Highlights
- Full-day trip from Istanbul to Büyükada by ferry
- Marvel at top Istanbul sights from the water like Topkapi Palace and Kiz Kulesi
- Spend time at leisure on the largest of the Princes’ Islands and embrace laid-back island life
- Explore Büyükada by horse-drawn carriage and admire the island’s Ottoman-era mansions
- Hear the island’s history from your guide and learn of its role as a place of exile for banished Turkish aristocrats
- Hotel pickup and drop-off by air-conditioned coach included
Recent Photos of this Tour
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Princes’ Island Tour from ...Princes’ Island Tour from Istanbul: BuyukadaPhoto by: Blanca
United Kingdom, 01 2013 -
Princes’ Island Tour from ...Princes’ Island Tour from Istanbul: BuyukadaPhoto by: Blanca
United Kingdom, 01 2013 -
Princes’ Island Tour from ...Princes’ Island Tour from Istanbul: BuyukadaPhoto by: Blanca
United Kingdom, 01 2013 -
Princes’ Island Tour from ...Princes’ Island Tour from Istanbul: BuyukadaPhoto by: Blanca
United Kingdom, 01 2013 -
Princes’ Island Tour from ...Princes’ Island Tour from Istanbul: BuyukadaPhoto by: Blanca
United Kingdom, 01 2013 -
Princes’ Island Tour from ...Princes’ Island Tour from Istanbul: BuyukadaPhoto by: Blanca
United Kingdom, 01 2013 -
Princes’ Island Tour from ...Princes’ Island Tour from Istanbul: BuyukadaPhoto by: Blanca
United Kingdom, 01 2013 -
Princes’ Island Tour from ...Princes’ Island Tour from Istanbul: BuyukadaPhoto by: Blanca
United Kingdom, 01 2013 -
What You Can Expect
Tour Buyukada in Turkey’s Princes’ Islands
Dock in Büyükada and then amble through the streets with your guide, soaking up the laid-back atmosphere of island life. Vehicles are notably non-existent here, and the pretty roads resonate with the pleasing clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages. Hop aboard your own carriage and explore Büyükada at a fittingly relaxed pace. Your guide will explain the island’s history as you travel, talking about its time as a place of exile for banished statesmen and royalty, and of its life as a monastic settlement during Turkey’s Byzantine-Christian period.
Pass the lovely wooden mansions that exemplify the island’s late Ottoman-era architecture, and look out over the sparkling sea lapping on the shores. Seagulls are everywhere in Büyükada, and if you want to feed them your guide will give you simits (bread with sesame seeds) so you can throw them a treat.
Stop for lunch at a seafood restaurant and then spend the rest of your day at leisure on the island. Bring your bathing suit if you want to swim, or perhaps explore the island’s craft shops and waterfront cafés. Meet your guide at a pre-arranged time for your boat ride back to Istanbul. The last leg of your journey is made by coach to your Istanbul hotel, where your tour ends.
Customer Reviews
June 2013
I was worried after reading reviews on this trip, as I had already booked the trip. However it was great. The horse and carriage ride went for 30 minutes, the lunch was tasty, an entree of dips and nibbles, followed by fish fillets, lightly battered (just fillets, not the head or tail of the fish). The island was very interesting and beautiful by the water, it had a laid back, holiday feel. The only thing is, there is 2 hours of free time, so plan for something. They have bikes for hire, or you could go for a swim.
April 2013
Some of my friends did this trip in the summer and loved it; we went in the spring and were a bit disappointed. The gardens were disheveled; the houses were unpainted; it was a bit run down. The carriage ride was about 15 minutes long, and the horses were in a huge hurry. It wasn't the leisurely ride we were expecting. Lunch was tasty, but be warned - the sea bass comes with the head on, like it came right out of the ocean. I couldn't really handle it, but it tasted good.
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