The Princes Islands are a chain of nine islands off the coast of Istanbul, in the Sea of Marmara. During the Byzantine period, prince and other royalty were exiled on the islands, and later members of the Ottoman sultans’ family were exiled there too, giving the islands their present name.
Aboard on a ferry to depart for Buyuk Ada, meaning Big Island, the largest of the island chain. As on the other islands, motorized vehicles are forbidden, so visitors explore the island by foot, bicycle, in horse-drawn carriages, known as the phaeton. Get on one these phaetons, and take a circular tour of Buyuk Ada, passing elegant mansions draped in brilliant purple bougainvillea. Feel as though you have stepped back into a more leisured and gracious age, almost expecting 19th century ladies and gentlemen to come strolling down to the waterfront on an afternoon promenade. Lunch will be at one of the many excellent traditional fish-restaurants on the waterfront, gazing across the water at the Asian shore of Istanbul, so close though it feels worlds away.