Full Day Princes' Islands Tour In Istanbul
! Everyday Tour with Local Ferries Depart @ 08:30 !
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Princes' Islands Tours The Princess Islands (Kinaliada, Heybeliada, Burgazada, Buyukada, Sedefadasi, Istanbul Adalar) are considered attractive because their total lack of cars (horse-drawn carriages), the rurality, and the natural and scenic beauty. Our main visiting island is The biggest and the most charming one " Buyuk Ada" during this cruise the boat stops in all other islands and you may have the change to see them. After a 90 minutes of lovely boat cruise we arrive to the island and upon request we can directly have the lunch or start walking in the island. later we took the Horse cars and make a whole island tour. Then we take of the horse car to hike up to the peak point, hill of the island to see the lovely view of Marmara and the island. Daily departure at 08.30 and returns at 17.00 For more information about the programe please send us an e-mail. |
Full Day Tour Price ( Per Person ) |
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Group Tour |
65 Euro |
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Private Tour |
75 Euro |
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History Of Princes's Islands
During the Byzantine period, princes and other royalty were exiled on the islands, and later members of the Ottoman sultans family were exiled there too, giving the islands their present name. They were taken by the Ottoman fleet during the siege of Constantinople in 1453.
During the nineteenth 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 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 when the British Yacht Club on Büyükada was appropriated as Anadolu Kulübü, for Turkish parliamentarians to enjoy Istanbul in the summer.
The islands are an interesting anomaly because they allow for a very rare, albeit incomplete, insight into a multicultural society in modern Turkey, possibly alike to the multicultural society that once existed during the Ottoman Empire in places such as nearby Istanbul/Constantinople. Prior to the 1950s, each of the inhabited islands had significant communities of ethnic minorities of Turkey, which is only the case to a much smaller extent. Since the vast majority of the residents and visitors are Turkish, today their legacy is of cultural rather than of demographic importance
Büyükada is the largest of the nine islands comprising the Princes' Islands in the Marmara Sea, close to Istanbul.
As on the other islands, motorized vehicles – except service vehicles – are forbidden, so visitors explore the island by foot; by riding a bicycle (numerous bicycle shops rent them with hourly prices); or in horse-drawn phaeton carriages which function like taxi cabs, also offering "round-the-island" sightseeing tours.
A convent on Büyükada was the place of exile for the Byzantine empresses Irene, Euphrosyne, Theophano, Zoe and Anna Dalassena. After his deportation from the Soviet Union in February 1929, Leon Trotsky also stayed for four years on Büyükada, his first station in exile. Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid was born in the island.
There are several historical buildings on Büyükada, such as the Ayia Yorgi Church and Monastery dating back to the sixth century, the Ayios Dimitrios Church, and the Hamidiye Mosque built by Abdul Hamid II. Büyükada consists of two peaks. The one nearest to the iskele (ferry landing), Hristos, is topped by the former Greek Orphanage, a huge wooden building now in decay. In the valley between the two hills sit the church and monastery of Ayios Nikolaos and a former fairground called Luna Park. Visitors can take the 'small tour' of the island by buggy, leading to this point, from where it is an easy climb to Ayia Yorgi, a tiny church with a cafe on the grounds serving wine, chips and sausage sandwiches, this being part of the "classic" Ayia Yorgi experience.
The islands developed a colorful cultural and social environment starting in the 15th century, when non-Muslim communities, encouraged by the Ottoman rulers, moved to the small havens and formed their own communities along with Muslims, following the siege of Byzantine Constantinople, according to archive documents analyzed during research by the museum’s curators.
The islands also saw bitter chapters of in the history of the Christian and Jewish minorities of Istanbul — a history often left unspoken in modern Turkey, but touched upon in displays in the museum.
Video panels offer stories told by older non-Muslim residents that delve into how their lives were affected during World War II. In 1945, the state imposed heavy taxes on minorities; over one night in September 1955, covertly sanctioned crowds vandalized minority-owned shops and houses, forcing thousands to flee.
“It was hard to convince them talk about the past, which they seemed to have buried deep down in their minds and hearts,” said Deniz Koc, the museum director. “They trusted us that we had no political agenda other than the will to gather facts and truths to give a better understanding of the land we live in.”
A single shoe from an orphanage, the replica of a 400-million-year-old “shield fish,” and a Byzantine-era sacred bread mold are just a few of the items on display. Visitors can see more on guided tours outside the museum, introducing “The Great Gardens of Buyukada,” “Architectural Heritage on the Islands” and “Island Literature.”