Breakfast on a yacht, in the Bosphorus morning

A Bosphorus breakfast cruise: start the day mid-strait

On a Sunday morning there is a queue outside the popular breakfast places, the tables fill up and you call the waiter three times for tea. On a yacht there is no queue. The table is laid before you board, breakfast comes hot from our partner restaurant, and the yacht spends the whole morning out with your group alone.

Morning light shows the Bosphorus another face. The sun rises over the Asian shore and throws its light across the water; in the early hours the wooden houses of Arnavutköy and the mansions of the European shore are lit straight on. Façades that sit in shadow on evening tours are at their clearest now.

For a birthday morning or a weekend with the children, it is a calmer plan than an evening out. The children count gulls on deck while you pour your second tea.

How a morning runs

When you board at Arnavutköy the table is already laid. The yacht turns south and at about the fifteenth minute breakfast is brought aboard hot from the restaurant on the route; the menemen arrives just as the cheeses, olives and jam go down on the table.

Passing Kuruçeşme and Ortaköy, the first teas are topped up. The yacht goes under the bridge and down to Dolmabahçe, where the morning sun strikes the palace's marble façade full on. Off the Maiden's Tower, the wash of the Üsküdar ferries rolls past the hull. Then the yacht crosses to the Asian shore, and as she heads back to Arnavutköy past Beylerbeyi Palace and Kuleli, the last teas are on the table.

On a longer tour the yacht runs up as far as the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. The walls of Rumeli Hisarı face the morning sun, and at this hour the stone looks paler than it does in the evening.

What is on the breakfast table

Breakfast is 1.750 TL per person and is prepared at our partner restaurant:

• 3–4 types of cheese
• Black & green olives
• Fresh vegetables platter
• Jam
• Honey
• Menemen (Turkish eggs)
• French fries
• Butter
• Cheese rolls
• Boiled eggs
• Unlimited soft & hot beverages

Everything from the cheese plate to the menemen goes in the middle of the table, which is how a Turkish serpme breakfast is always served. Because breakfast is collected from the route at the start of the trip, the menemen and the sigara böreği, crisp rolled cheese pastries, reach the table hot; tea and coffee are unlimited.

Breakfast is ordered at least 1 h before the tour. If you plan to stay out on deck long after breakfast, the package of unlimited soft drinks, fruit, nuts and Doritos is 1.275 TL per person. For ready-to-eat food and drinks you bring yourself there is a charge of 600 TL per person.

What time to leave, and how long to stay out

The earliest departure is 09:00. Leave early and the light is still soft, and the table warms up with the sun. If you prefer a late breakfast, an 11:00 or 12:00 departure lands at brunch time.

For breakfast for two, 2 hours is enough. If you would like to sit on deck and cruise the Bosphorus after breakfast, choose 3 hours; while the tea is topped up, the yacht runs down to the Maiden's Tower and comes back along the Asian shore.

In winter the table is laid in the enclosed area: the aft decks of SU and SU Prestige can be closed in and heated, and SU Royal has an air-conditioned glass saloon. On summer mornings the open deck is yours. In spring and autumn the morning breeze is cool, so bring a cardigan.

Breakfast tours also leave free of charge from Arnavutköy pier. If you would like to board at Beşiktaş, the docking fee is 3.750 TL.

A birthday morning or a small celebration

It does not take much to turn breakfast into a celebration. You can ask us for a cake for 2.950 TL or bring your own free of charge. The 25 red roses (4.950 TL) are placed on the table before you board and wait there as the morning's first surprise.

If it is a surprise birthday breakfast, ask the group to the pier a little before departure and have the birthday guest arrive last. Write the plan in the booking note and it is passed to your captain.

If you would like to keep that morning in photographs, you can add a photographer (18.500 TL); if you bring your own, they count towards the guest numbers. Extras are chosen at least 24 hours before the tour. If you are thinking of a bigger celebration in the evening, see the yacht birthday party page. To take your mother out on the water on a Sunday morning, our Mother's Day yacht cruise page has suggestions for that day.

How many of you, and which yacht

A breakfast table can be laid for anything from two guests to 30. Here are the yachts' capacities in a dining setup, with their hourly prices:

The price is for the whole yacht, with captain, crew, fuel and the laid table included, and breakfast is added per person. For a small family, SU or SU Prestige is enough. For extended families and groups of friends, choose SU Orion or SU Royal; enter your party size in the form and the yachts that suit you appear with their prices.

If you are planning a late breakfast with friends, the open decks of SU Orion and the saloon of SU Royal make room for a long table. Weekday mornings are open for breakfast too.

If you want the morning to last all day

If you would rather not go home after breakfast, the Princes' Islands boat tour starts with the earliest departure at 09:00 and lasts 8 hours. Breakfast and the meal menu for lunch (2.750 TL) can both be added to that tour, and the day carries on with a swim in the sea.

Reserve your weekend morning now

The card on this page opens with breakfast on a yacht already selected. Enter the date and the number of guests, pick one of the morning times and add the number of breakfasts. Secure your place with a 50% deposit or by paying in full; the balance is paid on board on the day.

Each yacht takes a single group at a time, and on weekend mornings there are only so many hours that suit breakfast, so if your date is fixed, book early. If you are after a similar table in the evening, see the Bosphorus dinner cruise page.