Princes' Islands Trip from Istanbul 2027: Büyükada, Ferries, Prices and a Day Plan for Gulf Families

A Princes' Islands trip from Istanbul needs a full day: the public ferry to Büyükada takes 30 to 40 minutes from Bostancı and about an hour and a half from Eminönü, and costs 151.23 Turkish lira each way for anyone without the islanders' card, on the tariff in force since 20 July 2026. If you would rather have a tidy day without the pier crowds, our Princes' Islands full-day tour runs 8 hours and starts from $90 per person (about 338 Saudi riyals), with hotel pick-up, round-trip ferry tickets and lunch at a local restaurant. Ask us on WhatsApp about today or tomorrow, and we will arrange the pick-up from your hotel.

We are a licensed travel agency in Istanbul since 2010 (TÜRSAB A-group licence no. 15751), and every season we host families from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Iraq. This guide gathers the ferry piers, fares and times as we checked them on 2 November 2026, with what a Gulf traveller needs to know about halal food, prayer and getting around now that horse carriages are banned. If you prefer a guide who speaks your language, ask for an Arabic-speaking guide in Istanbul, or browse our Istanbul tours to see the other options.

How much does a Princes' Islands trip cost?

Princes' Islands full-day tour with lunch, from $90 per person

Going independently is very cheap compared with a guided tour, but you buy the ticket, wait for the ferry and find lunch yourself. The guided tour looks dearer on paper, yet it bundles pick-up, ferry and lunch. The table below puts the two side by side. The lira prices come from the Şehir Hatları tariff announcement as reported by feribotseferleri.com.tr, valid from 20 July 2026.

The Saudi riyal is pegged to the dollar at 3.75 and the UAE dirham at 3.6725, so conversions from dollars stay fixed while the lira moves from day to day. We converted the lira ferry fare to roughly 12 Saudi riyals each way at the exchange rate we saw on Investing.com, which changes daily, so treat it as approximate. We found no recent official tariff published for electric vehicles and bicycles, so we do not quote a figure we cannot check.

Prices vary by season, date and what you add to the day, so ask us for the price for your date. To compare this trip with other trips out of the city, our page on a Princes' Islands day trip from Istanbul sets an independent day against a guided one.

How do I get to the Princes' Islands from Istanbul?

Princes' Islands full-day tour with lunch, from $90 per person

You go by ferry only; there is no bridge or tunnel. Şehir Hatları ferries leave from Kabataş, at the end of the T1 tram line below Dolmabahçe Palace, from Kadıköy and Eminönü on the Golden Horn, and from Bostancı and Kartal on the Asian side. The approximate times in the table come from the Büyükada guide on feribotseferleri.com.tr, updated on 1 July 2026.

From Kabataş the ferry calls in this order: Kadıköy, then Kınalıada, then Burgazada, then Heybeliada, and finally Büyükada. On the October 2026 timetable we saw, weekday and Saturday sailings from Kabataş leave at 06:45, 08:00, 09:00, 10:05, 11:05, 12:00 and 14:00, and Sunday and holiday sailings start at 07:30. Times change between winter and summer and sailings can be cancelled for weather, so check the Şehir Hatları website or call 444 1 851 before you go.

On board, sit on the upper deck for the view of the Old City skyline and the Asian shore. Expect crowds on Saturday mornings, and on the return boats between five and seven in the evening, when queues build at the piers around sunset.

Which island should I choose: Büyükada or Heybeliada?

Princes' Islands full-day tour with lunch, from $90 per person

The public ferries serve four of the nine islands: Kınalıada, Burgazada, Heybeliada and Büyükada, in that order as you sail out. We recommend Büyükada for a first visit. It is the largest island, with the most sights and the widest choice of restaurants, plus the Aya Yorgi hill and the wooden mansions built by Greek, Armenian, Jewish and Ottoman families in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Heybeliada is quieter and greener, with the naval school by the pier and, on the hilltop, the Greek Orthodox Halki theological school, closed since 1971. The ferry from Heybeliada to Büyükada takes about 40 minutes, according to Excursion Mania. Burgazada is small and residential, and Kınalıada is the closest to the city and the least visited by foreigners.

A common mistake is to try to see three islands in one day. The ferry timetable does not allow it without rushing, so pick Büyükada, and add Heybeliada only if you start on the first boats.

What can I do on Büyükada?

Princes' Islands full-day tour with lunch, from $90 per person

The island covers about 5.4 square kilometres, so one day is enough. This order suits most families: from the pier you pass the clock tower square, then climb to the church of Aya Yorgi (the monastery of St George) on Yücetepe hill, the island's highest point at about 200 metres. The last stretch is steep, cobbled and short of shade, so allow 30 to 45 minutes from the foot of the hill and take water. The church is small, and most visitors climb for the view over the Sea of Marmara and the other islands.

Then comes the Greek Orphanage (Prinkipo) on the second hill, one of the largest wooden buildings in Europe. It was built as a hotel in the late nineteenth century, later became an orphanage, and has stood empty for decades, so you see it from outside, behind a fence. Below it, the lanes of Nizam and Maden hold the finest wooden mansions, with bougainvillea gardens in summer. Leon Trotsky lived in exile on the island from 1929 to 1933, and his house, now a ruin, is close to the pier. If it rains, the small island museum is worth half an hour.

On 23 April, the feast of St George, the hill fills with pilgrims of several faiths and the queues for electric vehicles grow long, so avoid that day if you want peace.

Getting around the island after the ban on horse carriages

Princes' Islands full-day tour with lunch, from $90 per person

Private cars are banned on the islands. The horse carriages (phaetons) you see in old photographs ended in 2020, after an outbreak of glanders led to the culling of dozens of horses, and the Istanbul metropolitan municipality decided to buy the carriages and end horse transport. Electric vehicles took their place. In summer 2024 the public transport authority (İETT) began running small electric buses on Büyükada, which some residents protested, but they serve fixed routes from the pier square.

A visitor has three options: walking, cycling or an electric vehicle. Bicycle shops behind the pier rent by the hour or the day, and the law requires a special rental licence, so pick a licensed shop. An electric bicycle helps anyone not used to the climbs. Walking is pleasant in spring and autumn and tiring in July and August, when the afternoon heat on the hill roads is fierce.

Our full-day tour includes the ferry, lunch and an assistant who speaks English, Spanish or Russian, but it does not include bicycle rental or the electric vehicle, which you pay for on the island. If you want a guide who speaks Arabic, ask us for one when you book.

Halal food and prayer on the island

Princes' Islands full-day tour with lunch, from $90 per person

Büyükada has fish and seafood restaurants, Aegean meze, and ice cream and dessert shops, most of them on the seafront near the pier. Meat in Turkish restaurants is mostly slaughtered in the Islamic way, so in practice most serve halal meat, but we know of no single halal certificate covering the island. Some seafront restaurants also serve alcohol at the tables, so ask the waiter about the meat and the alcohol before you sit down, and choose a table away from the drinkers if you prefer. The safest choice for conservative families is a plate of fish with vegetable mezes.

For prayer there is the Hamidiye Mosque in the Maden quarter, the island's central mosque, built by Sultan Abdülhamid II around 1892–1893 with a minaret of cut stone, and also called the "Büyükada Mosque". We found no prayer timetable specific to the island, so check the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) app for prayer times in the Adalar district before you set out.

A Princes' Islands trip with family and children

Princes' Islands full-day tour with lunch, from $90 per person

The island suits families: there are no cars in the streets, distances are short and the sea view never leaves you. But strollers struggle on the cobbled, sloping streets, so bring a light folding model or a baby carrier, and use the electric vehicles for the climbs. Among the beaches, Nakibey is sandy with shallow water, which families with children prefer, and there are also Yörükali and Princess Cove, usually reached by a free passenger motorboat or an electric vehicle, according to the Büyükada guide on feribotseferleri.com.tr.

Beaches fill quickly at weekends, so go early. The beaches on the islands are mixed, like most beaches in Istanbul, so if your family prefers privacy, ask us about arranging a quiet day. For larger families we suggest a private Istanbul tour with a private car taking you from the hotel to the ferry pier, so you do not carry the children through the queues. For a longer trip for the whole family, look at Turkey tour packages that combine hotel and tours.

Best time to visit and tips for Gulf travellers

Princes' Islands full-day tour with lunch, from $90 per person

The best months are May, June, September and October: warm enough to sit outside and cool enough to walk the hill. July and August are hot and crowded at weekends, and in winter the ferries run but many restaurants close. At the holidays the pier is packed: CNN Türk described the island as "full" during one of the holidays, and in 2027 the two Eids fall around 9 March (Fitr) and 16 May (Adha), depending on the moon sighting, so book early and choose weekdays. According to the Büyükada guide, weekend arrivals peak between 09:00 and 11:00 and returns between 17:00 and 19:00, so take the 08:00 ferry and head back around four in the afternoon to avoid the crowds.

For the Gulf traveller: you do not need a visa for tourism. According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (checked on 2 November 2026), Saudis and Emiratis are exempt for up to 90 days in any 180 days, and so are Kuwaitis, while Qataris are exempt for up to 90 days within six months of first entry. Iraqis with an ordinary passport are exempt if under 15 or over 50, and those aged 15 to 50 need a visa. The direct flight from Riyadh to Istanbul takes about 4 to 4.5 hours (flynas says 4 hours 25 minutes), and from Jeddah about 3.5 to 4 hours. Check your visa status on evisa.gov.tr before you book.

If your trip lasts a week or more, make the islands day part of your plan, and browse Turkey tour packages to see what includes the hotel and transport. To book or ask questions, write to us on WhatsApp, or book the Princes' Islands full-day tour directly.

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