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Princes Islands worth staying a few days?

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Hello experienced travelers,

We're going to Istanbul for the first time in late September. We have a total of 10 days. My reading has taught me that there is plenty to do in Istanbul for several days, and also that it's a busy, chaotic city. I'm wondering if Princes Islands would make a nice getaway for 2-3 days for a quieter experience?

We're considering staying 3 nights in Büyükada, spending 2 days exploring that island and taking a day trip to Heybeliada. We love hiking, biking, walking and beaches.

My questions are:
1. Will there be enough to do for that amount of time?
2. Will we be better off doing a day trip to Büyükada and spending the rest of the time in Istanbul?
3. Any idea of what the weather will be like? Time on the islands would be mostly spent outdoors so the weather would be a factor.

We're an active couple in our late 60's who don't need a nightlife, other than a nice dinner.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can share!

Posted by
3660 posts

Can't answer the question about the islands, though I can confirm Istanbul is a busy city - 15+million people live there! If you get outside the main tourist areas it doesn't feel quite as chaotic. I did a food tour on the Asia side and it was still quite busy but not the crush of tourists in that concentrated historic area.

I was in Istanbul in late September and it ranged from quite warm to comfortable. Here's last September temps as an example. Of course no way to predict if you'll have the same experience https://www.wunderground.com/history/monthly/tr/bak%C4%B1rk%C3%B6y/LTBA/date/2025-9

Posted by
30029 posts

I daytripped to Buyukada for a day while spending 20 days in Istanbul in 2023. I am a city-dweller with a high tolerance for crowded neighborhoods as long as I'm mostly seeing locals rather than mobs of tourists, and I do most of my sightseeing on foot. I found Buyukada interesting. Although I would have enjoyed another day there, I didn't feel I needed more than one day to escape central Istanbul. Whether you'll want to spend 2 of your 10 days on Buyukada (plus a third on Heybeliada, which I haven't seen), depends on how you like to balance sight-intensive time and intensely crowded neightborhoods with just-wandering time. In addition, Istanbul has a lot of very attractive, residential neighborhoods that are easier to reach than the Princes Islands, so those are not your only options for laid-back days.

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