Adalar (as they are called in Turkish) is a group of 9 islands located in the Sea of Marmara, not too far from Istanbul. Four of these islands are open to the public - and with some of our family making some quick weekend visits, it was the perfect opportunity to explore.
The islands
The islands are reached by public ferry, with the ferry calling at each of the four islands in turn and it takes about 90 minutes to get to the last (and biggest) island. The ferries themselves are part of the experience - the islands are a very popular day trip from Istanbul, so on a summer weekend it's necessary to get to the ferry in plenty of time to queue up (with bonus points if you can strike up a conversation with a Turkish person whilst waiting) and then rush onto the ferry to try and bag some outdoor, shady seats. Being out on the ferry in the Bosphorous gives a completely different view of the city and almost immediately brings a sense of calm at being surrounded by open sea, in contrast to the density of the city - until someone comes round loudly selling simit and çay.
My dad entertaining J on the ferry
We've visited two now: Büyükada and Heybeliada. Both were lovely - full of forest and greenery, with a small town on each. Private vehicles are not allowed on the islands, so transport is either by (a) horse and carriage, (b) electric scooter (if you're a local), (c) bicycle, or (d) foot. The horse and carriage is a very traditional way to tour the island, but we chose to walk.
Look! Green space!
Exploring Heybeliada
The perfect way to escape from the city for a day!
