If possible, try not to visit Buyukada on weekends. It seems at least 10,000 other Istanbulites are with you on this small island, about 30 minutes journey by IDO fast ferry from Istanbul's Kabatas Ferry Pier. If the weather is good and the sky is blue, you might be rubbing shoulders with several thousand people on the steep streets of this pedestrian and cyclists - only island. Due to the promoxity to some of Istanbul's biggest residential areas, the Buyukada is a popular destination for Istanbulites looking for a sunny picnic and a swim in the Marmara.
Apart from the not-so-clean beach, Buyukada and the other Princes Islands are well known for their beautiful 19th century wooden houses and villas. All streets on the islands are closed to private motorised traffic; the main mode of transportation are horse-drawn carts and bicycles.
The busy main street leading from the pier dock all the way up the hill, passing by some well-preserved wooden houses.
The houses remind me of wooden seaside villas in parts of New England and Northern Europe. For many years, rich Istanbulites purchase their summer homes on one of the Marmara Islands and spend their weekends and summer vacations with their family in these beautiful houses.
The streets of Buyukada might look very scenic and idyllic in the photos, but the truth is, the streets smell of horse urines and horse dung. For those with a sensitive nose, it is advisable to look away and try not to breathe too hard when a horse carriage comes your way.
Lots of young people cycle their way through the island's pretty tree-lined streets.
As far as Turks are concerned, wherever there are visitors, lots of shops selling kebabs and other snacks will follow.
The view of the Marmara Sea from a small hill on the Buyukada.
From the pier of Buyukada, one can see Heybeliada, the second-largest of the Princes Islands. Direct ferries link the two islands.
The promenade in front of Buyukada's pier is lined with coffee bars and fish restaurants catering to Turkish toursists and day-trippers from Istanbul. There are very few foreign tourists on this island.
The little fishing harbour of Buyukada.
The members-only Officers' Club on Buyukada is located in the compound of a spacious mansion with a beautiful garden, lush green trees and unlimited view of the Sea of Marmara.
How to get there:
Daily Highspeed Catamaran from Istanbul's Kabatas Pier travel to Heybeliada and Buyukada in less than an hour. Price: 7TL (Autumn 2009)
The interior of IDO's high speed catamaran. If you choose to visit the Princes Islands on weekends, make sure you queue up early at the pier for your intended return journey. As the number of passengers allowed on each catamaran is limited, the pier's gate will close automatically if the catamaran is full, and those who arrive late will have to wait for the next departure or take the slower conventional IDO ferries back to Istanbul.
There are two separate ferry docks on Buyukada; the one above is for high-speed catamarans only. Below are the conventional (slower) IDO ferries that link Buyukada with other Princes Islands, as well as the Istanbul suburb of Bostanci.
The ferry pier of the conventional IDO ferry is a beautiful Ottoman building covered with pretty tiles.
The local tourist information office is located on the left hand side of the conventional ferry terminal building. See photo below) Look left when you enter the ferry terminal, there is a small office with maps, leaflets and guidebooks about the various Princes Islands.
Copyrights@2010. All Rights Reserved. All text and photos by YC Cheng.
Very nice article. Thank you!
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