes inhabited by the likes of ex-Prime Minister Tansu Cillar.Cruising up the straits is a bit easier these days than when Jason and the Argonauts sailed through in search of the Golden Fleece.The long cruise takes 3 hours on the water and stops at Anadolu Kavagi for another couple. Whilst this was probably once a nice fishing village, it''s soul has completely lost out to tourism.It really isn''t worth the stay.I would recommend taking the shorter tour which lasts a couple of hours and doesn''t stop off.