On Princess Island Tours, it’s easy to leave the busy parts of Istanbul and head to the quiet and car-free Buyukada Island. This trip from Istanbul takes you to Buyukada, the largest of Turkey’s Princes Islands. As you sail across the Sea of Marmara, you can watch the sights of Istanbul get further and further away. The best way to see the pedestrian-only island is by bike, which not included. You can also spend time at your own pace, maybe relaxing on one of the beaches, before going back to Istanbul.
Your guide will take you by air-conditioned bus from your hotel to the port, where you will board a boat to the Prince’s islands. Your destination for the day is Buyukada, which is the biggest and most interesting island. Within the scope of this tour, private, small family, and friend groups put together based on what people want. You can add alcohol to the island if you want to swim, listen to music, and eat.
Things To Do On Princess Island Tours
When you get to Buyukada, dock your boat and take a walk through the streets with your guide to get a feel for how laid-back island life is. During the ride, your guide will tell you about the history of the island, including when it was a place where exiled politicians and royals went and when it was a monastery during the Byzantine-Christian period in Turkey.
Pass beautiful wooden mansions that are great examples of the island’s architecture from the late Ottoman era, and look out over the sea. There are seagulls everywhere in Buyukada, and if you want to feed them, your guide will give you simits, which is sesame-seed bread, that you can throw at them. You can have lunch at a seafood restaurant or on the boat, and then you can spend the rest of the day on the island as you please.
