Princes 'island Adalar in Istanbul / Princes' Island Adalar

General information about the islands

Princes ' island Adalar – this is a district of Istanbul, although they are 20 kilometers away from it. There are 9 islands in the group, and 5 of them are inhabited. One of the five is private, and the other four are resorts with hotels, restaurants, cafes, tourist entertainment.

• Buyükada
• Heybeliada( Heybeliada, Heybeli)
• Kınalıada
• Burgaz (Burgaz Adası)

You can go to any of these islands as an excursion or on your own during the day, and if you want to stay there for recreation, including Beach. But I would like to note that you should not consider Adalars as full-fledged beach resorts. This is rather an option for citizens to escape on the weekend to the beach, and to choose them as a place to spend the whole holiday in Turkey is not worth it, it will be too boring.

There are no particularly interesting sights on the islands, only a few ancient monasteries, mosques, ruins of a fortress, a small museum. More interesting is the cruise to them, the cozy resort atmosphere on the streets, the opportunity to swim and sunbathe, or just walk around the island. On all islands, Road Transport is prohibited (except for cars of city services), you can move only on bicycles, horse-drawn carts, and soon electric vehicles should be launched. Bike rental will cost 10 lire / hour (0.22 USD), or 30 liras / day (0.65 USD), cart-80 lire / hour (1.74 USD).

The tourist season in the Prince Islands is highly dependent on the time of year. It is best to go here in the summer months from May to September, but in April and October it is too cold for swimming, the beaches are closed. From November to March, the resort falls asleep, many restaurants and hotels are closed, so at this time it is better not to go here even for a walk during the day.

Seasons in the Prince Islands by month, when is the best time to go

Current Istanbul weather and forecast

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Learn more about each of the islands, which one to choose

The most popular and visited Of The Four Prince Islands is Buyükada. It is here that most excursions go, and we recommend it for an independent visit. Next in size and popularity - Heybeliada (Heybeli, Heybeli). If Buyukada in the season is literally crowded with tourists, then on Heybeliada it is much quieter and calmer, you can just take a leisurely walk and relax. True, there is nowhere to walk here, there are no outstanding places of interest, everything can be bypassed in a couple of hours.

The remaining two tiny Kınalıada and Burgaz Adası are generally not interesting for a one-day visit. Except that they are suitable for a weekend holiday in a quiet environment like in the village.

A little more about each of the islands:

• Buyükada

  The largest of all the islands, the length of 4 and a half kilometers. It is the most popular and interesting, we recommend going here first.

  A very beautiful and neat island with green hills, and a tourist area like in the resorts of Europe. There are several beaches around the perimeter of the island, but they are all tiny, in the summer season they are packed with vacationers. All of them are paid, from 20 lire (0.44 USD) for admission at least for the whole day. The price includes the use of a sunbed and umbrella.

  Here you can see the sights:

  • Orthodox monastery of St. George (St George Monastery) built X century. Located on the south side on a hill.
  • The house in which Leon Trotsky lived for 4 years after his expulsion from the USSR. Located at Ciankaya Caddesi 55, in disrepair after a fire.
  • Prince Islands Museum. The exposition is about the history of the islands. It is open from 09:00 to 18:00, Monday is a day off. The entrance is 10 liras, if you have a museum card Museum Pass Istanbul-5 liras.
  • The old Prinkipo Greek Orthodox Orphanage is an old gloomy wooden building, originally built as a casino, and then became an orphanage. It is in a state of disrepair, inspected from the outside.

  Learn more about Buyukada island here.

• Heybeliada( Heybeliada, Heybeli)

  The second largest, and for some reason the first most popular island in the group, perhaps because it is considered the most beautiful and green. There is not much to see here, only: the Holy Trinity (Hagia Triada or Ayatriada Manastırı) Orthodox monastery of the IX century, the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, the Skete of St. Spyridon (Terki Dünya Manastırı), a synagogue and a mosque. The beaches are also all paid, from 20 lira.

  Learn more about Heybeliada island here.

• Kınalıada

  The closest island to Istanbul, the first ferry stop on the way to the rest. Nothing special is remarkable, there are no attractions except a couple of monuments, a monastery and a church. Hotels, cafes, markets and shops are all there.

• Burgaz (Burgaz Adası)

  The second stop on the way from Istanbul. A beautiful neat island, but nothing particularly remarkable for a day visit. Everything you need for a short rest is there.

How to get to the Princes ' Islands or Adalars

The islands are on average 20 kilometers from Istanbul:

• Buyukada Island on the map
• Heybeliada Island on the map
• Kynalyada Island on the map
• Burgaz Island on the map

You can visit them yourself or with excursions. If you need excursions in Russian, it is better to purchase them online on one of these trusted sites:

• Excursions from the tour operator TezTour
• Excursions from Sputnik8
• Trips from Tripster

You can only get to the islands yourself by ferry, and most ferries are considered urban transport, and are paid for with a single transport card Istanbul Kart, which is cheaper than one-time tokens or cards. For example, the map shows 5.2 lira (0.11 USD, see Turkish currency and Exchange Rate), for tokens 7 lira (0.15 USD).

Ferries to the islands depart from the marinas:

• Kabatas Pier / kabatas on the map
• Marinas Eminenyu and Sirkeci / Eminonu & Sirkeci on the map
• Kadikoy Pier / Kadikoy on the map
• Beşıktaş Pier / beşıktaş on the map
• Karaköy Marina on the map (depart from the small marina Karaköy (Turyol) behind the bridge, not from the main Karaköy). These are the most expensive ferries at 10 lire.

To sail from island to island, you will have to pay the full cost, as from Istanbul, but if you pay with an Istanbul Kart card when re-boarding the ferry Within 2 hours, a discount is provided, the fare will cost 3.5 lira (0.08 USD)

Departure several times a day on schedule. Most often, about every hour, depart from the marinas Eminenyu and Sirkeci / Eminonu & Sirkeci (these marinas are nearby, between them there is no clear border). All City ferry services make stops on all four tourist islands, but depending on the flight not on all. The schedule changes often by season and weekends, so it is better to check it on the sites:

• http://en.sehirhatlari.istanbul
• http://www.denturavrasya.com/en-EN/
• https://www.turyol.com

Also, at any pier or in the kiosks of the tourinformation, you can take a small book with all the schedules of the city ferries for free.

Please note that due to bad weather (waves, fog) flights are adjusted, and may be canceled on the way. There are even situations where the last ferries are canceled, and then you may be trapped until the next day. In this case, it remains either to spend the night on the island, or to hire small private boats. Therefore, it is highly discouraged to go to Adalary on the last day before departure from Istanbul.