Princes' Islands from Istanbul: ferries, day tours and what to do on Büyükada

The Princes' Islands (Adalar in Turkish) are nine islands in the Sea of Marmara, four of them large. A Princes' Islands ferry calls at them in a fixed order, Kınalıada → Burgazada → Heybeliada → Büyükada, and most day-trippers spend their time on the last and largest, Büyükada. There are no private cars, the wooden mansions and pine hills are the attraction, and in summer the beaches and bathing platforms fill with swimmers.

One thing to clear up first: the islands are not on the Bosphorus. The boat leaves the city past Sarayburnu and the Maiden's Tower at the southern mouth of the strait, then heads out into the Marmara. If you want the strait itself, that is a Bosphorus cruise; the islands are a separate day.

Princes' Islands ferry: which boat from which pier

Three different companies sail to the islands, and the choice depends on where you are staying.

Turyol from Eminönü (Old City side). The Turyol co-operative runs the Islands boat from its own pier on the Golden Horn side of the Galata Bridge, by the fish-sandwich boats. Departures are 09:40, 10:40, 11:40, 12:40 and 13:40, plus 14:40 on Saturdays and Sundays. The boat calls at Karaköy five minutes later and at Kadıköy's Metro pier at 10:10 (for the first boat), then at all four islands. Boats come back from Büyükada at 14:15, 15:15, 16:15, 17:15 and 18:15 (plus 19:15 at weekends). The fare is 230 TL per leg at the Turyol booth, any island. The crossing takes about 1.5 hours.

Şehir Hatları, the municipal ferry (vapur). The city ferries run to the islands from Kabataş, Beşiktaş, Kadıköy and Bostancı; Eminönü has island sailings in summer only. Kabataş to Büyükada takes about 1 h 30. You pay with an İstanbulkart (the city transport card): 151.23 TL, or 171.89 TL with a single-use paper ticket. This island fare is a separate tariff, much higher than a normal ferry hop across the Bosphorus. The winter timetable runs from early September to late June; check current times on sehirhatlari.istanbul or at the pier.

Mavi Marmara from Bostancı (Asian side). The fastest route: take the Marmaray train or metro to Bostancı, then a Mavi Marmara co-operative boat, 35 minutes direct to Büyükada. Boats run roughly hourly from 07:10 (not Sundays) to 23:00, and the last boat back from Büyükada leaves at 21:50. Same 151.23 TL İstanbulkart fare, children under 6 free. Their printed rule matters: when a boat is full, the turnstiles lock and it may leave before the scheduled time, so arrive 20–30 minutes early on summer weekends. In winter, Mavi Marmara also runs a tourist boat from Beşiktaş at 09:30 and 11:30, via Kabataş and Eminönü (10:00 and 12:00), returning from Büyükada at 14:30 and 15:30. Timetables are on mavimarmara.net.

Ferry on your own or a guided tour?

Go on your own if you are comfortable with a ferry and a map, want to swim, cycle or hike up to the monastery, or want to stay into the evening. The public ferry is cheaper and you choose the island.

Take a tour if you want pick-up, a guide and lunch handled, especially in winter, when sailings thin out and the winter tourist boat runs only twice a day. Tour pick-ups cover central hotels on the European side (Sultanahmet, Taksim, Şişli, Sirkeci, Beyoğlu, Aksaray). None covers Kadıköy or Üsküdar, which are anyway closer to the Bostancı boats.

Princes' Islands day tours: which one to book

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul: Princes Islands Tour with Hotel Transfer & Lunch

4.5 (3,594)

from $20Check dates

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul: Princes' Islands Trip from Old City Port + Pick Up

4.1 (177)

from $12Check dates

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Princes Island Full Day Tour - Kınalı & Büyükada

4.4 (113)

from $20Check dates

◔ Day or sunset

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul: Büyükada and Electric Car Trip

4.7 (63)

from $18Check dates

◐ Daytime

HeadoutFull day

From Istanbul: Full-Day Princes’ Islands Tour to Heybeliada and Buyukada with Transfers

4.0 (124)

from $34Check dates

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul: Princes’ Islands Day Trip with Lunch

4.0 (62)

from $14Check dates

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Headout →See everything on Tiqets →Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Best Princes' Islands tours

1

First visit, hassle-free

The most-reviewed island tour (4.5 from about 3,600 reviews): hotel transfer, guide, lunch on board and free time on each island. Cheap for what it includes.

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul: Princes Islands Tour with Hotel Transfer & Lunch

4.5 (3,594)

from $20Check dates

2

Better-rated small day

4.7 from over 300 reviews, Heybeliada plus Büyükada, starting from the Old City.

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

From Istanbul: Princess Islands Guided Tour

4.7 (328)

from $22Check dates

3

Your own pace, booked ahead

The Turyol round-trip ferry ticket from Eminönü, under GetYourGuide's cancellation terms. Stop on Büyükada and come back on any return boat.

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuide⚓ Eminönü

Istanbul: Round-Trip Ferry Tickets to the Princes' Islands

4.3 (979)

from $12Check dates

4

Summer swimming

A boat trip with a swim stop in a quiet bay near the islands, 4.6 from 39 reviews. The one thing the public ferry cannot do.

◐ Daytime

GetYourGuideFull day

Istanbul: Princes Islands Boat Trip with Swimming Stop

4.6 (39)

from $79Check dates

The tour with lunch and hotel pick-up sells on GetYourGuide and Headout. GetYourGuide was clearly cheaper on the day this page was updated, and has more reviews:

What to check before you book any island tour:

• Which islands. Most visit Büyükada plus one more. GetYourGuide 58004 (4.0, about 1,800 reviews) does Büyükada and Kınalıada or Heybeliada.
• What is extra. Electric-vehicle rides and bike rental are not included and are paid on site.
• Shopping stops. Headout's 52539 island tour includes a visit to a leather factory with a fashion show, and it has no reviews yet. The Tiqets "private" tour 1122583 is priced per person, uses coach pick-up and leaves from Cibali on the Golden Horn, with a possible leather-shop visit.
• Carriage rides. Two Tiqets listings still promise horse-drawn carriages. Carriages were banned in 2020, so that copy is out of date. One of them (1096016) is also non-refundable.

Büyükada and the other islands: what to do

Büyükada

The largest island and the last stop. The main walk climbs Yücetepe hill (202 m) to the Aya Yorgi monastery (St George), with a café at the top. Electric taxis drop you in the valley between the two hills, and from there it is a steep, rocky climb on foot. Wear proper shoes. On 23 April, St George's Day, pilgrims crowd the path. Back near the pier, the Museum of the Princes' Islands is at Aya Nikola. The huge wooden Greek Orthodox orphanage (1898) is closed to visitors; the house where Trotsky lived in exile is a ruin, not a museum.

Cycling is the classic way round the island's outer loop. Bike shops by the pier charged 100–150 TL per hour or 300–450 TL per day in summer.

Heybeliada, Burgazada, Kınalıada

The three smaller islands are quieter. All four have beaches and wooden or concrete bathing platforms. The tourism board points to the far sides of the islands, away from the piers, for the best water, and names Burgazada and Kınalıada for particularly nice spots. Small Sedef Island has beach clubs reached by boat from Büyükada.

Swimming and beaches

Büyükada's beach clubs charged roughly 700–800 TL on weekdays and 900–1,000 TL at weekends in summer; public beaches are free, but a sunbed and umbrella cost 300–400 TL. Yörük Ali beach near Dilburnu is the most popular. Sea temperatures reach about 21–25 °C from June to August. For swim boats and the Black Sea beaches, see our swimming guide.

Food

A big Turkish breakfast spread (serpme kahvaltı) on Büyükada or Heybeliada cost 750–1,500 TL per person in summer.

Getting around: no cars, no carriages

The islands have no private cars, only service vehicles. Horse-drawn carriages (fayton) were the famous way to tour Büyükada until 2019. After a glanders outbreak killed 81 horses, the city ended carriage rides, and in January 2020 the municipal council voted to buy out the horses and the 277 carriage licences. Ignore any listing that still offers a carriage ride.

What replaced them, at the tariff in force since 20 July 2026:

• Electric buses (İETT): 158.35 TL per ride for visitors.
• Adamini electric taxis: 207.75 TL opening fee + 166.27 TL per km + 32.13 TL per minute of waiting, or 249.29 TL + 199.52 TL per km if you pay by contactless bank card.
• Bikes from the shops by the pier (prices above).

On holiday peaks, queues at the electric-vehicle stations on Büyükada get long.

When to go, and when not to

Best months: June to September for swimming; spring and autumn for walking and cycling without the crowds.

Avoid bayram days. During the two religious holidays (Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı, which move about 11 days earlier each year), the city ferries are normally free, and the islands have their most crowded days of the year.

Winter: fewer sailings, and the lodos (strong south-westerly wind) can stop the exposed Marmara routes. On 3 January 2026, Şehir Hatları suspended its island lines "until further notice". Don't plan the islands for your last day in winter, and consider a tour with pick-up when the public timetable is thin.

More day trips by boat

Want to see the strait rather than the Marmara? The public Long Tour to Anadolu Kavağı runs the whole Bosphorus to the Black Sea mouth. All our water day trips are on the trips page. Island boats leave from Eminönü and Kadıköy, among other piers.

Princes' Islands FAQ