Travel Guide

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The Princes’ Islands (Turkish: Prens Adaları [Prince Islands] or more commonly Kizil Adalar [Red Islands] or just Adalar as they are officially named , are a chain of nine islands off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey, in the Sea of Marmara. During the summer months the Princes’ Islands are popular destinations for day trips from Istanbul. As there is no traffic on the Islands, the only transport being horse and cart, they are incredibly peaceful compared with the city of Istanbul. They are just a short ferry ride from both the Asian (at Bostancı and also Kartal) and European sides (from Sirkeci/Eminönü, Kabataş and Yenikapı) of Istanbul. Most ferries call in turn at the four largest of the nine islands: Kınalıada, Burgazada, Heybeliada and finally Büyükada. Ferry services are provided by Istanbul Seabuses (İDO), a firm operated by the municipality of Istanbul. In spring and autumn the islands are quieter and more pleasant, although the sea can be rough in late autumn and winter.
During the Byzantine period, prince and other royalty were exiled on the islands, and later members of the Ottoman sultans family were exiled there too, lending the islands their present name. They were taken by the Ottoman fleet during the siege of Constantinople in 1453. During the 19th century the islands became a popular resort for Istanbul’s wealthy, and Victorian era cottages and houses are still preserved on the largest of the Princes’ islands.
The Princes’ Islands have become more and more ethnically Turkish in character due to the influx of wealthy Turkish jetsetters, a process which began in the first days of the Turkish Republic Read the rest of this entry »