Büyükada (Princes' Islands)

Büyükada is the largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara. Ferries from Kabataş and Kadıköy take about 90 minutes; sea-buses do it in 60.

Motor vehicles are banned on the island. Getting around is on foot, by bicycle, by electric minibus or by traditional horse-drawn phaeton. Wooden mansions in 19th-century Ottoman, Greek and Armenian styles define the island's skyline.

Aya Yorgi Monastery sits at the end of the walk up the central hill — famous for the 'wish string' tradition. Beaches, fish restaurants and old-school ice-cream shops are the island's other draws.