The Princes' Islands: How to get there from Istanbul and what to see

What do most travelers associate Istanbul with? The Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia, Topkapi and Dolmabahçe palaces, the ancient reservoir Cisterna Basilica, the bustling Grand Bazaar, mountains of lukum and baklava in the stores on the central pedestrian street Istiklal and, of course, the majestic Bosphorus. This is usually the end of the standard program of visiting Istanbul. But not everyone knows about the Prince Islands in the Sea of Marmara, only fifteen kilometers from Istanbul.

First of all, I have to say that we visited the above must-see places in Istanbul too. I am in Istanbul for the second time, but I am ready to come back here again and again to observe the grandeur of ancient mosques, the unique combination of the spirit of Europe and Asia (in architecture, cuisine, traditions, life), to sail on a boat and breathe the incredible sea air, to notice cats in the most unexpected places. By the way, about cats: they are everywhere, they are not afraid of people at all and they always have plenty of food, as the inhabitants of Istanbul adore these tailed animals. Here they are...

After walking around the colorful and bustling Istanbul, we decided to take a ferry to Büyükada, one of the largest Prince Islands (Prens Adalar). The ferry leaves from Kabataş station on the European shore and is part of the public transportation system. On the way to the islands, the ferry also makes a stop on the Asian side at Kadıköy station - you can catch a ride there. The fare costs about 5.5 Turkish Liras one way (just over 30 UAH). You can pay with an Istanbulcard universal pass.

Why the Princes' Islands? Once upon a time, during the Byzantine Empire, unwanted relatives of emperors and illegitimate children were exiled to these islands. Not the worst place to be exiled, I must say. Now it's a popular vacation destination among Istanbul residents.

The journey to the islands takes about 1.5 hours. The ferry is quite comfortable: despite the fact that it seats about 1,500 people, it is quite spacious inside, there is enough space for everyone, there are soft seats, a buffet and you can even sleep. There is also a buffet. On the way you can admire the panoramas of both sides of Istanbul, which is what we did.

On the way to Buyukada, the ferry stops at 3 more islands, so if you change your mind, you can disembark on any of them. The first thing you notice when you step on the island is a lot of colors and absolute peace - no one is in a hurry. Many Turks have summer houses and summer homes here.

It is worth noting that the greatest concentration of people here is on the beaches and on the main promenade of the island, which starts from the sea station and goes north along the sea. Go a little further inland and the streets are completely deserted. And, of course, cats - there are even more of them here than in Istanbul itself.

There are absolutely no cars on the islands, and horse-drawn carriages or bicycles are used as transportation. There are even maps of bicycle routes around the island. Unfortunately, we did not have time to ride them, as we came to the island only for one day, and the main task was to swim in the clean and warm sea. In Istanbul itself it is not customary to swim - the water is very dirty due to active shipping and sewage.

Finally, we reached the beach. We chose a paid beach, the entrance to which costs 40 liras. There is everything you need for a full-fledged beach vacation: sun beds, umbrellas, showers, toilets, changing rooms, pier. The bottom of the coastal zone is regularly cleaned from algae. There are many other free entrances to the water on the island, but it is difficult to call them beaches - they are stony boulders and immediately behind which the depth. The water temperature was very comfortable, as for the end of September - +23°

To summarize, I can confidently say that the Princes Islands is a wonderful route, and not only for a weekend. Here you can spend a few wonderful days filled with sun, sea and absolute tranquility, and all this in 15 kilometers from the largest metropolis in Europe!