Culture, the week in Istanbul · Wednesday, 19 August 2026
38th Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race
Around 2,500 swimmers from more than 60 countries cross the Bosphorus from Kanlica on the Asian side to Kurucesme in Europe, a 6.5-kilometre swim that closes the strait to shipping for the morning. It is one of Istanbul's signature summer spectacles, free to watch from the shore.