'I took a cruise ship to Europe's new £1.3bn mega port - it was simply incredible'

The development has been opening in stages since 2020 and is said to have cost over £1.3bn (Image: Galataport)

A passenger who arrived in Turkey's incredible new megaport by cruise has hailed the journey as "incredible" with "glorious" views.

Kendall Hill, a travel writer for Escape.com finally fulfilled her ambition of cruising up the Sea of Marmara and arriving by boat at the grandeur of Byzantium, Constantinople and Istanbul.

Galataport, a 400,000-square-metre mixed-use development located along 0.7 miles of shore in the Karakoy neighborhood of Istanbul, has been opening in stages since 2020, as per the outlet.

Located on the European side of the Bosporus close to the Golden Horn, the transformed port is estimated to have cost $1.7 billion (£1.3billion).

The development includes the capital's cruise ship terminal, more than 200 shops and restaurants, a Peninsula hotel, the Istanbul Modern art museum, as well as cultural and entertainment venues, according to Turkiye Today.

The port's sleek bus bus parking area (Image: Galataport)

Hailing the berth at the port as "the world’s most incredible cruise-ship parking lot", Hill said she arrived to the find the Karaköy harbourfront "has become a buzzy, must-do addition to the ancient city" after most of its more than 200 tenancies were finally filled by businesses earlier this year.

She noted that unlike cruise terminals in other major travel hubs like Rome and Venice, Galataport welcomes people into the heart of the city, with "the lively labyrinth of old Istanbul on your doorstep".

Hill said the views of the city aboard the Seven Seas Grandeur - the third in Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Explorer Class of ships - were "remarkable", though the view of the sea on the other side from her cabin was so beautiful it made her tear up.

As ferries passed between Europe and Asia, and fishermen bobbed on boats below her balcony, she was struck by the view of "transcendent" beauty of Topkapi Palace, as well as Ayasofya and the Blue Mosque on the Sarayburnu promontory.

Passenger ramp at the port. (Image: Galataport)

The underground terminal frees up the promenade for the arriving passengers to enjoy. (Image: Galataport)

Hill said only the recently opened Peninsula Istanbul could rival the views, with its sea-view rooms, though you can get a more elevated view of the extraordinary sprawling city by cruise.

The 29,000 square-metre terminal has a hatch system connected to an underground terminal, said to be the first of its kind in the world.

This is used as a temporary customs area for arriving ships, putting all the administrative work out of site and freeing up the promenade for the arriving passengers to enjoy. 

Galataport can accommodate three ships and 15,000 passengers daily, according to The Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports, and is also able to accommodate massive oasis-class cruise ships, which can have more than 8,000 passengers and crew onboard.

Its innovative design saw it won “Port of the Year” at the 2022 Seatrade Cruise Awards.