Hi there,
From Istanbul you can visit many beach places that are relatively close by boat, and it is very cheap because the boat is also public transport. We went on a Sunday to visit the Princes’ Islands.
The Princes’ Islands or Adalar are a district of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara. The archipelago is made up of 9 islands, the largest being Büyükada with almost 6km2. The islands are Heybeliada, Büyükada, Burgazada, Kinaliada, Sedef, Yassiada, Tavsan, Kasik and Sivriada. The last 4 do not have a permanent human settlement.
During the Byzantine period, members of royalty were exiled to these islands, hence their name. In the 19th century they became a fashionable haven for the Ottoman aristocracy who built wooden palaces and Victorian-style villas, making the islands a center of wealth for Istanbul.
Over the years, the Turkish upper class preferred to spend their holidays on the country’s Mediterranean coast, leaving the islands as a weekend tourist destination for lower-class Istanbul families.
Motorized vehicles are prohibited so you can travel by bicycle or on foot; even so, there are some small electric buses that look like toys that are public transport.
Boats leaving Istanbul only stop at the four main islands: Büyükada, Heybeliada, Burgazada and Kinaliada. We visited Büyükada, which is the furthest away (last stop) and Kinaliada on the way back, which is the closest to Istanbul.
That day we had a beautiful sunny day that we appreciated after a lot of rain. The views from the boat are beautiful and you appreciate all the important points of the city.
The seagulls go behind the boat for a long time because unfortunately the tourists give them food.
It takes us more than an hour to get to Büyükada, but it doesn’t feel long because the landscape is beautiful. This time we dedicated ourselves more to strolling quietly instead of looking for touristy things. There was practically nobody on the streets and we were delighted; living there in low season must be bliss without people, neighbors, or car noise.
I loved the Victorian houses; it reminded me of when I’ve seen New Orleans in movies. Another thing that I really appreciated was that the streets were clean, it didn’t look like Turkey, let alone Istanbul.
We saw some of the beaches on the island and they are ugly. Nothing to do with those in the Fethiye area. Brown sand and nothing special.
We had lunch in a restaurant right in the center, a lentil soup, salad, and hummus. On the islands the typical thing is to eat fish or shellfish and the restaurants are all the same.
We took the boat again and went to Kinaliada. I saw that there was an antenna on the top of a mountain, and I told Diego that I wanted to go up to take pictures of the views. The streets that went up were almost vertical and everything was just as empty.
We got to the antenna and the surrounding area was full of shacks, but there weren’t any people there either. We went to see a convent and went down the other side of the island to walk around. When we started to go down a path to go down the mountain, a cat came running towards us. She walked with us all the way, we named her Josecita after Josecito (our wonder dog from Costa Rica). We reached the highway, and she was still with us; we found some locals walking who fed her, and she stayed with them. That was her happy ending and ours.
We kept walking and the back of the island was full of shacks and garbage dumps.
The visit to Prince’s Islands is worth it above all because it has nothing to do with the dirt and chaos of Istanbul; yes, in low season. Also, the islands are very green. In summer they must be a hell of people and it is not worth going at that time to bathe on the beaches, because it is not the most special thing you will find in Turkey.
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