Princes' Islands from Istanbul for Russian Travellers: Ferry or Tour

The easiest way to reach the Princes' Islands from Istanbul is the Şehir Hatları city ferry from Kabataş pier: the fare is 151.23 lira on an Istanbulkart and the crossing to Büyükada takes about 1 hour 40 minutes. For travellers who would rather not work out the timetable there is a guided option: our Princes' Islands tour costs from $90 with hotel transfer, ferry tickets, lunch and a Russian-speaking assistant. Russian citizens need no visa for Turkey, so the questions we get from Russia are practical ones: how to pay when Mir cards do not work, which ferry to take in winter and which island to pick for one day.

Below we compare going on your own with the tour, give the winter timetable and a plan for the day. Fares and crossing times come from the official Şehir Hatları tariff and winter timetable, which we checked in October 2026.

How to get to the Princes' Islands by ferry

In Turkish the islands are called Adalar, and that is the word on the departure board and above the turnstiles. Ferries leave from Kabataş, the terminus of the T1 tram from Sultanahmet (about 20 minutes) and of the F1 funicular from Taksim Square (about 3 minutes). Kabataş has several piers and visitors often mix them up; you want the one marked "Adalar".

On the winter timetable, valid from 7 September 2026 to 27 June 2027, boats leave Kabataş from Monday to Saturday at 06:45, 08:00, 09:00, 10:05, 11:05, 12:00, 14:00, 16:30 and on into the evening. There is a gap: after 12:00 the next boat is at 14:00, then 16:30. If you want a full day on an island, be on a boat by 11:05.

The ferry calls at Kadıköy on the Asian shore, then at the four islands in turn: Kınalıada, Burgazada, Heybeliada and Büyükada. In winter the last boat back from Büyükada leaves at 21:45 and reaches Kabataş at 23:35. The full timetable with stop-by-stop times is in our guide to the Princes' Islands ferry from Kabataş.

What it costs and how to pay without a Mir card

The city ferry costs 151.23 lira one way on a full-fare Istanbulkart, the price after the public transport fare rise of July 2026. A return comes to about 302 lira, roughly $6 per person. There is nothing to book: you tap the card at the turnstile and walk on board.

Russian bank cards, including Mir and Russian-issued Visa and Mastercard, do not work in Turkey. The simplest answer is to buy and top up an Istanbulkart with cash lira at a machine in a station or at the pier. The machines take banknotes. One card can pay for several people if you tap it once per person. Our article on the Istanbulkart for tourists explains where to buy and top up the card.

Cash is useful on the islands too, since small cafés and bike rental shops do not all take cards. There are exchange offices in Sultanahmet and on the Büyükada seafront, but rates in the city centre are usually better. General advice on money, flights and phone service is in our guide to an Istanbul trip from Russia.

Which island to choose for one day

Büyükada is the largest and the best known. Nineteenth-century wooden mansions, a long seafront of fish restaurants, bike rental by the pier and the climb to the church of St George (Aya Yorgi) on Yücetepe hill, with a view over almost the whole Sea of Marmara. The climb is steep: 40–60 minutes on foot from the pier. For a first visit it is the right choice.

Heybeliada is the second largest and much quieter. Pine woods, a walking road around the island and the Halki Seminary building on the hill. People come here to walk rather than to eat, and at weekends it is far less crowded than Büyükada.

Kınalıada is the closest, only an hour from Kabataş. It is a small island with a bare hill and a pebble beach, good for a short trip if you want to be back in the city by lunch.

There are no cars on the islands. The horse-drawn carriages still seen in old photos and guidebooks were stopped in 2020 and replaced by city electric buses and electric vehicles, which also take the Istanbulkart. At midday the queue at the Büyükada electric bus stop can be long, so many people walk or rent a bike.

On your own or with a tour: the comparison

Going alone suits people who already feel at home in Istanbul and like to wander without a schedule. The tour is easier if you have one free day, travel with older parents or small children, or simply want someone to explain in Russian what you are looking at and to sort out lunch in advance. Bike rental, the electric island transport and personal spending are not included in the tour price. Cancellation is free up to 7 days before the date.

What this means for your trip

The Princes' Islands are popular with Russian visitors to Istanbul, and we get questions about them almost every day. The main thing to know is that a return trip to Büyükada means about three and a half hours on the water. It is not a "half day in between", it is a full day. If the ferry ride itself, with tea on the open deck, is a pleasure for you, it is time well spent. If not, choose a nearer island or the tour with a transfer.

Autumn and winter have advantages. In summer the weekend morning boats are packed with day-trippers from the city, while on weekdays in October and November there is almost always a seat on the open deck. On the Sea of Marmara it is colder than in the city, though, so bring a warm jacket from November to March. In strong winds sailings can be delayed or cancelled, and Şehir Hatları posts this on its website and app.

If you are planning Istanbul for May, keep the Russian May holidays in mind: it is when both locals and tourists head for the islands, and the weekend boats fill up earlier. On those days a tour with tickets bought in advance saves stress.

Questions travellers are asking

Plan it with us

Our full-day Princes' Islands tour costs from $90 per person: hotel transfer, ferry, stops on Kınalıada, Heybeliada and Büyükada, lunch and an assistant who speaks Russian. If you cannot spare a whole day for the islands, there is a Bosphorus lunch cruise with hotel pick-up from $75, and for a family or group of friends a private yacht on the Bosphorus from $299. The Old City is easy to cover on our full-day Old City small-group tour with lunch from $199.

Write to us on WhatsApp at +90 545 307 67 88, in Russian if you like: send your dates, hotel and number of people, and we will suggest which day suits the islands best given the weather and the ferry timetable.

Sources: Şehir Hatları tariff and 2026–27 winter timetable, checked in October 2026.