Istanbul is a bridge between Europe and Asia, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, a position that endows it with one of the most unique and beautiful settings in the world. For, between the hills on the European and Asiatic shores flows the Bosphorus, the brightest gem in the diadem of nature. "This beautiful strait, sometimes spelled Bosporus and sometimes Bosphorus, was so called from the earliest ages by the ancients; from the mythology of 10, the mistress of Jupiter, having passed over it in the shape of a cow. It resembles the Dardanelles, in length, breadth, and current, and like it, is a narrow separation that divides Europe from Asia; but it has many features familiar to itself. Instead of being a solitary stream running between deserted shores, it is a body of water full of life and animation, winding its way through banks covered with palaces and villages, shaded with magnificent forest trees, presenting to the eye, at every mile, a new scene of crowded existence."

It stands on the European shore of the Bosphorus and the with its various dependencies forms almost a little town, its gardens extending for a mile or more along the water's edge. Though the exterior of the Dolmabahce Palace, built by Sultan Abdülmecit (1839-1861) exhibits a variety of architectural styles, mainly baroque, and is decorated with a profusion of ornament, the general effect is not unpleasing, and the site is remarkably well-chosen. The heart of thePuildiny is chandeliers and a musician's gallery. Its interior, like that of other palaces, glitters whith gilded decorations, costly chandeliers and mirrors, priceless porcelains and gorgeous brocades of gold and silver tissue. The vast gardens were originally laid out by European landscape architects and comprise parterres and fountains. Built by architect Balyan Usta in 1853, the palace has a 600 meters long marble pier and landing stages that run splendidly along the Bosphorus.

Ortaköy Mosque officially the Büyük Mecidiye Camii in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey, is situated at the waterside of the Ortaköy pier square, one of the most popular locations on the Bosphorus.

Which was inaugurated on October 29, 1973 on the fiftieth anniversary of the Turkish Republic, has the longest span in Europe and the fourth in the world. This suspension bridge has a total length of 1560 metres (1706 yards) and a width of 33.4 metres (110ft). The span between pylons is 1074 metres (1175 yards) and the clearance above sea level is 64 metres (210ft). The construction of the steel box-girder suspension was carried out by a British-german consortium. The second bridge to link Europe and Asia over the Bosphorus will be completed in 1989 between Emirgan and Kanlica.

Bebek neighborhood in Istanbul Bebek is one of the nicest neighbourhoods on the Bosphorus, located on the European side of Istanbul. This fine neighborhood within the Besiktas district is full of expensive waterside apartments, a small bay where yachts are anchored, fancy restaurants, and quaint cafeterias which get very busy especially during the weekends. But Bebek was a distinct area of Istanbul during the late Ottoman period as well, for its wealthy shore mansions surrounded by forests.

Rumelishisari Fortress - (Rumelihisari Castle) At the narrowest point of the Bosphorus stands the Rumelihisarr Fortress, built by Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror on the European shore. The Sultan himself on the 26th day of March 1452 laid the foundation stone of the Fortress with a view to controlling the passage of the ships through the Bosphorus and using it as a base for his attack on the city. The fortress or castle was built upon the ancient site of Hermaion. It was completed in five months on August 28th 1452. The cannon on the towers could command this narrowest part of the Bosphorus opposite the older fortress of Anadoluhisarr. Darius in 500 BC had thrown a pontoon bridge across the Strait at this point and passed over 700,000 men. To Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror, it was the key to Constantinople. The design of the walls and the towers display the Prophet's and the Conqueror's name - Muhammet - Mehmet.

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge, is a bridge in Istanbul, Turkey spanning the Bosphorus strait. When completed in 1988, it was the 5th-longest suspension bridge span in the world; today it is the 24th.

Kanlıca is a neighborhood on the Asian side of the Bosphorus strait, in the Beykoz district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Kanlica is known for its popular specialty, yogurt topped with caster sugar, offered in local restaurants and cafés.

Situated on the Asiatic shore of the Bosphorus between the villages of Kuzguncuk and Cengelköy, the palace was built by Sultan Abdülaziz in 1865. Beylerbeyi Palace seen from the Bosphorus floats like a white vision in a fairy tale. It is the most extravagant royal house of the 19th Century on which millions were spent. It is built completely of marble, surpassing all the Palaces of European Kings. Empress Eugénie, during her visit of 1869 stayed in this palace as well as Czar Nicholas Il of Russia. Edward VIII was a guest in 1936. Stone lionesses recline on marble carpets set in lawns, and swans float and fish swim in the unobtrusive pool where pigeons fly to catch the spray of the fountain upon their wings. Miss Pardoe, on her visit to the Palace, was so impressed with its Imperial Bath, that she wrote:

The summer Palace of Kucuksu, sometimes called the Palace of Göksu, is situated between the villages of Anadoluhisan and Kandilli on the Asiatic shore of the Bosphorus. The Kucuksu Palace was first built by Mahmut I in 1749. Later it underwent a restoration during the reigns of Selim Ill and Ahmet Il. It was renovated by Sultan Abdülmecit in 1857. Sultan Abdülaziz gave the palace a new face-lift and had it refurbished and redecorated. It is a small but elegant edifice, stretching along the lip of the Bosphorus, surrounded by intricately cast-iron railings. Waters and waves of the Bosphorus wash its terraces of glittering marble and sometimes penetrate their latticed and mysterious recesses.

Kızkulesı (Maıden's Tower - Leander's Tower) About 180 meters away from the shores of Üsküdar stands this tower which bears two different names. Europeans who named it Leander's Tower thought that it was here where Leander was drowned while attempting to swim the Bosphorus to reach his beloved Hero, the priestess of Aphrodite. But, in fact, Leander never crossed here even in the legend which refers to the Hellespont, Dardanelles. The Turkish name is KIZ kulesi ( Maiden's Tower ). It is now a modern lighthouse. In the past, it served as a fort to tax ships up to one-tenth of their cargo, similar to Pfalz Castle on the Rhine.

The Galata Bridge is a bridge that spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. From the end of the 19th century in particular, the bridge has featured in Turkish literature, theater, poetry and novels.

The Golden Horn is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Galata Tower, called Christea Turris by the Genoese, is a medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karaköy quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, just to the north of the Golden Horn's junction with the Bosphorus.