No Engine Noise: Two Days on the Princes' Islands

1. 01
   History

   Look Up at the Tiles on the Pier

   Start at the Büyükada ferry pier building, completed in 1914 to a design by architect Mihran Azaryan and considered a representative example of late Ottoman neoclassicism. Its tile panels were made by Kütahya master Mehmed Emin Efendi. Restored between 1999 and 2001, the building still serves as an active ferry terminal today.

   Büyükada Ferry Pier, Büyükada, Adalar, Istanbul, Turkey
2. 02
   Photography

   Read the Wooden Mansions Facade by Facade

   Walk along Çankaya Caddesi to see the line of wooden mansions dating from the period when Büyükada became a summer retreat in the late 19th century. Bay windows, carved eaves, and iron garden gates turn the street into an open-air catalog of island architecture. Some houses have been restored, while others still wait in visible neglect.

   Çankaya Caddesi entrance, Büyükada, Adalar, Istanbul, Turkey
3. 03
   Nature

   End the Day at the Headland

   Continue to Dilburnu Nature Park on Büyükada's west-facing tip, where pine forest runs down to the sea. After the mansion-lined streets, the island changes abruptly here: no buildings, only shade and wind. The silhouettes of the other islands sit across the water, while the slope you will climb later rises behind you.

   Dilburnu Tabiat Parkı forest entrance, Büyükada, Adalar, Istanbul, Turkey
4. 04
   History

   Measure the Giant Wooden Building from Afar

   Stop at the roadside viewpoint facing the Büyükada Greek Orphanage. Designed by Alexandre Vallaury in 1898-99 as the Prinkipo Palace hotel, it was later bought by the Greek community when hotel permission failed and used as an orphanage from 1902 to 1964. With six floors on the side sections and five on the rest, it is considered the largest wooden building in Europe.

   Roadside viewpoint facing Büyükada Rum Yetimhanesi, Büyükada, Adalar, Istanbul, Turkey
5. 05
   Exploration

   Climb the Last Two Hundred Meters

   Make the steep ascent to Aya Yorgi Monastery on Yücetepe, Büyükada's 202-meter summit. The site's earliest structure is said to date back as far as 963, while the present church was built between 1901 and 1906, opened for worship in 1908, and given its bell tower in 1909. On 23 April and 24 September, the crowds climbing this hill can reach into the tens of thousands.

   Aya Yorgi Monastery courtyard entrance, Büyükada, Adalar, Istanbul, Turkey
6. 06
   History

   See the Hilltop Seminary from Outside

   On day two, take the ferry to Heybeliada and walk up to the outer gate of the Halki Seminary on Ümit Tepesi, one of the island's most visible landmarks. Built around a monastery courtyard and closed for years, the complex still gives this pine-lined walk its calmest historical atmosphere. From a distance, it looks less like a school than a monastery.

   Heybeliada Ruhban Okulu outer gate, Heybeliada, Adalar, Istanbul, Turkey
7. 07
   Nature

   Do Absolutely Nothing for an Hour in the Cove

   Pause at Değirmenburnu, the classic break point on Heybeliada's inland walking route. This small cove, where pine forest reaches the sea and stones become natural seats, is the quietest point of the two-day adventure. There is no engine noise here, only waves and cicadas.

   Değirmenburnu Tabiat Parkı entrance, Heybeliada, Adalar, Istanbul, Turkey
8. 08
   Culture

   Pause at a Writer's House

   Finish on Burgazada at the Sait Faik Abasıyanık Museum, the house where the celebrated short-story writer lived and which is now arranged as a museum. The rooms have been kept close to how he used them, with his desk, belongings, and books still in place. Many of the stories he wrote about the islands unfold on the very streets seen from these windows.

   Sait Faik Abasıyanık Müzesi garden gate, Burgazada, Adalar, Istanbul, Turkey

Check opening hours before you go. Hours, access conditions and weather can change.