The Bosphorus is a geological strait separating the European and the Asian parts of Istanbul. It is a difficult body of water to navigate due to its treacherous currents and great twists and turns.  In its most narrow part it is only 650 meters across; its widest part is 4.5 km across. It is 35 km long and connects the Marmara Sea in the south to the Black Sea in the north.

Along the entire course of the Bosphorus you can see tea gardens and cafes, restaurants, old wooden houses (yalis), mosques and palaces.  The Rumeli Hisar and Anadolu Hisar fortresses are on the banks, built by the Turks in the 14th and 15th centuries.  You can also see the Bosphorus University, Turkey's most important institute of higher education, where all the classes are conducted in English.

Politically, this strait is very important because it is the sea connection between the old Soviet Union countries and the rest of the world. The Straits experience hundreds of international transport vessels daily as well as Turkish state-owned ferries that transport people to and from both sides of the Bosphorus.

You can take a boat trip up the Bosphorus to the mouth of the Black Sea.  You can also take a small boat trip to the second Bosphorus Bridge so that you can enjoy the wonderful scenery of a city filled with history.

The Galata tower was built around 528 AD. It was called "Great Bastion" by the Byzantine and "Jesus Tower" by the Genoese. Today what you are able to see is a construction of the Genoese who settled in Istanbul between the 14th and 15th century. The tower burned down and was repaired during the Ottoman Empire.

The Galata tower rises 140 meters above the Golden Horn.  You can go up to the top for a good view of old Constantinople, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.