Istanbul City Lines to launch four new ferry routes for summer

ISTANBUL

REUTERS photo

The Istanbul City Lines will launch four more new ferry lines crossing the Bosphorus, covering the period between June 5 and Sept. 17, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

The new lines connect neighborhoods on the European and Asian continent of the congested city, running between Eminönü-Sarıyer, Beykoz-Üsküdar, Bostancı-Karaköy, and Ortaköy-Üsküdar. 

The Bostancı-Karaköy line will run in weekdays between 6.45 a.m. and 7.20 p.m.  

The Sarıyer-Rumeli Kavağı-Anadolu Kavağı line will be extended further to the touristic Poyraz neighborhood between June 12 and August 27. 

In addition, those wishing to visit the Sedef island, one of the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara, will be able to take the ferry from Bostancı to Büyükada, and then take another free ferry to reach the island throughout the summer. 

The Fener and Balat piers, which have been closed due to restoration works, will reopen to service in summer as of June 5 for lines running between Üsküdar and Eyüp. The waiting rooms, passenger platforms, roofs and facades of the piers have been renovated in line with their original copies. 

For those who want to enjoy the city from the Bosphorus Strait, the nostalgic sightseeing cruise (“Nostaljik Tur” in Turkish) will take place at 10.35 a.m. and 1.35 p.m. every day. The shorter Bosphorus tour (“Kısa Boğaz Turu” in Turkish) will depart at 2.30 p.m. every day from Eminönü throughout the summer. 

Istanbul City Lines general director Yakup Güler told Anadolu Agency that the new lines would relieve passengers in terms of time and traffic cost.