The Princes' Islands: a day-trip guide by ferry from Istanbul

Four islands, four characters

The ferry calls at four in turn: Kınalıada, Burgazada, Heybeliada, and Büyükada as the last stop. Kınalıada is the closest to land and the barest-looking; it has less tree cover than the others and a short shoreline walk. Enough for half a day, not for a whole one. Burgazada is the quietest. A small square, a few fish restaurants and a path running along the shore. The island for a guest who wants to keep away from crowds. Heybeliada is known for its pine forest. The long white building of the Naval High School is visible straight from the ferry. The walking routes inland are shadier here, which matters a great deal in summer. Büyükada is the largest — 5.4 square kilometres — and where most day visitors get off. Its wooden mansions, its market street and the 203-metre Aya Yorgi hill are all here. The climb up takes half an hour on foot and the last stretch is steep; from the top the whole Sea of Marmara is in view. A fifth island, Sedef Adası, is also served, but very infrequently; it is not suited to building a day trip around.

No cars on the islands: how you get around

Private vehicle traffic is banned on the islands. The only motor vehicles allowed are service ones: ambulances, fire engines, refuse collection. Getting around comes down to three things — walking, bicycles and electric vehicles. The horse-drawn phaetons that were the islands' emblem for many years were withdrawn in 2020 after a serious equine disease; battery-powered electric vehicles took their place. The bicycle rental shops cluster around the pier. What that means in practice: a visit to the islands is a day spent on your feet. Büyükada's inland roads are sloped and get harder as they climb. On summer middays there is little shade and few fountains. If you have an older relative who finds walking difficult, or you are coming with a pushchair, the plan has to be built around that. The area near the pier, the market street and the shore strip are flat and easy; the hill is not. This is exactly where the electric vehicles help, though queues build on busy days. What to bring is a short list: comfortable shoes, water, a hat and sunscreen. There are shops and pharmacies on the island, but they are gathered in the market area and prices are above the city's. It is worth buying your water before starting up the hill.

When to go, and how to shape the day

The best seasons are May–June and September–October. The weather suits walking, the sea is warm, and the crowds are not what they are in July and August. The gap between a weekend and a weekday is wider on the islands than anywhere else in Istanbul. On summer weekends long queues form at the piers and you may stand all the way back. The same trip made on a Tuesday is an entirely different day. The islands do not close in winter, but the pace drops: some shops are shut, sailings are sparse, the sea is windy and the crossing can be rough. Lovely for anyone seeking quiet — not for a first visit to Istanbul. Two things decide how the day goes. First, leaving early: a day begun on the first morning sailings is worth twice one begun in the afternoon. Second, the return: note the time of the last ferry before you go, because there is no alternative if you miss it — with no road link, you would have to stay the night on the island. A sensible shape for the day: an early ferry, Aya Yorgi hill before noon while it is still cool, lunch in the market street or on the shore, an afternoon circuit by bicycle or electric vehicle, tea by the water in the late light, and the return on the sailing before the last one. Deliberately leaving the final departure spare is your only fallback if the queue grows.

Where our service begins and ends

Let us put one thing plainly: we cannot provide a private-car service on the islands, because vehicle traffic is banned there. Our work begins at the ferry pier and ends there. In practice it works like this: we collect you from your hotel and drop you at the right pier for where you are staying — Kabataş, Beşiktaş or Bostancı — and meet you at the same pier at the time of your return ferry. The hours in between are yours. For a family travelling with a small child or an elderly relative, that is a bigger difference than it sounds. On a hot summer morning, the distance between changing trams from Sultanahmet to Kabataş and being picked up at the hotel door decides how the rest of the day goes. We do not sell the islands as a separate tour, because there is nothing to sell: the ferry ticket is a fare anyone can pay with an İstanbulkart, and we run no guided programme on the island. Charging you a tour price for a day like that would not be honest. If you want to give one day of your Istanbul programme to the islands, we build the plan around it and arrange that day's transfer separately. We will also tell you in advance which pier is nearest to you and how the weather and sea look for the day — sailings can be cancelled when it is stormy, and moving the plan by a day beats waiting at the pier.

Common questions about this guide