Buyukada Island in Istanbul

The beautiful and green island of Buyukada near Istanbul is one of the best places to spend a pleasant vacation with your family. This lovely island has long been one of the most popular places to relax and escape from the hustle and bustle of busy cities due to its tranquility.

Getting to Know Buyukada Island

The "Buyukada Island (Büyükada)" in the northwest of Turkey, about 22 kilometers from the coast of Istanbul, has an area of ​​more than 5 square kilometers. This island, which over the centuries has turned from an exile to a resting place for monks and finally a place to live and shelter for famous people like "Leon Trotsky," today, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Istanbul.

Buyukada Island, in addition to many natural and beautiful attractions, also has significant historical attractions and provides tourists with good opportunities to achieve peace and relaxation. Also, the name of Büyükada consists of two parts which are and means: "Büyü (Big)," and "Ada (Island)"; as a result, its name means "Big Island".

Note: After buying your flight ticket to Istanbul, you can plan your vacation to Buyukada Island so that you can enjoy the beautiful environment of this island in addition to sightseeing in the historical city of Istanbul.

Features of Buyukada Island

One of the main reasons for the popularity of Buyukada among domestic and foreign tourists is its tranquility and beautiful environment, which makes you easily forget all your daily worries; this feature becomes noticeable when you know that in this island and its residential area called "Adalar," no motorized vehicle is allowed to travel (except for police and municipal cars). Therefore, if you want to go from one side of the island to the other, options such as bicycles and gharries are available to you.

The northern part of Buyukada Island (about one-third of it), is inhabited, and two-thirds of it, which mainly includes the central and southern areas, is covered with trees and green areas with the necessary facilities for tourists; it should be noted that the best time to travel to this beautiful island is spring and summer, but this does not mean that it is not attractive in autumn and winter.

Note: If you are planning to travel to Istanbul with tours, you can also ask about their plan for sightseeing in Buyukada Island or ask them to suggest such tours to you.

Buyukada Island in Autumn

As you know, the spring and summer in most tourist areas are full of travelers and crowded, and it may be a little challenging to find a cozy and peaceful destination; but if you come to Buyukada Island in autumn, not only the weather is cooler than summer, but also because of the changing color of the leaves of the trees that covers a significant part of the island, you will encounter very beautiful scenery.

Also, there are fewer travelers in different areas of the city and island, and this makes it easy for you to enjoy the environment in silence and peace in the places of your choice; on the other hand, the daily price of booking hotels in Istanbul and Buyukada Island is lower during such days, and your expenses will be significantly reduced. Remember, bring umbrella, raincoat, proper shoes, and warm clothes are essential for traveling in this season.

Buyukada Island in Winter

Contrary to the belief of most travelers who think that the trip to Buyukada Island is not attractive in the winter, it must be said that they are entirely wrong, and by ignoring it, they miss the opportunity of a pleasant trip; because in this season, in addition to many beautiful landscapes such as green trees covered with snow, beautiful snowfall, walking in the white nature and breathing clean and healthy air, you can enjoy watching the scenery outside while drinking tea or coffee in your hotel room.

Also, sightseeing in the city of Adalar, photography in nature and the city, going to cafes, visiting historical attractions such as old mansions, riding on a gharry, etc., are among the other popular activities of tourists.

How to Go from Taksim Square to Buyukada Island?

Considering that the "Taksim" square in Istanbul is known as the center of the city, therefore, to go to Buyukada Island in the southeast of Istanbul, the following method can be used. Accordingly, those interested can take the F1 metro in Taksim Square and get off at "Kabatas (Kabataş)" station; then, they should board a ferry to Buyukada, which will stop at one of Istanbul's harbors and several islands in between (the duration of this trip is about 1 hour and 30 minutes).

Note: By booking a hotel in the Taksim district, you can not only enjoy the views of these hotels to the Bosphorus Strait but also easily go to the beautiful Buyukada.

How to Get to Buyukada

In addition to the method mentioned above, there are 2 other ways to go to Adalar City and Buyukada Island that can bring you to this beautiful destination for your vacation or sightseeing. Thus, you can choose one of the following methods depending on the location of your accommodation in Istanbul:

1.      Boarding the "Sirkeci Tren Garı to Maltepe" subway and continuing by ferry.

2.      Going to Eminönü Ferry Docks in Golden Horn and getting off at Buyukada Island.

Important Note: Regardless of which area of ​​the city you are staying in, you can rent a car in Istanbul and park it in the parking lot of the anchorage and board a ferry; note, in addition to easy and affordable transportation to your favorite centers by renting a car, you can even rent it in Istanbul and drop it off to the relevant company in another city in Turkey.

The Price of a Ferry Ticket to Buyukada Island

First of all, it should be kept in mind that the price of the ferry ticket to Buyukada from different piers is different and changes every year; also, another factor involved in this regard is factors such as the size of the ferries or the services provided by them (such as cafes and restaurants). For this reason, it is not possible to mention the exact price of the ferry ticket to Buyukada, but on average, it is between 35 and 60 liras for tourists.

Time and Departure of the Ferry to Buyukada Island

When you decide to go to Buyukada because most of the passengers go to this island from Kabatash anchorage, that's why you mention the time and departure of the ferry to Buyukada Island accordingly; thus, ferries depart from Monday to Friday at 8:00 am and on the last days of the week, Saturday and Sunday, at 8:30 am to Adalar/ Buyukada.

This service, which continues until 16:30 from the Istanbul side, the return time of ferries from Buyukada Island to Istanbul is between 1:30 and 8:30 p.m.

Photo of Buyukada Island, Istanbul

As mentioned earlier, two-thirds of Buyukada Island is full of trees and green areas, and for this reason, one of the most common activities for travelers is photography. This issue, which is not only limited to the mentioned areas, includes beaches, sea views, historical monuments and urban structures, and traffic of gharries.

At the same time, the charming streets of Adalar with a combination of houses with eye-catching architecture and a variety of trees and flowers planted to make the city more beautiful, are great views for taking wonderful photos; so, do not miss this opportunity!

The Attractions of Buyukada

In general, the tourist attractions of Buyukada Island and the city of Adalar can be divided into 3 categories, which are: the attractions of the city (including its features and structure), historical attractions (such as the remains of the castle above the highest point of the island "Yucetepe"), and natural attractions (including green areas and beautiful beaches); other attractions of Buyukada Island are as follows:

Stay in Buyukada Island

Due to the number of tourists who come to Buyukada to spend their holidays, for this reason, you can find good hotels in Adalar that not only have good facilities but also can bring a pleasant stay for travelers. This is despite the fact that there are other types of accommodation on this island, but due to their high costs, they are not recommended; in this regard, some of the best hotels in Adalar are:

Note: In some Buyukada hotels, many facilities are provided for the comfort and well-being of passengers, some of which include a spa center, massage center, gym, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, restaurant and cafe, etc.

Buyukada Island Recreation

Certainly, no trip is valuable without providing conditions to enjoy the trip more unless you can do a variety of fun and different activities for a different and great travel experience; this issue, which also applies to the trip to Adalar city and Buyukada Island, fortunately, comes with several options for travelers. Therefore, tourists can do any of the activities of Buyukada according to their taste and enjoy their trip more; these entertainments include:

Swimming in Buyukada Island

Unlike the people of Istanbul, who mostly prefer to go boating in the waters of Marmara Sea, one of the entertainments of the people and tourists who come to this island is swimming on the shores of Buyukada; hence, travelers are advised to swim only in beaches that are known to be safe, for their own safety and to avoid any possible troubles; therefore, the safest and best beaches in Adalar/Buyukada for swimming are: