Büyükada

Last updated on October 31, 2025.

Büyükada, which literally translates to “Big Island”, is the biggest of Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands. It’s the most frequently visited of the islands and probably has the most attractions.

Introduction to Büyükada

Covering an area of 5.4 square kilometers (2.1 square miles), Büyükada is the biggest of the Princes’ Islands. During the Byzantine period the only settlement on the island was Karyes, on the east side. It was abandoned after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, but Sultan Mehmed II resettled Greek families from the Black Sea region. Karyes had declined by the end of the 16th century and was destroyed by fire in the 17th century.

The north side of the island, where Büyükada town is today, was settled in the 16th century. Historically, it was home to Greek fishermen, Armenians, and Jews. The Greek name for the island is Prínkipo (Πρίγκηπο). After ferry service began in 1846, it became a popular summer destination for wealthy citizens. Most of the Greek residents left during the population exchange of 1923, after the pogrom of 1955, and as part of the expulsion order of 1964. Many Armenians left in 1924, and only a handful of Jews still live there.

On an interesting note, in 1929, Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) moved to the island after being exiled from the Soviet Union. He lived there until 1933. Pope John XXIII (Angelo Giuseppe Roncali), also lived here as papal nuncio from 1933 to 1934.

Today, Büyükada is a popular day trip for tourists, especially from Arab countries. The island is 4.3 kilometers (2.6 miles) long and 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) wide. It’s made up of two hills and has a few small beaches.

Getting to Büyükada

There’s ferry service from Kabataş and less frequent service from Beşiktaş on the Istanbul City Ferry lines (İstanbul Şehir Hatları). Be prepared for a long journey. It takes about 1 hour 45 minutes from Kabataş. If you’re on the Asian side, you can catch the Kabataş ferry from Kadıköy, and there are a few ferries from Bostancı that are a bit shorter.

Another choice are the direct fast ferries operating to Heybeliada and Büyükada. They leave from Beşiktaş, Kabataş, and Eminönü with Dentur Avrasya and Mavi Marmara.

All ferry terminals for departure are current as of August 2025. You can use your Istanbulkart to board. The ferry terminal in Heybeliada is located in the center of town.

Getting Around Büyükada

While you can easily walk around town, there’s plenty to see on the south half of Büyükada. The further south you go, the more you’ll be surrounded with forest, some amazing scenery, and peace and quiet. You won’t encounter too many other people. To get around, you can rent a bike and take your time, or ride one of the electric vehicles to designated stops around the island. If you choose to rent a bike, ask for a map to find points of interest.

The main terminal for electric vehicles is a few steps inland from the ferry. You can use your Istanbulkart to board. Make sure you have enough credit to board on your way back to town. Queues can be long but they move fairly quickly.

In the past, visitors would hire phaetons (horse-drawn carriages). Thankfully, they were replaced with electric carriages in early 2020 due to numerous cases of mistreatment of the horses. In the past, especially during summer and on weekends, the queue for the faytons could take up to an hour or more, and the island would also have an unpleasant odor.

What to See in Büyükada Town

In the town of Büyükada, once you get off the ferry, you’re immediately in the thick of the action. There are restaurants, cafés, and hotels in beautiful Ottoman buildings. You an also find several bike rental outlets to help you get around.

In the town itself, you’ll find several beautifully restored (and unrestored) Ottoman homes. Some of them have been turned into boutique hotels and restaurants.

Büyükada Ferry Terminal

The Büyükada Ferry Terminal is the first point of interest you’ll see on your trip to the island. It was built between 1914 and 1915 and designed by Ottoman Armenian architect Mihran Azaryan (1876-1952). The two-story building replaced an older wooden building that opened in 1899. It has an octagonal hall with ticket offices and a waiting room. It’s one of the few original ferry terminals in Istanbul.

Büyükada Clock Tower

A few steps away is the Büyükada Clock Tower (Büyükada Saat Kulesi). It was erected in 1923, the year of the founding of the Turkish Republic.

Metropolitan Church of St. Dimitrios

A few blocks east is the Metropolitan Church of St. Dimitrios (Μητροπολιτικός Ναός Ἁγίου Δημητρίου / Aya Dimitri Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi). It’s the seat of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of the Princes’ Islands. The church was built between 1856 and 1860 atop the ruins of a Byzantine church and designed by Ottoman Greek architect Fistikis Kalfa. It was restored in 2010.

The church has a central nave with two aisles separated by Ionic columns. It features a 17th-century icon of St. Dimitrios. In the courtyard you’ll find a 6th-century Byzantine column bearing the monogram of Emperor Justin II.

Hesed Le Avraam Synagogue

A couple blocks away is Hesed Le Avraam Synagogue (Hesed Le Avraam Sinagogu). It first opened on April 1, 1904, and rebuilt in 1921 to accommodate the island’s growing Jewish community. The building was designed by architect Gabriel Tedeschi to blend in with the mansions in the neighborhood. The synagogue is only open for services during the summer months. Understandably, it’s behind a huge security fence. Visiting is only possible with advance permission from the Chief Rabbinate of Turkey.

Sabuncakis Mansion

The Sabuncakis Mansion (Sabuncakis Köşkü) is on the east end of town. It was built in 1904 by Yorgi Sabuncakis of Aleppo and designed by Periklis D. Fotiadis in the Neoclassical style. It’s commonly known as the House with Eyes (Gözlü Ev) and is rumored to have been used as a Masonic lodge during summers. The mansion was transferred to Turkish State Treasury in 1924 and burned down in 1972. It was restored in 2010.

Çankaya Street

On the west side of town, some of the most impressive homes sit on Çankaya Street (Çankaya Caddesi), which turns into Nizam Street (Nizam Caddesi). There are a few specific mansions to look out for.

Mizzi Mansion

First is the Mizzi Mansion (Mizzi Köşkü), which was originally built in the 1860s by George Mizzi, an English citizen of Maltese origin, as a private residence. It was damaged during an earthquake in 1894 and rebuilt by Italian architect Raimondo D’Aronco (1857-1932). The signature tower in the corner combines both Ottoman and Art Nouveau elements. It once hosted a rotating glass observatory where Giovanni Mizzi and astronomer Eugenios Mihail Antoniadis (1870-1944) conducted observations of Mars and sunspots. Between 1930 and 1940, the building served as Hotel San Remo. It then remained closed until 1952, when it was rented out as a summer residence. Today, it sometimes host cultural events but is typically closed to the public.

Yalman Mansion

The Yalman Mansion (Yalman Köşkü) is near the west end of the street. It was built in the late 19th or early 20th century and once belonged to journalist, Ahmet Emin Yalman (1888-1972), who lived there during the summer. The mansion was a popular location for Turkish films and TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s.

John Pasha Mansion

The John Pasha Mansion (Con Paşa Köşkü), also known as the John Avrimidis Mansion (John Avrimidis Köşkü), is across the street. It was built in 1880 by Thrasyvoulos Giannaros, better known as John Pasha, who was born in Mytilene, Lesbos, to a Venetian family. He was the director of the Princes’ Islands ferry lines and is credited with bringing ferry service to the islands in 1846. The mansion was designed by Achilleas Polikis.

After John Pasha’s death, it passed to his Austrian wife and children, who fled the Ottoman Empire during World War I. They never returned and the property was seized by the Ministry of Finance, who sold it to Emmanuel Carasso (1862-1934) in 1918. Later owners include Hristo Draganis (1936), Dr. Michal Kuromenos, Ahmet Borovalı (1938), Müzehher Borovalı (1978), and Jülien Arkas (2007). It remains private property and is closed to the public.

Unity Square

Unity Square (Birlik Meydanı) is at the center of Büyükada and good place to start exploring the rest of the island. It has a stop on the electric vehicle circuit. From there, there are paths leading up the island’s two hills as well as to the east side of the island. One path leads up Yücetepe, which is 202 meters (663 feet) high. At the top is the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George (Aya Yorgi), a popular pilgrimage site for both Christians and Muslims. It’s covered in another post. The other road leads up İsa Tepesi.

İsa Tepesi

İsa Tepesi (Jesus Hill) is 164 meters (538 feet) high. It has two important landmarks belonging to the Greek community.

Prinkipo Greek Orthodox Orphanage

Heading up İsa Tepesi, the first landmark you come to is the dilapidated yet impressive Prinkipo Greek Orthodox Orphanage (Ελληνορθόδοξο Ορφανοτροφείο της Πριγκήπου / Prinkipo Rum Yetimhanesi). It happens to be the second largest wooden building in the world and the largest in Europe. It was built in 1898 by French-Ottoman architect Alexandre Vallaury (1850-1921) for the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. The building was originally intended as a hotel and casino, but Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II refused to issue a permit for its use.

The building was purchased in 1903 by Eleni Zarifi, the wife of a prominent Ottoman Greek banker, who donated it to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It was converted into an orphanage and operated as such until it was shut down by the General Directorate of Foundations on April 21, 1964. It was officially seized by the Turkish government in 1997. The property was returned to the Patriarchate in 2012, but it’s in a terrible state of disrepair.

Throughout its history, the orphanage catered to around 5,800 orphans. It consists of 206 rooms, a kitchen, a library, a primary school, and vocational workshops. There have been plans to restore it and convert it into a global environmental center, and most recently a luxury hotel (as of June 2025).

Christ Monastery

A bit further up the hill is the Christ Monastery (Μονή Χρήστου / Hristos Manastırı), officially the Patriarchal and Stavropegian Monastery of the Divine Transfiguration of the Savior (Πατριαρχική και Σταυροπηγιακή Μονή της Θείας Μεταμορφώσεως του Σωτήρος). The monastery was founded during the Byzantine period and likely dates back to the 12th century. The church was built atop a late 4th-century church dating to the reign of Theodosius I.

The Christ Monastery was renovated by two monks in 1597. In 1753, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople commissioned its management to the Greek linen merchant guild, which transferred it to the Esfigmenos Monastery of Mount Athos in 1782. In 1793, it was returned to the Patriarchate. Pacharnikos Christodoulos Vlachoutzis donated the funds for its renovation.

Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory V (1746-1821) lived at the monastery in 1809, and Chrysanthos (1768-1834) lived there after his retirement in 1826 and died there 8 years later. Patriarch Sophronios III (1802-1899) lived there between 1866 and 1870, when he was elected Patriarch of Alexandria.

The church, which was designed by Vasilis Dimitriou, was completed in 1869. The monastery’s income was assigned to the Prinkipo Greek Orthodox Orphanage in 1903. Later, the monastic cells were rented as summer accommodation to families.

The monastery consists of a two-story wooden building, a church, and annexes on the west side. They all sit behind a barbed wire fence. There’s also a relief from a 19th-century Greek tombstone on the southern exterior wall.

East Side of Büyükada

There are a few more points of interest on the east side of the island.

Büyükada Greek Orthodox Cemetery

Walking southeast from Unity Square, you’ll come to the Büyükada Greek Orthodox Cemetery (Κοιμητήριο Πριγκήπου / Büyükada Rum Ortodoks Mezarlığı). It dates back to the 19th century and is typically only open on Tuesdays.

From the road you can see the grave of one of the most famous members of the Greek minority of Turkey, Lefter Küçükandonyadis (Λευτέρης Αντωνιάδης) (1925-2012). Born on Büyükada, he was one of the greatest Turkish footballers of all time, starring for Fenerbahçe and the Turkish national team. When he died in 2012, his funeral filled up Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. A statue of Lefter was erected outside the stadium in 2009. Koço Kasapoğlu (1935-2016), another respected footballer, is also buried there.

Roman Catholic Cemetery

Next to the Greek cemetery is the Roman Catholic Cemetery (Latin Katolik Mezarlığı). It contains the burials of Catholics who lived on the island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It’s also open to visitors on Tuesdays. Unfortunately, it’s quite neglected.

St. Nicholas Monastery

A bit further up from the cemeteries is the St. Nicholas Monastery (Μονή του Αγίου Νικολάου / Aya Nikola Rum Manastırı). The Greek Orthodox monastery was built on the site of the Byzantine settlement of Karyes, which was destroyed by fire in the 17th century. first mentioned by English traveler Thomas Smith in 1680.

The monastery was confiscated by the Ottoman army in 1821, in response to the Greek Revolution. It was later restored and used to house Greek families visiting the island during the summer and also for a short time hosted the Great School of the Nation. The church was damaged by fire in 1852 and was rebuilt between 1860 and 1868. The narthex was added in 1873. You can try visiting the monastery by ringing the bell and waiting for the caretaker.

Museum of the Princes’ Islands

You’ll also pass the Museum of the Princes’ Islands (Adalar Müzesi), a small museum about the Princes’ Islands. Admission for foreigners is 300₺ (as of August 2025) and it’s open daily except Mondays.

Reşat Nuri Güntekin House

A few steps away is the home of playwright and novelist Reşat Nuri Güntekin (1889-1956), who purchased it in 1937. The house was originally built in the early 20th century by a French winemaker along with a small vineyard.

Kurşunburnu Martyrs’ Forest

On the southeast corner of the island is the Kurşunburnu Martyrs’ Forest (Kurşunburnu Şehitler Ormanı). It was dedicated on March 18, 2006, to Turkish soldiers and police officers who fell as victims to terrorism. Along the fence, there are small plaques for each soldier indicating their name, photo, rank, and date and location of death.

Map of Büyükada