5 Star Resorts - Travel Istanbul - Day Trip to the Princes' Islands

Lack of traffic and laid back atmosphere make them an excellent day trip from Istanbul, the Islands peaceful setting. Bicycle or on your own two feet, getting around is done by horse drawn carriage, the Islands are unique as no private motorized vehicles are allowed, besides their dark past. Revolutionaries and royalty, they have been used since Byzantine times as a place of exile for politicians. The Princes' Islands are a chain of nine small islands that lie off the coast of Istanbul.

Who were the Princes?

Victorian era wooden cottages and houses are preserved on the largest of the islands. The islands became a popular summer resort for Istanbul's wealthy, with the introduction of a ferry service, during the 19th century. Lending the islands their present name, troublesome princes were exiled to these Islands to be blinded or even executed, during the Byzantine era and the Ottoman Empire.

Getting There

The water is clean and it's possible to swim at all the islands during the summer months. But Buyuk Ada is the most popular with visitors, all islands have interesting points. (look for the jetty labeled 'Adalar'), the last stop on the Tramway line, ferries make the 90 minute journey six to ten times a day from Kabatas, in the summer months. Heybeli Ada and finally Buyuk Ada, burgaz Ada, most ferries call in turn at the four largest of the nine islands: Kinali Ada.

Although the sea can be rough in late autumn and winter, in spring and autumn the islands are quieter and more pleasant.

Kinali Ada

From the iron and copper that has been mined here, (hence the name), and the land has a reddish color, this is one of the least forested islands. This was the island most used as a place of exile in Byzantine times. Kinali Ada (meaning "Henna Island") is the nearest island to the European side of Istanbul (about an hour by ferry from Kabatas).

Burgaz Ada

Losing 4 square kilometers (2.5 square miles) of woodland, in 2003 Burgaz suffered a forest fire. Today the island is generally known by the Turks simply as "Burgaz" (Turkish for "fort"). Built a fort here, one of the successors of Alexander the Great, demetrius I of Macedon. A single hill 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) across, burgaz Ada is the third largest of the Islands.

Heybeli Ada

Who chose to live on Heybeli to escape the bustle of the city, edward Barton, the other is the grave of the second English Ambassador to be sent to Constantinople by Elizabeth I of England. The only remaining Byzantine church on the island and the last church to be built before the conquest of Constantinople, one is Kamariotissa. There are two interesting pieces of architecture on the grounds of the school. The large Naval Cadet School overlooks the jetty to the left as you get off the ferry. Heybeli Ada is the second largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara.

The monastery attracts visitors from all over Greece and Turkey. It housed the main Greek Orthodox seminary in Turkey and Theological Seminary of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. At the top of the central mountain is an 11th-century Greek Orthodox monastery. And many lovely wooden houses, a hotel that stays open all year round, to the right of the jetty lies the town with its bars and cafes.

000 people, the owners of the summer houses return and the population swells to 10, but in the summer, 000, the winter population of the island is around 3.

Buyuk Ada

His first station in exile, leon Trotsky also stayed for four years on Buyuk Ada, after his deportation from the Soviet Union in February 1929. And Zoe, theophano, the monastery on Buyuk Ada was the place of exile for three Byzantine empresses -- Irene. Buyuk Ada (Big Island) is the largest of the nine islands.

Pack a picnic lunch and stroll along the shore where some of the most charming wooden houses are located, better yet. Ask carefully about prices before you order and insist on paying before they scoop your ice cream. Beware of the prices here! Hotels and seafood restaurants, cafes, to the Left of the jetty you'll find bars.

And the Hamidiye Mosque, the Ayios Dimitrios Church, such as the Ayia Yorgi Church and Monastery dating back to the 6th century, there are several historical buildings on Buyuk Ada.

The cafe on the grounds is a lovely place to enjoy a tea or coffee while looking out over the Marmara Sea at the other Islands. The Greek Style church features a few relics and some lovely icon paintings. It's an easy climb to Ayia Yorgi Church and Monastery. The buggy will take you near the top of Ayia Yorgi. Visitors can tour the island by horse and buggy.