How To Visit The Princes' Islands Cheaply (The Ferry Is Not Free)
The Princes' Islands ferry runs at a public transit fare, not free, and the islands themselves are packed with free things to do once you step off. Here is the honest budget breakdown.
The Princes' Islands are reached by public ferry at the standard Istanbulkart transit fare, not for free, and the crossing from Kabataş is listed at around 137 TL full fare each way. Once you land, the islands are car-free, walkable and largely free to enjoy: streets, pine paths, viewpoints and beaches cost nothing, while phaeton carriages and bike rental are the paid extras.
A lot of travel content repeats a small falsehood about the Princes' Islands: that the ferry is free, or that the whole day is free. Neither is true. The ferry is a scheduled public transit route run at Istanbulkart fares, the same system that carries commuters across the Bosphorus every day. What is genuinely true, and what makes the islands one of the best value days out in this city, is that the crossing is cheap and the island itself is almost entirely free once you step off the boat. This article corrects the framing rather than chasing it, because a visitor who budgets for the ferry and nothing else has a perfect day, while a visitor told the ferry is free gets an unpleasant surprise at the turnstile.
The islands, called the Adalar in Turkish, are a chain of nine islands in the Sea of Marmara, of which four are served by the public ferries: Kınalıada, Burgazada, Heybeliada and Büyükada. No private cars are allowed on any of them. Transport on the islands is by foot, by bicycle, or by the horse-drawn phaeton carriages that clip-clop along the main roads. That car-free quality is the reason the day feels like an escape from a city of sixteen million people, and it costs nothing in itself.
Before the ferry, though, most visitors start their Istanbul day in Sultanahmet, and the cheapest way to fill that morning is a pay-what-you-want walking tour. The Old City walks on this site's roster are all free to reserve, with guides paid by tips at the end, and the strongest of them for a first-timer is the Old Byzantine and Ottoman Tales walk, rated 4.98 out of 5 across 3,553 GuruWalk reviews. If you would rather compare a few options first, here are the three that pair best with an islands afternoon.
What Does The Ferry To The Princes' Islands Cost?
The ferry is a paid public transit ride, not a free service. The Kabataş to Princes' Islands route is listed at roughly 137 TL full fare in one current fare guide, above the 46.20 TL standard single-ride fare, and you pay it with an Istanbulkart, which itself costs around 165 TL to buy before loading credit. Children's and discounted fares run lower, and the same card works on the metro, trams and Bosphorus commuter ferries, so it is not a wasted purchase.
The fare is set by the city's transit tariff body, the same authority behind the 46.20 TL electronic full fare that applies to standard metro and tram rides across Istanbul. The islands route costs more than a city-centre hop because it is a longer sea crossing, and one current fare guide lists the Kabataş to Princes' Islands line at around 137 TL full fare. Many shorter Bosphorus ferry routes sit in the 53 to 59 TL range for comparison. The lesson is simple: the ferry is cheap by the standards of any European capital, but it is a real fare, and a party of four needs return fares for four.
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Istanbulkart (the card itself) | ~165 TL | One-time purchase, then load credit |
| Standard single ride (metro, tram, city ferries) | 46.20 TL | Full fare |
| Kabataş to Princes' Islands ferry | ~137 TL full fare | Longer crossing, higher tariff |
| Shorter Bosphorus ferry routes | ~53-59 TL | Full fare, varies by route |
Buy the Istanbulkart at the machines in Kabataş or any major station before you queue for the ferry, and load more credit than you think you need for the return trip. The ferries run on a published timetable, more frequently in summer and on weekends, and the last boats back to the mainland in the evening are worth checking on the day, because missing one means a long, expensive taxi-free night on an island. The fare tariff is adjusted periodically, so treat the figures above as a planning range and check the current rate on the transit authority's own channels before you travel; the tariff figure comes from CNN Türk's transit fares roundup and the ferry fare guide at feribotseferleri.com.tr.
If your budget is tight enough that even the ferry fare needs to be weighed against alternatives, the honest comparison is this: a cheap islands day costs the ferry fare plus whatever you spend on food, while a free walking tour on the mainland costs nothing to reserve and whatever you choose to tip. The mainland option is covered in detail in free Bosphorus views without a boat ticket, which lists the shoreline viewpoints that cost nothing at all.
Which Island Should You Get Off At?
Büyükada is the largest and most popular island, with the phaeton carriages, the hilltop Aya Yorgi walk and the biggest choice of food, while Heybeliada is quieter and greener, and Kınalıada is the smallest and first stop, popular for its seafood and modest beaches. Most first-time visitors ride the ferry all the way to Büyükada, the last stop, and that is a sound default if you only have one day.
Büyükada rewards the walker. The climb from the ferry pier up toward the Aya Yorgi hill is a long, steady walk on a road closed to motor traffic, and the views back across the Sea of Marmara toward the city are the payoff. The pine slopes on the way up are free to wander, and the island's back streets are lined with the wooden Victorian-era mansions that made the islands famous as a summer retreat for Istanbul's Ottoman-era elite. Heybeliada, the second-largest, has a similar mansion stock with a fraction of the crowds, plus the pine-clad hills around the old theological school grounds. Kınalıada, the first stop, is the smallest and most residential, and suits a visitor who wants a swim and a long fish lunch more than a long walk.
The cheapest strategy is to treat the ferry as a hop-on service: ride to Büyükada, walk the big loop, then catch a later ferry back with a stop at Heybeliada if the timetable allows. All four islands are served by the same fare structure, so island-hopping costs only the ferry legs you take. Check the departure boards at each pier, because the smaller islands have thinner schedules in the evening, especially outside the summer months.
Is Anything On The Islands Actually Free?
Yes, most of the best of it. Walking the car-free streets, the pine paths, the hill climbs, the mansion-lined back roads and the public shoreline costs nothing, and simply riding the ferry out and back is one of the cheapest sea views in Istanbul. What you pay for on the islands is transport on land, food, and a few specific attractions.
The paid items are easy to list. The phaeton horse carriages on Büyükada are a business, not a public service, and their prices are set per carriage per route, so agree the price before you climb in. Bicycle rental is likewise a commercial operation with rates that vary by shop and season. Restaurants and simit sellers cluster near the piers, and the islands' small museums and monastery sites may charge their own entry fees, which are worth confirming on the day rather than assuming either way. The free core of the day, the walking, the swimming off the public stretches of shoreline, the photography and the ferry ride itself, needs no ticket at all.
The honest framing this site uses everywhere applies here too: a conditionally free thing is never called simply free. The ferry is paid transit. The islands are a free public environment once you arrive. The beaches are a mix of free public stretches and paid private beach clubs, so the word "beach" alone does not tell you the cost. That precision matters, because a day that is marketed as "free" and then hits you with a ferry fare, a bike rental and a beach club minimum spend is a day that feels like a scam, when in truth it is a cheap day that was badly described.
What's The Cheapest Day And Time To Go?
Weekdays outside the summer peak are the cheapest and calmest time to visit the Princes' Islands, since the ferries are less crowded and the island prices for food and rental do not carry weekend demand, while Saturdays and Sundays bring Istanbul's own day-trippers in force. The ferry fare itself does not change by day, but everything around it gets easier midweek.**
The timing question is really a crowd question. On summer weekends, the ferries to Büyükada fill with picnicking families and the pier queues form an hour before departure, while the phaeton and bike rental operations run at full price and full occupancy. On a Tuesday in October, the same crossing is a commuter-calibre experience and the island is quiet enough to hear the carriage horses from two streets away. Prayer times and sunset shift earlier in autumn, and the last ferries back follow the season, so the later in the year you go, the earlier your return leg needs to be planned. For the same reason, the timing logic in the best time of day for a free walking tour in Istanbul applies to the islands too: the morning ferry gives you the full day and the softest light.
Weather is the other variable. The islands sit exposed in the Sea of Marmara, and winter crossings can be choppy while summer ones are hot and shadeless on the climb. Spring and autumn are the sweet spot: ferry decks open, pine paths cool, and the water still warm enough off the public shoreline in early autumn. Bring your own water and picnic supplies from the mainland, since island shop prices reflect the fact that everything arrives by boat.
Can You Combine The Islands With A Free Walking Tour On The Same Trip?
Yes, and it is the cheapest full day in Istanbul: a pay-what-you-want Old City walking tour in the morning, the ferry to Büyükada in the early afternoon, and the evening ferry back, with the only fixed costs being the Istanbulkart fares and lunch. The geography works because the main ferry terminal at Kabataş is a short tram ride from Sultanahmet, where most of the free walks begin.**
The morning half belongs to the Old City. The Old Byzantine and Ottoman Tales walk covers the Sultanahmet core in about three hours, rated 4.98 out of 5 across 3,553 GuruWalk reviews, and it meets at Binbirdirek on Atmeydanı Caddesi, a few minutes from the tram line to Kabataş. Because it is a GuruWalk listing, reserving costs nothing and the guide is paid by tips at the end, an economy explained plainly in how much you should tip a free walking tour guide in Istanbul. The tip is the only real cost of the morning, and it is entirely in your hands.
If a three-hour walk plus a ferry crossing sounds like too much standing, the shorter Essentials of Istanbul walk covers the same neighbourhood in two hours, rated 4.93 out of 5 across 41 GuruWalk reviews, and leaves more of the day for the island. It meets at Binbirdirek near the German Fountain, the same tram-and-ferry corridor, so the transfer to Kabataş is a matter of minutes. Either way, the structure holds: a free-to-reserve walk in the morning, a cheap ferry in the afternoon, and a total spend for the day that is closer to a transit pass than a tour package.
One honest caveat about combining the two: the ferry timetable, not your energy, sets the deadline. A morning walk that runs long can push your island time to the last afternoon boats, and the last return legs fill first on summer weekends. Decide on the ferry you want to catch before you tip your guide goodbye, and work the day backwards from the departure board at Kabataş.
How Do The Islands Compare With A Free Bosphorus Cruise?
The Princes' Islands ferry and the Bosphorus commuter ferries are both paid public transit, not free cruises, but both deliver sea views at transit prices: the islands run at the higher long-crossing fare of roughly 137 TL, while the shorter Bosphorus routes sit around 53 to 59 TL full fare. Neither is a free ride, and neither is a private cruise either.**
The distinction matters because "free Bosphorus cruise" is another piece of travel folklore, and this site treats it the same way it treats the islands: the commuter ferries are cheap, wonderful and paid. The difference between the two days out is the destination. A Bosphorus commuter ferry is a crossing with views, out and back, while the islands ferry is a crossing to a car-free place where you then spend hours. If your goal is water time on a minimal budget, the shoreline viewpoints in the free Bosphorus guide cost nothing at all, and the commuter ferry is the paid upgrade. If your goal is a full day somewhere that feels like another country, the islands are worth the higher fare.
The third option, the private Bosphorus cruises sold around Eminönü and Karaköy, is a different product at a different price and outside this site's remit entirely, since this site covers free and pay-what-you-want things only. The honest hierarchy for a budget traveller is: free shoreline views first, commuter ferry second, islands day third, private cruise a distant fourth. For everything this site has verified about the free end of that spectrum, Free Things To Do In Istanbul keeps a full roster of the city's pay-what-you-want walks and genuinely free attractions. A free walk covers this ground: 3-Hour Byzantine & Ottoman Tales.
With the islands day planned, the walks chosen and the Istanbulkart loaded, the last decision is which of the city's free walking tours deserves your morning before the ferry. These three cover the Old City, the essentials and the Galata side between them, all free to reserve on GuruWalk.
Common Questions About Visiting The Princes' Islands Cheaply
How To Visit The Princes' Islands Cheaply (The Ferry Is Not Free)?
Buy an Istanbulkart, take the public ferry from Kabataş at the listed transit fare of roughly 137 TL full fare each way, walk rather than ride once you land, and bring your own food. The ferry is paid transit, but the islands themselves, the streets, pine paths, hills and shoreline, cost nothing once you step off the boat.
Is the Princes' Islands ferry really free?
No. It is a scheduled public transit route paid with Istanbulkart at the standard tariff, listed at around 137 TL full fare for the Kabataş crossing. It is cheap by any European standard, but it is a real fare, and the card itself costs around 165 TL before you load credit.
Which is the best island to visit on a budget?
Büyükada, the largest, gives the most free walking per ferry fare: the hill climb, the mansion-lined back streets and the pine slopes all cost nothing. Heybeliada is a quieter alternative with the same free core. Skip the phaeton carriages and bike rental if you are keeping the day cheap, since walking covers everything.
Do I need to book anything in advance for the islands?
Only the ferry queue itself, which needs no booking at all. If you pair the islands with a morning free walking tour, that reservation is made in advance on the guide's GuruWalk page, but it costs nothing to reserve and the guide is paid by tips at the end.
Can you swim for free on the Princes' Islands?
Partly. The islands have a mix of free public shoreline stretches and paid private beach clubs, so the word beach alone does not tell you the cost. The free public spots are real but basic, and the paid clubs charge their own entry, so check which is which before you lay out a towel.
What is the cheapest full day in Istanbul using the islands?
A pay-what-you-want Old City walking tour in the morning, the ferry to Büyükada in the early afternoon, and the evening ferry back. The only fixed costs are the Istanbulkart fares and lunch, with the morning walk's cost being the tip you choose to give, which makes the whole day cost closer to a transit pass than a tour package.
