I thought I’d take Kim to Princes’ Islands today as it is a good and cheap way of seeing Istanbul from the water. We got on the public ferry around 0930 for a 1000 departure. It was vert busy on board with many Middle-Eastern tourists, some domestic tourists and a few foreigners.
We called into Kadikoy on the Asian side before continuing to the islands. We got off at the third stop Heybeliada. We had a nice walk around the simple but lovely homes, some of which had nice gardens and blooming bougainvillea. It didn’t take long before we called it quits and had a drink and shared a sandwich on the waterfront to await the ferry to Buyukada.
At Buyukada, it was super-crowded close to the ferry terminal so we wandered further up hill for a nice cool drink looking down towards the water. Back in the main part of town we had a Lahmacun and salad for lunch. Eating choices abound in the area and many are gorgeous set on the waterfront.
After spending about 1h30 here (as with Heybeliada), we were back on the ferry back to Istanbul’s Eminonu pier. We arrived around 1645.
It had been a very cheap and enjoyable day. The three ferry rides had cost less than NZD5 per person. The forecasted rain had not appeared. While it was cool at times on the ferry, there were some scorching moments walking around.
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- Istanbul’s public transport ferries are a cheap way of island-hopping at around NZD1.50 per ride (which can be as long as 1h30).
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- A brief stop on Burgazada Island.
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- On Heybeliada which is more down-to-earth than Buyukada which has many posh homes. Nevertheless it is still pretty with lots of pink bougainvillea.
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- On the island of Buyukada which had many stately mansions. It is largely car-free and transport include “phaeton” horse-carts.
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- On the island of Buyukada which had many stately mansions. It is largely car-free and transport include “phaeton” horse-carts.
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- The urban sprawl of Istanbul (15 million) stretches beyond the eyes can see.
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- On the island of Buyukada which had many stately mansions. It is also full of waterfront cafes and restaurants.
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- Tthe island of Buyukada which had many stately mansions. It is largely car-free and transport include “phaeton” horse-carts.
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- We also visited Heybeliada for a nice walk around the neighbourhood. It appeared to be a more down-to-earth suburb compared to the posh homes of Buyukada.
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- Passengers feeding seagulls on the way.
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- Another brief stop on Burgazada Island on the return journey.
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- A brief stop on Kinaliada. While all the islands have their distinct character, they are all very pleasant.
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- Arriving in Kadikoy on the Asian side of Istanbul city.
We did have some surprises with using the Istanbulkart for our travel. We noted that sometimes the fare deducted for me and for Kim varied. We don’t know why. One person may be charged at the placarded rate on the turnstile and the other may be charged less.
Being our last night in Istanbul, we thought we’d treat ourselves to a nice dinner. But wandering around, we were more enticed by the Lokantasi (pre-made meals in the windows) than the standard kebab fare. Both our meals turned out delicious and we followed-up with dessert and tea, putting all the charges on credit card as we didn’t have much lira left.
We walked off dinner at Sultanahmet Square and Divan Yolu before taking the tram back to finish up our credit on the Istanbulkart. We then finished all our lira with some snacks and fruit before saying goodbye to Istanbul and retiring to our room.
Rare selfie/wefie in Sultanahmet Square.