Princes' Islands
Car-free islands off Istanbul's coast where horse-drawn carriages and pine forests rule.
The Princes' Islands — known in Turkish as Adalar, meaning simply 'the Islands' — are a chain of nine small islands in the Sea of Marmara, about 20 kilometers southeast of central Istanbul. Only four are open to regular visitors: Büyükada (the largest), Heybeliada, Burgazada, and Kınalıada. For centuries they served as a place of exile for Byzantine royals and later as summer retreats for Istanbul's Greek, Armenian, and Jewish communities. Today they offer something genuinely rare: a corner of Istanbul where almost no motorized vehicles are allowed, giving them an atmosphere that feels like a step back into the late Ottoman era.
On the islands you get around by bicycle or horse-drawn carriage (called fayton), and the pace shifts almost immediately after you step off the ferry. Büyükada, the most visited, has grand wooden Victorian-era mansions climbing up its pine-covered hills, a famous Greek Orthodox monastery at the summit (Aya Yorgi, dedicated to St. George), waterfront fish restaurants, and beaches that fill up in summer. You can hike or rent a bike to explore the quieter south of the island, where the crowds thin and the views of the Marmara open up. Heybeliada is more residential and peaceful, with the shuttered but architecturally striking Heybeliada Naval School as its centerpiece. Burgazada has a small village feel and is associated with the Turkish writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık, whose home is now a museum.
Ferries run regularly from Kabataş, Bostancı, and Adalar İskelesi on the Asian side, and the crossing itself — gliding past tankers and the distant skyline — is part of the experience. Weekends in summer get genuinely crowded on Büyükada, especially between June and August, so weekday visits or the shoulder seasons of May and September give you a much better version of what makes the islands special. Pack a picnic, rent a bike on arrival, and budget a full day if you want to explore properly.
