If you want to take a bath in Istanbul, you will encounter a challenge. Believe it or not, in Istanbul you will most easily bathe in your own sweat in the summer, and we believe that this is not in your interest. So we, eager to splash in the water, set off in search of the nearest beach, and ended up on one of the so-called Prince’s Islands, more precisely, on the largest of them – Büyükada, where some of the most beautiful beaches are located.
Büyükada is the largest of the nine Prince’s Islands, and with an area of only 5 square kilometers, it is a good destination for any tourist looking for fun and active vacation. There are no cars on the island itself, and the only ones you will see are the police ones, so renting a bike is a good thing if you want to get away from the center of the island – Adalara.
Arrival to the island
The Princes’ Islands are only a 90-minute ferry ride from Istanbul, and you’ll only need a few Turkish lira for the ticket. The ship departs from Sirkeci area, from the port of Emononu towards Büyükada (the last station on the last island), through Kadıköy (on the Asian side of the city). The ride itself is very interesting, and all the way you will be accompanied by seagulls in the sky and jellyfish in the sea. Ferries run every hour, and we advise you not to wait for the last boat when you return, but at least go to the penultimate one, because it may happen that not all passengers will board the boat, so you will have to spend the night on the island. The last ship from the port on the island to Istanbul departs at 22:15, while the first ship to the islands from Eminönü departs at 5:50.
What to see on the island
The island itself offers a lot of activities for quality leisure time, and the fact that you will have to ride a bike if you want to visit them all, adds only one additional experience to the whole island visit.
Here you will find a unique tourist attraction, a palace with a monastery built during the time of the Byzantine Emperor Justin II, which was once a place of exile for the Byzantine empresses Irena, Euphrosyni, Theophani, Zoe and Anna Dalassen. In 1901, Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid was born on this island, who was later known to the public as a renowned painter of large-format abstract paintings.
If you cycle around the island, you will very quickly notice the beautiful houses and villas that are truly admirable. Most of the houses here are built in the Ottoman style, and the most famous for their beauty are the villas of Con Pasa, Yelkencizade, Fabiato and Mizzi Mansions.
In addition to the civic architecture, here you will find numerous churches that are a real refreshment after coming from a crowded mosque in Istanbul and two monasteries that are open to visitors.
Upon arrival on the island, we advise you to first find a map of the island, sit down for coffee in one of the many restaurants and cafes and make a sightseeing plan. You can rent bicycles on every corner at a price of just 5 euro for a whole day. We definitely advise you to rent a bike because time passes quickly here, especially if you wander to the other side of the island where the beaches are located. Don’t worry if you don’t get a padlock with the bike, because you won’t need to lock the bike here.
