Kanlıca to Yeniköy

•    Keep watching Asia.
In less than a mile, up the hill in the woods, note the fancy tower of the renowned Hidiv Pavilion. The pavilion was built in the Art Nouveau style at the end of the 19th century for the Ottoman governor of Egypt. Hidiv (hee-deev) means just that in Turkish— "Governor of Egypt." You'll get a better view of the building as the boat slides away from the Asian shore.

•    The next stop is on the European side (left).
Now the boat heads back across the Bosphorus to dock at Yeniköy (yeh-nee-koy; "New Village"). This is a trendy, high-end district with some of the most elaborate houses on the Bosphorus. Some are traditional wood constructions, but quite a few of the newer ones have a distinctly modern style. American travelers often compare these to the mansions along the Mississippi River.

Yeniköy to Sarıyer

•    Keep watching the European side (left).
About five minutes after you leave Yeniköy, you'll see the Presidential Mansion. Built in the 19th century, this has been the summer mansion for the president of Turkey since 1985. A long, tall stone wall runs along the coastal road, with the mansion's two three-story pavilions set behind the wall. The closest pavilion has a steep tile roof, and a decoration that looks like a little onion dome at the front-left corner.
Past that is the small Tarabya Bay, marked by the multistory hotel complex at its right end. Here is where you'll start to feel a cool breeze from the north. It's the prevailing wind all year long, and cools Bosphorus temperatures quite a bit in the summer.

• Back to Asia (right).
Half a mile past Tarabya Bay, from the right side of the boat, you'll get your first glimpse of the Black Sea.

•And back to Europe again (left).
Our next stop, Sanyer (sah-ruh-yehr), is at the far end of the large bay. Consider getting off at Sanyer—either now, or on the way home—to return to downtown Istanbul overland, stopping to see some sights en route (see sidebar above).

Sarıyer to Rumeli Kavağı

• Watch the European side (left).
As you leave Sanyer, you'll cruise very close to the bank for one more stop on the European side before the boat heads to its last stop on Asia. Beyond this point, the wind gets stronger. Locals call this wind Poyraz (poy-rahz), from Boreas, the Greek god of wind. Local superstitions surrounding this wind abound, including the belief that it can cause illness.
Cruising along fishing communities and narrow marinas where fishing boats are tied up, you'll soon come to the village of Rumeli Kavağı (roo-meh-lee kah-vah-uh). Then the ferry heads for its last stop: the fishing village of Anadolu Kavağı on the Asian side, right across from Rumeli Kavağı.