Princes Island Tour: Buyukada from Istanbul With the help of this tour guide, you can easily escape the crowded areas of Istanbul and travel to the peaceful, car-free Buyukada Island.

You have the opportunity to tour the Istanbul Princes’ Islands and visit Buyukada. During a horse-drawn carriage tour in Heybeliada, you can discover more about the Byzantine Empire princes who once spent their free time on these islands.

Discover the largest of Turkey’s Princes Islands, Buyukada, on this 9-hour trip from Istanbul. Observe Istanbul’s landmarks disappear from view as you cruise across the Sea of Marmara.

The best way to explore the pedestrian-only island is by bike (not included), or you can spend some time at your leisure, perhaps unwinding on one of its beaches, before flying back to Istanbul.

From your hotel, take an air-conditioned coach with your guide to the port, where you will board the boat to the Princes Islands.
You can view the sights of Istanbul from the boat, including well-known sites like Topkapi Palace and the charming Kiz Kulesi (also known as the Maiden’s Tower), which was depicted in the James Bond movie The World is Not Enough.

Take a stroll through the streets of Buyukada after you dock to experience the laid-back island lifestyle with your guide. On the way, your tour guide will provide information about the island’s past, including its role as a haven for exiled royalty and dignitaries as well as its time as a monastic community during the Byzantine-Christian era of Turkey.

Look out over the glistening sea as you pass lovely wooden mansions that are stunning examples of the island’s late Ottoman era architecture. In Buyukada, seagulls are commonplace, and if you want to feed them, your guide will provide you with simits (bread with sesame seeds) so you can do so.

Spend the first part of the day exploring the island, then pause for lunch at a seafood restaurant or on the boat.

Meet your guide at the appointed time to board the boat back to Istanbul. You’ll be dropped off at your Istanbul hotel on the final leg of your journey by coach.