Swimming to Work Across the Bosphorus: A Daily Escape from Istanbul’s Traffic

In Istanbul — Europe’s most crowded city and one of the most congested in the world — the best way to avoid traffic might not be what you'd expect: it’s swimming.

The city is divided by the Bosphorus, a narrow, winding strait that separates Europe and Asia. Historically, East and West have been divided by culture, religion, and geography — but on a calm day, you can freestyle between them in about 30 minutes.

That’s exactly how produce vendor Cengiz Han gets to work. He packs his clothes and essentials into a waterproof bag, dives into the Asian side at dawn, and swims to the European shore. He’s been making the journey for eight years.

Whether it’s summer or winter, rain or shine, Han heads out early, using the Turkish flags lining the skyline to check wind direction.

“There are 81 million people in Turkey and billions more in the world, but only a handful of us do this,” Han says. “It’s how I unwind. When I swim, everything disappears — there’s complete silence.”

But this isn’t a casual morning dip. Swimming the Bosphorus requires deep knowledge of the strait, its currents, and how to avoid ferry traffic. It’s one of the busiest waterways on Earth. Swimmers often encounter cruise ships, oil tankers, and cargo vessels along the way.

Once, Han had to be rescued by the coast guard after being pulled into a strong current caused by a large vessel. Still, he wasn’t discouraged.

“Most people might only do something like this once in their lives,” he says. “I do it every day — on my way to work.”