Hello hivers 🥰
I would like to share one of my favorite areas in my city. I don’t know how many of you have been in Istanbul but Istanbul has 4 islands and they are called “Princes’ Islands”. They are very close to the city center and just 20 minutes away with a ferry.
The name comes from Byzantine period where the islands were used as a place to exile princes and royalty. That tradition continued during ottoman era as well. During 18th century those islands became the hub for wealthy people as they started to build huge summer mansions.
What fascinates me is those islands have very diverse population as many greeks, jews and armenians are still living there. Islands also have many historical sites besides gorgeous mansions. You can see many greek or armenian orthodox churches, greek schools and many other architecture reflecting christianity.
The biggest island is called “Büyükada” which literally means big island in Turkish. The most populer site in Büyükada is the “Hagia Yorgi Church” placed on the highest point of island with a magical view. It is not easy to climb those hills though. It would be wiser to avoid during hot summer days 😅 another attraction to see can be the historical Greek Orphanage. It may seem a bit creepy but believe me its a unique site to see.
Second biggest island is Heybeliada. This island has been used as a “quarantine island” in 16th century during the plague. With this history in mind, during 1920s a Sanatorium has been built for turberculosis patients in this island. Other than that, you can visit Hagia Nicola Greek Orthodox church here.
Third biggest island is Burgazada which is my favourite. Besides the gorgeous churches and nature, there is an amazing restaurant here with a view where you can have your sea food with a great selection of drinks- highly recommended. The restaurant is called “Kalpazankaya Restaurant”.
Finally the smallest island called Kınalıada which has the highest Armenian population. You can see Armanian churches and architecture here. This one also the closest one to the city center.
I would definitely recommend visiting all of them - Büyükada deserves 2 days for all its attractions. Other ones can be visited in 1.5 days each.
If you will be visiting Istanbul for a longer period of time you should definitely come see this historical and natural beauty. Also the weather is an important factor you don’t wanna have a heat stroke while climbing a hill to see a church. September-October or April- May would be wiser. Also it would be good to check ferry hours before leaving to avoid getting stuck there. You can also choose to stay in the islands’ hotels as well 😬😌
One thing I am sure is you’ll definitely enjoy it!