The best beach in the prince's islands. Princes islands near istanbul, turkey. Alternative message

If you come to rest in Istanbul, then you just need to visit the beaches on the Princes' Islands (Adalar), as they are considered the cleanest near Istanbul. In addition, you will simply get good emotions from seeing interesting places on the islands.

The name of the Princes' Islands tells about its history. The fact is that during the period of the Byzantine Empire, and then during the time of the Ottoman state, princes and princesses objectionable to the emperor, as well as other persons of noble families, were sent here for exile. But from the middle of the 19th century, wealthy Armenian, Greek and Jewish communities began to use the islands as resorts. Today they are popular places for beach holidays. Here you can find beautiful green parks, interesting houses from different time periods, as well as cozy cafes and restaurants.

The Adalar archipelago includes 9 separate islands located in the Sea of ​​Marmara. They can only be reached by water, such as a ferry or a "sea bus" from Besiktas, Eminonu and Kabatas. The schedule of the "sea bus" can be viewed on this website http://sehirhatlari.com.tr/tr/seferler/kabatas-kadikoy-adalar-369.html. The road to the islands will take approximately 1 - 1.5 hours, depending on the chosen place. Having sailed on any of them, you will be surprised that there are no cars here, and only chaises (horse-drawn carts), bicycles or motor boots serve as a means of transportation. Bicycles can be rented at an approximate cost of 25 TL per day. Therefore, the air in these places is clean, and the area is mostly green and pleasant for recreation.

In Adalar, there are four most popular islands with recommended beaches for relaxation:

• Buyukada Island - it is believed that the best beaches are located here, and at the same time it is the largest island in the archipelago. Popular are Nakibey, Kumsal and Prenses. Nakibey located on the east coast of the island. The entrance fee here is 30 TL. The beach is well equipped with sunbeds and umbrellas. The water near the coast is clean and transparent, and the coast itself is sandy with a gentle entry into the sea. Kumsal located closest to the ferry. This is a calm, cozy beach, which is perfect for a family vacation. Princes located at Cape Dil Burnu. The water near the shore is clean, the beach is well equipped. Its capacity is approximately 350 people. Nearby is a cafe where you can eat.
• Burgazada Island is the third largest island, from a bird's eye view it is very reminiscent of a square. There is a well-known beach here. Kalpazankaya . He sprawled at the "rock of the swindler." The entrance to the beach is paid. The cost on weekdays is 10 TL, and on weekends - 15 TL. Many tourists note that on the beach you can meet a very beautiful sunset in a romantic setting. Nearby is the Kalpazankaya restaurant, known to the guests of Istanbul no less than the beach itself.
• Kinalyada Island - it is closest to the center of Istanbul. Kynalyada has an interesting translation - “painted with henna”. This is because if you look at the island from a height, it seems red in color, as amazing reddish shrubs grow on it, and the sand here has the same shade. The popular beaches of this island are Ayazma And Kamos beach Club located in Monastyrskaya Bay, on the opposite side of the island from the pier. The beaches are equipped, there is everything you need to relax.
• Heybeliada Island - this place is famous for such sights as the monasteries of Aya Yorgi Uchurum and Terki Dunya, the Church of St. Mary. The best beaches here are sadik Bay And Ada beach Club located in the bay of Cham Limany. It is convenient to get to the beaches with a free shuttle motoboat. They are also equipped with everything you need for a good holiday.

The beaches on the Princes' Islands will be an ideal place for a relaxing break from the bustle of the city of Istanbul and will give you a lot of emotions.

If you have been to at least one of the beaches of Adalar, be sure to share your impressions in the comments!

We spent one of the warm May days on the Princes' Islands near Istanbul. On the third day of our stay in Istanbul, we planned a trip somewhere outside the city. Choose from two options:

• Princes' Islands (Adalary), which are about an hour and a half ferry ride from the city

• Thermal springs in Yalova

Princes' Islands or Adalars

So, Prince's Islands , which are often called Adalarami("Adalar" - "island") is a group of 9 islands that are located in the Sea of ​​Marmara at a distance of 18-35 km from Istanbul. Previously, there were 10 of these islands, but one of them went under water during the earthquake, now only 9 islands remain.

Four of these islands are inhabited and open to the public, these are the islands:

• and the largest Adalar - Buyukada

one island Kashikadasy is private property, the remaining four islands are uninhabited. In total, about 10 thousand people live in Adalary.

The Princes' Islands got their name from the fact that during the Byzantine Empire, people from the noble class who were objectionable to the rulers were sent here for exile. Later, when the islands were captured by the Turks in 1453, they were also used for exile. In the 19th century, rich Turks began to build dachas and country houses on Adalars. Now it is a favorite vacation spot for residents of Istanbul. Some come here for the weekend, some stay all summer.

Sometimes the Princes' Islands are also called Kizil Adalari, i.e. red islands, because of the color of the soil on them.

How to get to Princes' Islands Istanbul

You can get to the Princes' Islands by ferry from the Asian part of the city from the piers:

• Bostanji
• Kadikoy
• Kartal

Or from the piers from the European side of Istanbul:

• Eminonu
• Kabatas

Transportation is carried out by several companies, at the moment there are ferries to the Princes' Islands of companies:

• Shehir HatlarI
• Dentur (run only during the warm season)

The schedule changes often, in the photo the schedule of the ferry to the Princes' Islands from Dentur:

I advise you to check the ferry schedule on the sites:

The cost of the ferry Şehir Hatları to Adalari

Ferry price from Dentur

• 10 lira one way, Istanbul card is NOT valid

How to get to the Princes' Islands from Sultanahmet?

You need to get to one of the piers, and then take the ferry. At the moment (summer 2019), it is most convenient to use the Eminonu pier, from which Şehir Hatları ferries depart. This pier is next to the T1 tram stop Eminönü.

How we visited the Princes' Islands

We were guided by the Dentur company schedule, which I photographed the day before the trip, when we sailed to Kabatas before visiting the fortress. The first ferry leaves at 9:30, but we thought it was too early and decided to take the ferry at 10:30. I thought for a long time which island to sail to, which ones are better to see: I read that it is very good on the island of Heybeliada, but for some reason the most popular is Buyukada. We decided to visit the most popular island for the first time.

We got to the Kabatash pier by tram (I wrote about public transport in Stambui in), there, at the tram stop, they put money on Istanbul cards to pay for her fare to the islands and ran to the ferry. Near the box office Dentur hung a sign that tickets for 10 lire. I asked if it was possible to pay with Istanbul cards, they told me that it was not possible. Oh, why did we put so much money on the card then? After all, the next day we had to leave Istanbul, and we would not have traveled so much money anyway. At the same time, as I already wrote, the rest of the Istanbul card is not returned.

Then we decided to go to the neighboring pier (if you look at the sea, then the Dentur pier is to the left of the tram stop, and we went, or rather ran, to catch the ferry, to the right, to another pier). This is the pier of the municipal ferry to the Princes' Islands and here it was possible to pay for the journey to Istanbul with a card. The fare on it costs 5.2 lira.

We went to the waiting room and were horrified by the number of people!

We realized that going to the Princes' Islands on a weekend (and it was Saturday) was not a good idea. But there was no way back 🙂 Yes, and I really wanted to go to the sea, out of town.

We managed to get on the ferry among the first and take places on the upper open deck.

The people became more and more, soon there was not only the opportunity to sit down, but also to stand on the deck. There were also tourists (very loud and uncultured Italians of retirement age were sitting near us and constantly smoking) and local residents, mostly young people and families with children.

Finally we set sail. The weather was sunny and quite warm, but everything was in fog, so the photos were not very clear.

After 15 minutes, the ferry makes a stop in the Asian part of Istanbul at the Kadikoy pier:

And where this large crowd of people who want to sail away fit in - I don’t understand 🙂

Then the ferry sailed along the Sea of ​​Marmara, seagulls accompanied us all the way. In good weather, you can watch the entire Asian coast of Istanbul, but we were accompanied by fog, which gave us a not very pleasant surprise, but we didn’t know about it at that moment, but just enjoyed the sun and sea breeze on the deck of the ship.

Kinalyada Island

About an hour later we landed on the first island -. Some people went ashore, but most planned to swim on. We are sitting, waiting for departure. So 15 minutes passed, and the ferry did not sail anywhere. A little later, something was announced over the loudspeaker in Turkish and English. But because of the noise, it was very difficult to make out something. I realized one thing, that while the ferry could not sail. But why is not clear. He ran out of gas, or something else.

A few minutes later, another ship from Istanbul sailed up, stood next to ours, and people from the newly arrived ferry began to switch to our ferry. It all seemed very strange to us. I went downstairs to find out what was the matter. From the conversations, I understood only one thing until the ferries sailed nowhere. And why is not clear. Having walked along the street near the pier, she again returned to the deck. And the sun began to get hotter. We decided to take a walk around the island, since we have already arrived on it and are waiting for something incomprehensible. But it was scary to go far, suddenly the ferry would take it and sail away without us. So we just walked a little down the street and returned back to the boat. And then we learned that the ferry was not sailing because of the fog, that navigation is now generally closed and whether we will sail away from here at all today is not known. Of course, such information did not please us, but we did not panic, like many who had a plane on that day in the evening! So consider this scenario when sailing to the Princes' Islands, and indeed somewhere on the water. After all, I had an idea to swim to the islands on the last day of my stay in Istanbul!

We went for a walk around the island of Kinalyada. Let's go to the right if you stand with your back to the sea. Along the sea there is a promenade along which palm trees are planted.

Near the pier there is a small beach and a cafe. I wanted to sit and drink beer here, but we still hoped for the ferry to leave soon.

There are also beautiful houses here, where so far (May), it is very sparsely populated.

Buyukada Island

After about forty minutes, having refreshed ourselves with a bun and coffee in a bar, we arrived on the island Buyukada.

It is the largest of all the Princes' Islands and the most popular. The area of ​​the island is about 5.4 sq. m. The population is about 7,335 people. Leon Trotsky lived in Buyukada for four years. The island has a mosque and many churches. High on the mountain is the monastery of St. George, but we did not get into it, there was no time left to explore the island.

Having descended to the island, we first went to find out when the last ferry to Istanbul would be. Nobody could really say anything. According to the schedule, the last ferry was 20:45, but it was scary to count on it, because in order for it to sail at 20:45, a ferry from Istanbul had to come. The next flight was at 18:30. And we sailed to the island at 17:15. We had a little over an hour to explore the island.

We walked a little along the berths, looked for the timetable for the departure of ships from other companies. They did not understand anything, all the inscriptions were in Turkish, only they saw a huge line of people who wanted to sail away from the island.

We decided to take a little walk and return to the ferry at 18:30.

The island met us with a large crowd of people in the central square

There are also many restaurants and coffee shops. Buyukada is famous for its delicious fresh fish. We wanted to eat, but we didn't have time for it.

There is also a clock tower, usually, if someone gets lost, by default they meet under the clock

On every corner they sell the hit of the season - headbands with flowers

It is worth noting that any transport is prohibited on the Princes' Islands. You can use:

• only carriages with horses (phaeton)
• rent a bike.
• They promise to ban horse carts and launch electric cars instead...

When we went to Buyukada, we planned that we would take a cart with horses and ride it around the island.

• The cost for the carriage (circle 1 hour) - 80 lira
• Bicycle rental - 10 lira per hour

You can order an individual excursion "" with a Russian-speaking guide and get to know the island of Buyukada in great detail.

We didn’t have much time and we decided to walk a little, see at least some sights of the Princes’ Islands 🙂 We went to the right along the coast. From the observation point, a view of the pier, a crowd of people and our boat opens up.

And what a smell of pine needles! There is also an observation deck high in the mountains on Buyukada, which offers a magnificent view of the sea and the Princes' Islands.

The island is equipped with several beaches, the entrance to which is 40 lira per person.

But, unfortunately, we had to return to the pier. I did not want to stay on the island for the night, because the next day we had a plane back to Moscow. Although, if possible, I would have lived a couple of days on the Princes' Islands. All conditions for this are created here. You can rent a house or stay in a hotel.

And we went to the ferry. We managed on time and in a few minutes our boat set off on the return voyage to Istanbul. Goodbye Prince Islands! We will definitely be back.

A short video about our trip to the Princes' Islands

And on the way back we watched a magnificent sunset over Istanbul

And admired the Maiden's Tower in the rays of sunset

And then we still had the strength to go down the subway and go to the shopping center for shopping! But shopping in Istanbul is a different story 🙂

If you are going to Istanbul and are choosing an area and a hotel to stay in, I advise you to read these articles.

The Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi and Dolmabahce palaces, the ancient Basilica Cistern, the bustling Grand Bazaar, mountains of Turkish delight and baklava in shops on the central pedestrian street of Istiklal and, of course, the majestic Bosphorus. This usually ends the standard program for visiting Istanbul. But not everyone knows about the Princes' Islands in the Sea of ​​Marmara, just fifteen kilometers from Istanbul.

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

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After walking around the colorful and noisy Istanbul, we decided to take a ferry to one of the largest Princes' Islands (Prens Adalar) - Buyukada. The ferry departs from Kabatas station on the European coast and is part of the public transport system. On the way to the islands, the ferry also makes a stop on the Asian side at the Kadikoy station - you can get hooked there. The fare costs about 5.5 Turkish liras one way (a little more than 30 UAH). You can pay with a universal Istanbulcard.

Why Princes? Once upon a time, during the time of the Byzantine Empire, unwanted relatives of emperors and illegitimate children were sent into exile on these islands. Not the worst place to link, I must say. Now it is a popular holiday destination among Istanbul residents.

The trip to the islands will take about 1.5 hours. The ferry is quite comfortable: despite the fact that about one and a half thousand people are packed into it, 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 banks of Istanbul, which is what we did.

On the way to Buyukada, the ferry sails to 3 more islands, so if you change your mind, you can land on any of them. The first thing you notice when you step on the island is a lot of flowers and absolute peace - no one is in a hurry. Here, many Turks have summer houses and original dachas.

It is worth noting that the largest concentration of people here is on the beaches and on the main promenade of the island, which starts from the maritime station and goes north along the sea. It is worth going a little deeper into the island and the streets are already 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; horse teams or bicycles are used as transport here. It even developed maps of cycling routes around the island. We, unfortunately, did not have time to ride them, as we arrived on the island for only one day, and the main task was to swim in the clean and warm sea. It is not customary to swim in Istanbul itself - very dirty water due to active navigation and sewage.

The beaches of the Princes' Islands, (Istanbul, Turkey) - location, description, opening hours, entertainment and infrastructure. Useful tips and practical information from the "Subtleties of Tourism".

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People also come to the Princes' Islands (Adalar) for a beach holiday - much more peaceful than in Istanbul itself. The air is fresher here, there are no cars, but there are several fairly famous beaches and, moreover, quite large to accommodate everyone. The beaches are mostly pebbly, but with clear water and, as a rule, good views. The most famous beaches of the Princes' Islands are paid, and tourists usually find themselves on them. It's just that there is not much time from the ferry there to the ferry back to spend it looking for a free beach.

Yoruk-Ali beach, on the largest island (Buyukada), for example, is able to receive one and a half thousand vacationers. Various events are regularly held here, and right by the beach there are suitable options for accommodation for a few days. This beach is located near Cape Language (Dil Burnu), and the entrance to it is paid - 40 TRY.

The most famous beaches of the Princes' Islands are paid, and tourists usually find themselves on them.

The second large island of Adalar, Heybeliada Island, is famous for its beaches near the Mill Cape. Ada Beach and Green Beach Club are popular and can be reached by a free shuttle from the ferry pier. Entrance to the beach - 40 TRY. The less famous, but very pretty Heybeliada beach is located near the Sadik Bay beach complex. It is very intimate and not even sandy, but terraced, but it differs in that there is a pine grove very close to the water.

Free shuttles that go to Green Beach and Ada Beach are either boats or horse-drawn vehicles. In any case, you should use them on the way there, but you can already get back on foot - go about half an hour downhill.

A small Burgazada boasts a rather modest but pleasant Kalpazan-Kaya beach. This beach, located under the rock of the same name, is distinguished by the restaurant of the same name, which is quite famous. True, there is a fee for entering this cozy beach - 20 TRY on weekdays, 25 TRY on weekends. But if you go a little further away from it, you can sit by the sea for free.

Prices on the page are for August 2018.

How to get to the beaches of the Princes' Islands

There are many types of water transport to the islands from the "European" part of the city. Berths in Istanbul are located at the terminal station of the light rail. The ferry, calling at the Kadikoy pier in the "Asian" part of Istanbul, sails to the Princes' Islands for an hour and a half, high-speed water taxis - less than an hour. The ferry bypasses in one flight all the inhabited islands of the archipelago in turn.

Full list Abbreviated List

There are also great days in January - 15-20 degrees Celsius, the sun.

In Istanbul, this is not uncommon, of course, but it happens.

This time the forecast for good weather was stable, and therefore we decided to go to the Princes' Islands in the very "center" of winter, where all the Istanbul nobility (and not only them) went on vacation in the summer in order to find peace, breathe in the sea air, spend time in silence and contemplation, away from the bustle of the city.

I must say that we managed to get all this in one fine winter day.

The very realization that you are on an island is already doing its job. But the island of the island, as they say, is different. For example, or, or ... It seems that they are also islands, but the infrastructure and civilization on them will not let you feel that you are in isolation (do you know that isole means island in Italian?).

Another thing is the Princes' Islands. What is the difference? I'll try to tell.

What are the islands where they are

This archipelago - one of the districts of Istanbul (administrative name Adalar) - has nine small islands in the Sea of ​​​​Marmara, one smaller than the other, the most remote of them is located about 35 km from the central part of the city.

Of the nine islands, four are inhabited and receive guests - Buyukada (Büyükada), Heybeliada (Heybeliada), Burgazada (Burgazada), Kınalıada (Kınalıada), one - Sedefadasi (Sedefadasi) - half inaccessible to the public, two - Kashikadasy (Kaşıkadası) and Yassyada ( Yassıada) - are private properties, and two more - Sivriada (Sivriada) and Tavşanadasy (Tavşanadası) - are completely uninhabited.

About a thousand years ago there were ten islands in the archipelago, but one of them went under water after the largest earthquake. The island was called Vordonisi (Vordonisi) and was closest to the current Istanbul. It is said that at this place, at a depth of five to six meters, the ruins of the ancient monastery of Fotios still lie. Now a dangerous place for sailors is indicated by a lighthouse.

Why are they called so

During the Byzantine Empire, the princes' islands (how romantic it sounds!) were the site of a large number of monasteries (they were even called Papaz Aladari - islands of priests), some of which turned into imperial residences in the summer, and some became the last refuge for exiled noble disgraced persons - princes , priests, even emperors, hence the name Princes.

There is one more thing - Kizil Adalari, which means red islands - the color of their soil is predominantly red due to the high content of ferruginous substances in it.

This name of the island was already in the days of the Ottoman Empire.

Some time after Constantinople entered its possessions, the Greek Patriarchate received the rights to use the archipelago. From then until the middle of the 19th century, the main population of the islands were mainly non-Muslim communities - Greeks, Armenians, Jews lived here.

Since 1846, when a ferry service was launched between Istanbul and the archipelago, the Turks also began to willingly settle on the islands or buy houses here for summer holidays.

Walk

I suggest you take a walk from the center of Istanbul to Buyukada - the largest of the islands, since it was on it that we spent a great day, and make small stops along the way.

Departure

You can only go to the islands by water, as you might guess.

Ferry service to the inhabited islands is well established from Istanbul;

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