Princes' Islands Tour with 2 Islands and Electric Car Ride

Büyükada, the largest of the Princes' Islands

Büyükada is the biggest of the nine islands in the Sea of Marmara off Istanbul's Asian shore and the one every Princes' Islands tour from Istanbul visits. Byzantine emperors exiled rivals and princes to its monasteries, which gave the group its name; in the 19th century wealthy Istanbul families built the wooden summer mansions with carved balconies that still line the lanes behind the pier. There are no private cars: people move on foot, by bicycle and, since the horse carriages were retired, by small electric vehicles.

From the pier a short walk brings you to the clock tower square and the main street of cafés, ice-cream shops and bakeries; beyond lie two pine-covered hills, the higher one topped by the monastery of St George with a view over the whole archipelago. Büyükada things to do in a few hours: the mansions of Çankaya Street, a swim at a beach club in summer, lunch on the waterfront, or the electric car loop around the island.

The electric car ride around the island

The electric car tour of Büyükada is the way to see the whole island in under an hour without a long walk. Small electric vehicles leave from near the pier and follow the ring road along the shore and up through the pine forest, passing the great wooden mansions, the old orphanage building on the hill (the largest wooden building in Europe), viewpoints over the sea and the quieter southern shore where the island's beaches are.

It is not included in this tour: tickets for the electric car are bought on the island during your free time, and your guide shows you where. Our Istanbul team recommends doing the car loop first and then settling on the waterfront, because the queue for the cars grows after midday at weekends. If you prefer, rent a bicycle for the same route or walk up to the monastery hill, which takes about 45 minutes each way through the forest.

The boat trip from the Golden Horn across the Marmara

Your day starts on the tour boat moored on the Golden Horn, reached by coach from your hotel with the default option. The boat sails out past the historic peninsula, under the Galata Bridge, along the old city walls and then across the open Sea of Marmara with the Asian shore and Kadıköy to the left; the crossing to Büyükada takes about an hour and a half, long enough for the guide's talk on the islands' Byzantine and Ottoman history.

The seagulls are part of the fun: the guide hands out simit, the sesame bread rings sold everywhere in Istanbul, and the birds glide alongside the boat to take pieces from your hand, which children never forget. In summer lunch is served on board on the way to the island; in winter it is in a cosy island restaurant instead. Dress for the deck, with a hat in summer and a windproof layer in the cooler months.

The second island: an hour on a smaller neighbour

After Büyükada the boat moves on to a second, smaller island of the group, where you have about an hour of free time. The smaller islands are quieter and greener, with a village street of cafés by the pier, pine woods a few minutes' walk away and small beaches where locals swim from May to September; which island it is depends on the day's schedule and the weather.

An hour is enough for a coffee on the waterfront, a short walk along the shore or a swim in summer (beach entrance fees apply at the organised beaches, which are not included). The guide gives a clear meeting time at the pier for the return. Those who prefer to stay longer on either island can leave the group and return to the city later on the public ferry at their own expense; just tell the guide before you go.

Lunch, timing and the practical day

The default option includes a seasonal lunch, halal as everywhere in Istanbul: typically grilled fish or chicken with meze, salad, bread and fruit, served on the boat in summer and in an island restaurant in the winter months; drinks are at your own expense. The options without lunch leave you free to choose from the waterfront restaurants of Büyükada, where the fish is fresh and the view is the point.

Pickup is between 07:45 and 09:00 from central hotels, with your exact time sent the afternoon before; hotels in narrow or pedestrian streets meet at the nearest main road. The whole day lasts about eight hours and ends with the coach back to your hotel. The best time to visit the Princes' Islands is May to October for the sea and the gardens, though spring blossom and quiet autumn weekdays are the favourites of our Istanbul team.