Tours to the Princes' Islands

The Princes' Islands sit just off Istanbul. It is a short ferry ride, and none of the city's traffic comes along. Cars are banned outright; people get around by bicycle or electric cart.

The four islands

• Buyukada. The largest, and the one most day trips land on: pine-covered hills, Belle Epoque wooden mansions, and a hilltop monastery reached on foot.
• Heybeliada. Second largest and quieter, built around a naval academy and a wooded ridge.
• Burgazada. Small and residential. The writer Sait Faik lived here; his house is now a museum.
• Kinaliada. Closest to the city and the smallest of the four, mostly a short beach stop.

How it is sold

It is a full day out of Istanbul. Ferry there, a loop of Buyukada by bike or cart, a stretch of beach, lunch, ferry back. There are no monuments to queue for — that is the point.

Practical

• Getting here. Ferry only. No bridge and no road link, so the boat times set the schedule.
• Weekends. Istanbullus use the islands the same way, so summer weekends fill the ferries and the seafront.
• What to bring. Swimwear in season, and shoes that work on a bike or a hill path.
• One island, one day. Splitting the day between two leaves less time on either.