Istanbul is the largest city and the economic, cultural and historical center of Türkiye. In particular, this is the only city located on two continents, Asia and Europe. In this city, there is the 31 km long Bosphorus Strait separating Asia and Europe, which is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. The Bosphorus Bridge across this strait is known as the "bridge connecting two continents" and is also a famous symbol of Istanbul.
More than 600,000 people use ferries to cross the Bosphorus Strait every day. Previously, no ferries crossed the strait at night, leaving visitors stranded on one side of the city and on the other side of the continent. The last ferry across the Bosphorus was at 1 a.m. Late at night, visitors who wanted to get to the other side had to take a crowded long-distance bus across the Bosphorus Bridge or take an expensive taxi through the Asia-Europe Tunnel.
However, from February 29, 2020, the boats running across the Bosphorus will run all night. The city's new mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, decided to allow ferries to operate 24 hours a day, including weekends, between the Kadıköy and Üsküdar piers on the Asian side and Karaköy and Beşiktaş on the European side. In addition, a ferry will run a round-the-clock service between the three busiest piers: Kadıköy - Karaköy - Beşiktaş, and another will run between Beşiktaş and Üsküdar. Last year, Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu also authorized 24-hour metro operations.
The decision marks a new phase in Istanbul's 166-year history. Passengers who opted for the night ferry said: "We are so happy to be able to go home! The night boats are safe and very cheap. We love the Mayor of this city!"
Passengers commented further: "At night, everything is different: quiet, romantic and joyful." Passengers can admire the Topkapı Palace, the brilliant minarets of the Sülemaniye Mosque with a completely different mystical beauty at night while sitting on the boat. People can also go out on the deck to drink Turkish coffee and enjoy the peaceful, poetic feeling.
If the weather is bad, ferries are cancelled as the southerly winds are too dangerous to cross the strait at night. But on good weather days, ferries operate continuously.
