Island Tour

The car-free Princes' Islands are only a short boat ride from Istanbul, and provide a welcome break from the city heat and bustle.

The morning begins when you are picked from your hotel between 08.00 and 08.30 and transferred to the ferry terminal for a cruise on the Sea of Marmara heading for Buyukada, the largest of the nine islands making up the archipelago. On the way you'll be able to enjoy great views of the Topkapi Palace, Leander's Tower and Uskudar on Istanbul's Anatolian shore.

Buyukada is a popular resort for the locals in the summer with its white sandy beaches and fragrant pine forests, but it was once a place of exile for Byzantine Emperors (and Leon Trotsky) as well as a popular retreat for wealthy Istanbulites in the first half of the 20th Century. You'll be enchanted by this small slice of traffic-free paradise. When you explore some of the islands' quiet back streets, you'll feel as if you've found your way back to the late 19th century and an Istanbul that no longer exists on the mainland. Tour the island in a horse-drawn carriage before having lunch in one of the island's many pleasant restaurants. We'll return to Istanbul in the afternoon arriving back at your hotel between 17.00 and 17.30.

This full-day tour includes hotel pick up and drop off and transfer to the port, a return boat ride to the island of Buyukada with a guided tour, a ride in a horse-drawn carriage and the services of an English-speaking guide.

Meal

Assistance or guided tour

Admissions

Drinks

Full Day in English