Prinzeninseln from Istanbul: Ferry Plan, Swimming Spots and Walks

The Princes' Islands (Prinzeninseln in German, Adalar in Turkish) are an easy day trip from Istanbul: a city ferry from Kabataş reaches Büyükada, the largest island, in about 90 minutes, and no booking is needed. The islands are car-free, so the day is spent on foot, by bicycle or on the municipal electric buses, with a swim in summer and a long walk in any season. If you would rather not handle piers and timetables yourself, our Princes' Islands day tour with ferry and lunch covers the logistics.

This page is for travellers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland who search for the Prinzeninseln and want the practical side: which pier, which order the ferry calls at the islands, where you can actually swim, which walks are worth it, and how the trip changes between summer and winter.

The islands in brief

There are nine islands in the group, but the city ferry serves four that matter to visitors. They come in a fixed order from the city:

1. Kınalıada, the closest and smallest of the four, with bare hills and a small town by the pier.
2. Burgazada, quiet and residential, with a few swimming coves on its far side.
3. Heybeliada, green and hilly, home of the Naval High School and the closed Halki Seminary.
4. Büyükada, the largest, with the grand wooden mansions, the hilltop Monastery of St George and most of the restaurants.

Private cars are not allowed. The horse-drawn carriages (fayton) that once carried visitors were withdrawn, and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality now runs electric vehicles on set routes. Bicycles, including e-bikes, can be hired near the piers. For the history and the main sights, see our Princes' Islands attraction page.

Ferry plan: piers, crossing times and timetables

The main operator is Şehir Hatları, the city ferry company. The boats carry foot passengers only, and you pay by tapping an İstanbulkart at the turnstile.

• From Kabataş on the European side, the usual pier for hotels in Sultanahmet (T1 tram) and Taksim (funicular). The crossing to Büyükada takes about 90 minutes on boats that call at each island.
• From Kadıköy and Bostancı on the Asian side. Bostancı is the shortest crossing. Şehir Hatları runs a ring line between Bostancı and the islands, with night sailings every day during the winter season.
• Timetables change twice a year. The current winter timetable runs from 7 September 2026 to 27 June 2027, with fewer sailings than in summer. Summer timetables bring more boats and late sailings.

Fares change during the year and the islands line has its own price, so check the current fare on the Şehir Hatları website or at the pier rather than relying on old figures. A few rules that save trouble:

• Give every traveller their own İstanbulkart. Groups often split up on the way back.
• Check the last return sailing as soon as you land, not at the end of the afternoon. In winter it comes early.
• Avoid summer Sunday afternoons if you can. The return boats are packed, and the queues at Büyükada pier are long.

If you enjoy ferries generally, our guide to the Bosphorus ferry on your own covers the city lines.

Swimming and beaches on the Princes' Islands

The Prinzeninseln are the nearest place to central Istanbul for a swim in the Sea of Marmara, but set your expectations: this is not the Aegean. Most swimming spots are small coves, pebble beaches or wooden and concrete platforms over the water, and many are run as beach clubs that charge an entry fee. Lonely Planet's description of the islands' beaches as a mix of sandy shores, rocky coastline and swimming platforms is accurate.

Where people swim:

• Büyükada: the island has several beaches. Nakibey is shallow and sandy and suits families with children. Yörükali is one of the oldest-established beaches on the island, on the far side from the pier. Both were on the Turkish Ministry of Health's 2023 list of places on Büyükada where bathing is permitted, alongside Aya Nikola and Halik Koyu.
• Heybeliada: the beach at Değirmenburnu lies inside a nature park on the north coast, with showers, cabins and sun loungers. It is popular with families.
• Burgazada: Kalpazankaya is a small cove sheltered by a large rock, which keeps the water calm.
• Kınalıada: has a small public beach area near the town.

The swimming season runs roughly from June to September, when the water is warm enough for most people. Outside those months the beach clubs close. Entry prices, opening months and which beaches are free change from year to year, so check before you go. In any year, the Ministry of Health publishes the official list of bathing spots after its water tests.

Walking Büyükada: from the pier to St George

Büyükada rewards walkers. A route that takes a relaxed day:

1. The pier and the clock tower square. Cafés, bakeries and bicycle hire are all within a few minutes.
2. The mansion streets. Walk uphill through the lanes behind the waterfront. The large late-Ottoman wooden houses in their gardens are the island's signature. Leon Trotsky lived on Büyükada in exile from 1929 to 1933.
3. The Prinkipo Greek Orphanage. A vast wooden building on the hill of Christos, closed and seen only from outside.
4. Up to Aya Yorgi. The Monastery of St George stands on Yücetepe, the island's southern hill. Vehicles stop below the top, and the last stretch is a steep cobbled path of around 45 minutes on foot. At the summit there is a small church and a café with a view over the Sea of Marmara. On 23 April, the feast of St George, the path is crowded with pilgrims.
5. Back down for lunch at the fish restaurants by the water, and the late-afternoon ferry home.

Good shoes matter. The cobbles are slippery when wet and the hills are steep. An e-bike makes the island loop easy.

Heybeliada for quiet walkers

If Büyükada feels crowded, get off one stop earlier. Heybeliada has pine-covered hills, fewer day visitors and some of the best walking in the group. The Halki Seminary, the Greek Orthodox theological school in the Holy Trinity Monastery on the hill above the town, has been closed since 1971. Talks on reopening it resumed in June 2026, but no reopening date has been confirmed, so for now you see it from the outside.

A loop around the island on foot takes a few hours with stops. It passes pine woods, the Değirmenburnu nature park and views back to Büyükada. For a romantic version of island life, our Büyükada overnight getaway for couples is from $440 per person for 2 days and 1 night.

The islands in winter

From November to March the Prinzeninseln are a different place. Beach clubs are closed, many cafés and bike shops keep short hours, and the ferries run less often. In return, the lanes are empty and the walk up to St George is quiet. On a dry, clear day, the view back to the city is often sharper than in summer haze.

Practical points for a winter visit:

• Pack a warm layer for the ferry. It is windy on deck.
• Bring cash in Turkish lira. Small cafés may not take cards.
• Plan around daylight. In December, the sun sets around 17:40 in Istanbul, so take a morning boat.

Our guide to things to do in Istanbul in winter lists the indoor sights for the rest of a cold-season trip.

Travelling from Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Entry. According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, German and Swiss citizens with ordinary passports can stay up to 90 days without a visa, and Austrian citizens up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport should be valid for at least 60 days beyond your stay, and six months is recommended.

Language. A German-speaking guide can be arranged on request, subject to availability. Our page on a German-speaking guide in Istanbul explains how. Group tours to the islands generally run in English.

Fitting the islands into a trip. On a city break of four or five days, the islands make a good third or fourth day, after the old city and the Bosphorus. Our Istanbul city break from Germany page has sample plans, and for a longer trip around the country see our 14-day Türkei Rundreise and Turkey tour packages from Germany.

Arrival. Our Istanbul airport transfer guide for German travellers covers the two airports.

On your own or on a tour?

The islands are one of the easiest trips in Istanbul to do alone, so a tour is a matter of taste. Going independently is cheapest and gives full freedom. A guided day takes care of the pier, the right boat, lunch and the timing of the return, and adds the history of the Greek, Armenian and Jewish communities who shaped the islands.

Our Princes' Islands day tour with ferry, Büyükada and lunch takes 8 hours and is from $90 per person. The Princes' Islands full-day tour of Büyükada and Heybeliada is from $34 per person and visits two islands. For a full self-guided plan, see our Princes' Islands day trip guide, and for more ideas outside the centre, our list of day trips from Istanbul. Spanish-speaking readers have their own page on the Islas Príncipe excursion.

Tours that cover this

• Princes' Islands day tour from Istanbul with ferry, Büyükada and lunch: from $90 per person, 8 hours.
• Princes' Islands full-day tour of Büyükada and Heybeliada: from $34 per person.
• Büyükada romantic getaway, private overnight trip for couples: from $440 per person, 2 days and 1 night.

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