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Büyükada Princes’ Island Tour: Full-Day Trip with Historical Insights and Leisure Time
3.5
69 Ratings
Beyoğlu
Embark on a full-day trip to Büyükada, Turkey's largest Princes' Island. Cruise across the Sea of Marmara, learn about the island's history, and enjoy leisure time exploring its pedestrianized streets and relaxing on its beaches.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
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Topkapi Palace - Topkapı Palace, residence of Ottoman Sultans exhibiting imperial treasury, sacred Islamic relics of Prophet Mohammed, kitchen, Chinese porcelain, weapons, calligraphy section etc. Live guide commentary is not allowed in special sections.
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KIz Kulesi - One of the most iconic images of Istanbul surely has to be the Kız Kulesi Üsküdar, known in English as Maiden’s Tower, Tower of Leandros, Leander’s Tower
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Buyukada - Büyükada, the popular summer resort with pinewood scenery and wooden mansions, once the pleasure island of Byzantine Princes.
Tour of the island by horse-drawn carriages before lunch at a fish restaurant.
Evening return to İstanbul and transfer to hotels.
What's Included
- Local guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Round-trip boat crossing
- Lunch included
- In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
- Food and drink, unless specified
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Embark on a day-long journey to Büyükada, the grandest of Turkey’s Princes’ Islands, starting from Istanbul! Sail across the Sea of Marmara, witnessing Istanbul’s attractions fade away, then tour this car-free island in the most suitable way - Listen to tales about the island’s relaxed lifestyle from your skilled local guide, then enjoy some free time, perhaps lounging on its beaches, before heading back to Istanbul. Note that there are no HORSE-DRAWN carriages available on the island, so visitors are encouraged to discover the islands on their own.
- Please note: When reconfirming your booking, your local supplier will advise you on alternative meeting points for hotels which are not accessible
Location
The Marmara Taksim
Osmanlı Sokak
Please if your hotel is outside of our list be ready in front of Tamara Restaurante at 08:15 and look for blue and white Midibus/Minivan with our logo and Gray Line.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.5
(69 Ratings)
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387yilmazb
Jun 24, 2022
Super 😎 - Its was a very good tour ,thank you so much 👍👍👍👍👍they have show u’s every where in uge Island and eat good Food and 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sharadt6
Nov 20, 2019
Quite and calm - Fresh clean air, very silent, no vehicles, no rush. Sometimes scary, we aren't used to such places. Good food.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Parthaboral
Dec 6, 2019
Princess Island Tour - Within an hour distance from Istanbul, Buyukada is a serene island offering plenty of shopping, scenic & dining experiences. The horse ride through out the main roads in the island will add up some bills but worth if you are travelling as a couple or more.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ahsanrazasaeed
Oct 29, 2019
Family day out - Excellent opportunity to take teen Kids for family activities. Cycling horse riding etc. Food is not great and expensive
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Johnboog
Sep 26, 2019
Best place to visit in Istanbul - These islands, not only Buyuk Ada, are the best place to go after three days of hectic Istanbul traffic and noise. Start from Eminonu Adalar Iskelesi, and take the Vapur to the islands. Usually the ferry does four islands in a row and then goes back, you can hop off at any one of them, and then take the next ferry to another island or go back to Eminonu or Bostanci. I find the smaller islands much nicer, Heybeli Ada, Burgaz, or Kinali. Buyuk Ada is usually more crowded with tourists, you will see most people leave the ferry (Vapur) here. Just stay on and leave at Heybeli Ada, a very nice and quiet atmosphere awaits you. Old wooden 'Greek' houses are still standing, some almost derelict, but belonging to the general atmosphere
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jonesbl
Sep 19, 2019
A great way to step back on time - Princes’ Islands is good way to take a bit of a break from frenetic Istanbul. Walk around the residential area and check out the charming housing that is reminiscent of British Columbia. There are very few cars on the islands and you can go in horse and buggy to see the sites. The restaurants near the port can be a bit touch and go with price and quality. Overall a good day out to see a different side of Istanbul.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wadih
Aug 6, 2019
Relaxing trip - It was a relaxing trip
The guide was very nice: Amal
It is not a cultural tour, just enjoying the cruise in the sea and the island without cars.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adeebw
Aug 17, 2019
Do it but... - Well, I've had memories in this buyukada island 30+ years ago when I was a kid. I wanted to do it this trip again but it wasnt that great. Don't be mad if you didn't find the time to go.
The horse carriage is over-priced (120 tl which is around US$ 22) and it takes you for half an hour around the island. I didn't see most of the nature and houses because the carriage is covered and if you are tall, you will not see a thing.
I'm sure I was ripped off by one restaurant paying $90 for a fish plate and 4 appetizers for two persons. It didn't say the price on the menu yet knowing Istanbul, I didn't believe it would be much till I saw the bill!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Simon_h
Jun 8, 2022
Lovely Island. Pointless Tour. Inaccurate description. Go by yourself - Very much recommend going to Princes Island, however don't use this tour.
This tour says "you arrive on the island to spend time exploring by horse-drawn carriage. Learn about the island's history from your guide. Enjoy ample time to lounge on its beautiful beaches.
Without going into too much detail..... There are no horse drawn carriage anymore. We were told the beaches were privately owned and we couldn't get to them. The your guide gave us 1.5hrs to mooch around by ourselves before telling us we needed to be back for lunch at 1pm.
Lunch was nice but then you get an hour after lunch before you're back on a boat leaving the island. We got no "history of the island" from our guide.
The island is lovely...... What you're promised on this tour is mostly not true. Go by yourself and enjoy the island with some time.
Review provided by Viator
Asal_a
Jul 11, 2019
Not helpful tour - Hardly any narration/guiding provided. Did not benefit by joining tour group. We were escorted to the ferry, then to carriage ride and that was essentially it. I feel like I could have done this myself.
Review provided by Viator
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