Hi guys!!!!!
So my friend Echez and I planned a trip to Princes’ Islands here in Istanbul with two of our other friends last weekend, and I had a swell time. My friends didn’t, because we were expecting a proper beach and to swim, but I enjoyed it because we got to explore the beach town, and I was enthralled by the beauty of all of it.
So Echez and I left Arnavutköy by the 336 Otobüs, and got down at Pertevniyal Valide station, where we got in a taxi to the Kabataş tram station that’s right beside the new pier. The taxi cost less than ₺20, so if you’ll be taking a taxi from that same area you can expect to spend about ₺20. We were in a hurry, so we took the taxi, but an alternative would be to walk to the tram from the Pertevniyal Valide station, and ride it all the way down to Kabataş. This should cost less than ₺5.
At Kabataş, we loaded up the akbill right by the entrance to the Pier, and swiped to get on the 12:30pm ferry going to Adalar. The trip cost ₺10 for each person. According to my friends this pier is pretty new, and only just opened. It’s huge and really clean.
If you have some time, you can stop to take pictures, as the backdrop is really nice, but don’t waste time, as the ferry leaves on time. Our ferry left at 12:26pm even though it was scheduled for 12:30pm.
The ferry itself had several seating areas. There were outdoor areas, and indoor areas. Smoking was prohibited in the indoor area, and it had several windows - some of which were sealed, where you could watch the sea from.
It also had a little mart where you could grab a quick bite. The mart had everything from Tost sandwiches to ayran*, soda, water, tea, coffee, simit*, and chocolate. If you’re not ravenous though, you might want to save tummy space for the island. There’s lots to eat there.
* Ayran is Turkish buttermilk
* Simit is a type of Turkish bread. (See here)
While taking photos for the blog, I met these gorgeous, sweet ladies who asked to take a photo with me, and also offered me some traditional Turkish kek. The cake was delicious, and I made a beautiful and kind new friend, Dilara. I love and enjoy these random outbursts of kindness Turkish people love to show to total strangers. It’s my favorite thing about living here.
The ferry ride to Büyükada took about 1 hour and 20 minutes. It was a long, long ride with several stops along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the waves, sea gulls that reminded me of the Enid Blyton adventure books I loved as a child, and seeing the city frame the sea. It was such a beauty to behold. I took some pictures of the journey and some of the stops.
When you first arrive Büyükada by ferry, you’re greeted with a throng of tourists and visitors trying to navigate getting on and off the ferry at the pier. It can be a little more than you bargained for, if you’re not used to crowds, but you can very quickly find your way to some sanity by walking past the crowds to the bazaar, and getting a bicycle to ride into the beach town.
The street leading to the bazaar and city center is fraught with restaurants, cafes and shops selling anything from seafood or meatballs to ice cream to woven accessories and souvenirs.
There were many places to rent a bicycle from, and you could choose between renting one for an hourly rate of ₺15 or a daily rate of ₺40. I would highly recommend getting one for the day, if you don’t like long walks or hiking, as we made the rookie mistake of not doing so, and even though the hour and a half hike to find the beach allowed us stop to take beautiful pictures, it was still a long uphill hike. We may have explored more parts of the island if we rented bikes. If you don’t mind walking then do so, as it will allow you really explore the island and find hidden treasures and gems.
We walked down to the police station right after the bazaar, and took a turn into Çankaya street which we were told led to the beach. Çankaya street was simply gorgeous. Lined with trees on either side that protect you from the harsh summer sun, it was a joy to walk through and gaze at the beautiful wooden mansions Büyükada is famous for. Some of these mansions looked hundreds of years old, with several stories, and they had beautiful wooden windows and beams. I wonder what stories those houses have to tell, and if some of them have been passed down generations. There were also a few restaurants and cafes sprinkled here and there, but it was mostly residential. It also had several side streets with huge flower bushes, that led down to the water and provided gorgeous backdrops for photos.
A lot of these mansions have been converted to hotels, and my honest recommendation would be to book one for a weekend if you’re planning to visit Istanbul and really enjoy and explore everything Büyükada has to offer as you can’t possibly do it all in one day.
We soon came to the park, where we had to pay ₺7 to get in. The park was lovely with lots of trees and shade for picnics, restaurants, benches, and it had gorgeous views of the sea.
As we walked through the park we came to the most beautiful stone path that had the most gorgeous view of the sea. If you need some time off to think or just sit in quiet, this is the perfect spot. The path led down, but we didn’t explore it, so I don’t know where it led to.
We continued our walk and soon came to the park restaurant, where we decided to eat lunch. The restaurant was really cute and situated on a cliff, so it had the perfect view. It also had this really cute swing seat decorated with flowers, and if you know anything about me, you know I had to sit there. Lol!
The restaurant had a decent menu with a number of options. Our friend wanted to eat chicken, and they had some. The menu was written in Turkish, but had English translations, and pictures. I ordered the I Cheese meat rolls and the stuffed meatballs. I LOVED the meatballs. It was so good! Full and juicy. It was also well spiced. I wished there was more of it. The cheese meat rolls weren’t bad, but I wish it had more cheese. The meat was also interesting as it seemed like sausage meat? It was also salty. I had some of Echez’s grilled chicken breasts and those were fantastic too. They were as succulent as chicken breasts could get, and had the smoky flavor of fire grilled chicken without any of the barbecue taste. (I don’t like barbecue seasoning.) I also tried out some of Alex’s tiramisu, and it wasn’t great. Alex didn’t like it either. It was hard and just not good tbh.
If you have a cat allergy, you may not want to eat here as there are lots of stray cats, and they’re quite bold with their begging.
After lunch, we continued our search for the beach which led us back down Çankaya street to a side street we had passed before as someone told us the beach was there. We came to a little restaurant/cafe with a tiny dock where you could pay a fee to swim. We didn’t, because we didn’t think the water was clean enough, so we left to look for the beach.
As we continued our hike in search of the beach, we passed another park with swings hanging from trees, which I thought was really exciting. The park has benches, shade and a great view of the sea as well.
After walking a few minutes, we finally found the beach front. We were asked to pay ₺20 to get in, but we wanted to be sure we could actually swim in the water, so we went to look from the little dock, and confirmed we couldn’t swim in the water, so we didn’t go in. It sounded fun though - music blaring from loudspeakers, and looked fun too, but by then we were tired from the long walk, and my friends were a little disappointed, as it wasn’t what they expected it to be. I didn’t mind, as I love beach towns and the architecture, picturesque look, and historical feel of the town fascinated and made me very happy.
We eventually paid ₺10 each to get on a smaller boat going from the dock by the beach to the Büyükada Pier where we paid another ₺10 each to get back to Kabataş. Takes about 10-15 minutes instead of the long walk back.
I had a great time at Büyükada, but my honest recommendations would be to devote an entire weekend to coming here if you’re planning a trip to Istanbul. There’s so much we didn’t see on the Island including the museum and other historical buildings. We also didn’t try out all the restaurants or ice cream cafes. You can book a hotel on any of the hotel booking websites. Also if you want to swim in the sea it’s better to rent a boat, (there are places to do so) and take her a little farther out where the water is cleaner. You’ll also be able to see gorgeous fishes in the water.
Thanks for reading! Hope you’re well equipped for your trip to Büyükada now. Please let me know if you’ll be visiting and need a guide.
Love, Yoma.
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