Small (though the largest of all the Princes’ Islands and its name translates from Turkish as “big island”), Büyükada is definitely about tranquility rather than entertainment. If you plan to relax rather than just explore, you can stay overnight, but I arrived in the morning, spent the whole day on the island, and returned to Istanbul in the evening. There are very few tourist attractions, but the peaceful streets, views from the hills, Victorian-style mansions, the clock in the square, fishermen on the shore, and friendly, free-roaming cats guarantee an idyllic and slow summer day (I haven’t been here during the colder seasons). We didn’t have time for the beaches (though there are some), we simply wandered through the island and along the coastline.
