The Princes' Islands

The Princes' Islands scatter nine pine-tufted humps across the Sea of Marmara within sight of Istanbul's towers - Byzantine princes were exiled here, summer mansions rose here in the 19th century, and modern Istanbul now ferries out on weekends to breathe. Motor cars are banned; since 2020 the famous horse-drawn phaetons have given way to quiet electric shuttles, and the islands move at the pace of bicycles and footsteps past gardens of bougainvillea and streets of ornate timber villas. Buyukada, the largest, carries the essentials: the climb through pines to the hilltop monastery of Aya Yorgi and its enormous Marmara panorama, faded belle-epoque grandeur, swimming platforms in quiet coves, and fish lunches by the ferry quay. An Istanbulkart and a city ferry are the whole logistics - and the crossing itself, gulls and skyline astern, is half the pleasure.

What you actually see

• The ferry crossing - Istanbul's skyline receding astern with the gulls.
• Buyukada's mansions - ornate timber villas in bougainvillea gardens.
• Aya Yorgi hill - the monastery climb and the Marmara panorama.
• The car-free lanes - bicycles and electric shuttles under the pines.

When to go

April to June and September to October are the sweet spots - summer weekends jam the ferries and lanes with half of Istanbul. Winter visits are melancholy-beautiful, with many businesses shuttered.

Honest expectations

Go on a weekday if you possibly can. Bike-hire quality varies and Buyukada's hills are real; the Aya Yorgi path is steep and partly cobbled. Watch the return-ferry times - the last boats leave earlier than city habits expect, and island restaurants price for a captive audience.

Nearby

Heybeliada's quieter pines next door, and Kadikoy's food streets back on the Asian shore.