Istanbul Airport to the Princes' Islands: Ferries and Piers

The Princes' Islands are a car-free group of islands in the Sea of Marmara, a short ferry ride from the city. Büyükada, Heybeliada, Burgazada and Kınalıada are served by regular ferries. Because the islands are reached only by sea, every visit starts at a pier, and the right pier depends on your airport and on when you want to be back. This guide compares the piers, operators and fares, and explains what to expect on the islands.

Which Pier From Which Airport

Road distances and times are from Google Maps on 25 October 2026 in free-flowing traffic; allow more at rush hour. Kabataş is priced in our Beşiktaş zone and Bostancı in our Kadıköy zone. Prices are per vehicle (Mercedes Vito, up to 6 passengers), depend on the date and pick-up time and are shown before you pay. Our transfer takes you to the pier only, not onto the islands. Ferry times are from the 2026-27 winter timetables.

Kabataş or Bostancı?

Kabataş is on the European shore, next to Beşiktaş and a short walk from the funicular to Taksim. The Şehir Hatları ferry from here takes about 1 hour 45 minutes to reach Büyükada because it calls at Kadıköy, Kınalıada, Burgazada and Heybeliada first. It is slow, but it suits you if your hotel is in Taksim, Beşiktaş or the old city and you are happy to treat the boat as part of the day.

Bostancı is on the Asian shore and has the shortest crossing from the mainland: about 35 minutes direct to Büyükada. From IST the drive crosses the Bosphorus and takes about the same time as to Kabataş, so by road and boat together Bostancı is the faster way to the islands. From SAW it is the obvious choice. Maltepe, further west along the Asian shore, has an even shorter crossing of about 20 minutes, but it is not a practical rail connection from either airport.

Your driver waits just outside the arrivals exit. After you land, they send the exact meeting point and a short video on WhatsApp. The driver speaks English, and child seats are available on request.

From Istanbul Airport (IST)

Private Transfer

This is the simplest option with luggage or a family. A private car goes door to door from the airport to Kabataş (from €44) or to Bostancı (from €56), with no change of vehicle. Add the time for passport control and baggage to the 53 to 55 minutes of driving, and check the next sailing first. There is no extra charge for traffic or flight delays, but the ferry will not wait, so leave a margin.

Rail to Bostancı: M11 and Marmaray

Take the M11 metro towards Halkalı (about 33 minutes, every 15 minutes, 06:14 to 00:29), change to Marmaray towards Gebze and ride to Bostancı. The Marmaray leg is a long one, roughly an hour, and the pier is about a 5-minute walk from the station. Allow roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes in all, including the change and the wait for trains. The total fare is about €2.50 (₺130) with a visitor's anonymous Istanbulkart, because Marmaray charges the maximum at the gate. See our Istanbul Airport to Kadıköy guide for the full rail breakdown.

Metro and Funicular to Kabataş

Take the M11 to Gayrettepe (about 30 minutes), change to the M2 for three stops to Taksim, then ride the F1 funicular down to Kabataş (it runs from 06:15 to midnight) and walk about 3 to 4 minutes to the pier. This is awkward with big bags. The Havaist HVL-9 coach to Taksim (≈€8.50 / ₺470 per person, about 90 minutes) replaces the first two legs with one ride, and you then take the same funicular. See our Havaist guide and M11 guide.

Havaist to Eminönü or Kadıköy

For the private Eminönü boats, the Havaist HVL-13 coach goes to Eminönü pier (platform 11, about 110 minutes, 05:00 to 23:45). The HVL-6 coach to Kadıköy (≈€9.50 / ₺515 per person, about 2 hours) also works, because the Kabataş line calls at Kadıköy about 25 minutes after leaving Kabataş; check that day's times first. See our Eminönü guide.

From Sabiha Gökçen (SAW)

Sabiha Gökçen is on the Asian side, so Bostancı is close. The rail route is the M4 towards Kadıköy to Kozyatağı (stop 17 of 23), then the M8 for three stops to Bostancı (Ayşekadın, Emin Ali Paşa, Bostancı). The M8 runs from 06:00 to midnight about every 7 minutes. Allow roughly 45 to 50 minutes plus a walk of about 5 minutes to the pier. The fare is two standard rides at ≈€0.85 (₺46.20) each. Do not get off at the M4's own Bostancı station for the ferry, because it is not by the pier. Our M4 guide covers the line.

A Havabüs coach to Kadıköy (≈€5.50 / ₺300 with an Istanbulkart, about 60 minutes) also works if you prefer to leave from Kadıköy. A private transfer from SAW to Bostancı is from €53, and to Kabataş from €57. Our SAW to Kadıköy guide has the details.

Ferry Operators, Timetables and Fares

Şehir Hatları, the city's ferry company, runs its winter timetable from 7 September 2026 to 27 June 2027; the summer 2026 timetable ran from 29 June to 6 September. Times change between the two, so treat the times below as the winter pattern and check the operator's site before you go.

Şehir Hatları also runs a weekend and holiday line from Tuzla and Pendik to Büyükada. Mavi Marmara also lists morning sailings from Kabataş, Beşiktaş and Eminönü on its own site; check its page for the season and fare. Private boats also run from Kartal; check the timetable locally.

The island fare on the city lines (Kabataş, Beşiktaş, Bostancı, Kadıköy and Maltepe) is ≈€2.50 (₺151.23) one way with an Istanbulkart, with no refund and no transfer discount. Mavi Marmara lists the same Istanbulkart fare on its Bostancı line. Each hop between islands is a new fare. Without an Istanbulkart the single-use ticket costs more, so buy a card (about €3 / ₺165 for the card itself) and load it with enough for the return. Our Istanbulkart guide explains where to buy and top up.

Sailings can be delayed or cancelled in bad weather or after a breakdown. Check the operator's website or X account, or call ALO 153 (24 hours) for Şehir Hatları. Private boats also cancel in rough weather: on 19 October 2026 one private operator cancelled all its island sailings for the day.

Last Boats and Staying Overnight

The last Şehir Hatları boat from Büyükada to Kabataş leaves at 21:45 and arrives at 23:35 in the winter timetable. The last Mavi Marmara boat from Büyükada to Bostancı leaves at 22:35. The first boats back are at about 05:45 to Kabataş and 06:20 to Bostancı. The Maltepe line also runs until about 21:45.

Leave a margin for the last boat, because missing it means finding a room on the island. Late trains are limited: the M4 runs from 06:00 to 23:59 (all night on Fridays and Saturdays), and the Marmaray last-train times should be checked on the day. You can book a private transfer from the pier to either airport; tell us the boat's arrival time when you book, as sailings can run late.

Büyükada has hotels and guesthouses listed on the main booking sites, though some may close in winter. Staying a night lets you see the island after the day trippers have left and take an early boat.

Getting Around the Islands

There are no private cars on the islands. The horse-drawn phaetons were ended in 2020, and public transport is now run by the municipality's electric vehicles.

• Electric buses: İETT runs electric buses on all four main islands. On Büyükada, lines BA-1 to BA-5 serve the town and the hills, and BA-3 (the Lunapark Meydanı Büyük Tur) is the island loop. The smaller islands have their own short lines. A single ride costs ₺158.35 without an Adakart (the island resident card), with no transfer discount, since 20 July 2026.
• Ada Taksi: electric taxis start at ₺207.75 with ₺166.27 per kilometre and ₺32.13 per waiting minute when paying with an Istanbulkart. Paying with a bank card is dearer.
• Bicycles: pedal bikes can still be rented from shops near the pier in October 2026, and prices vary by shop, so ask first. This is changing: the municipality plans an app-based rental system on Büyükada with a smaller fleet, compulsory insurance and protective gear, and says all bike-rental shops close from 1 January 2027. Renting e-bikes, mopeds and battery vehicles is banned. Keep bikes out of the market streets and pedestrian areas.

Bicycles travel free on Şehir Hatları ferries. Ferries are walk-on, and the island lanes are made for walking, so travel light: leave large suitcases at your hotel or, if you are only passing through, plan the islands for a day when you are not carrying big bags.

Which Island to Visit

Most visitors mean Büyükada, the largest island. It has wooden mansions from the 19th and early 20th centuries, pine woods, fish restaurants by the pier and a perimeter road commonly given as roughly 12 km. A walk up to the Aya Yorgi monastery on the southern hill gives wide views over the Sea of Marmara. Leon Trotsky lived in exile on Büyükada from 1929 to 1933.

Heybeliada is quieter, with the hilltop Greek Orthodox theological school known as the Halki Seminary, closed since 1971. The Ecumenical Patriarchate said the renovated buildings were due to be inaugurated in September 2026, but stressed that this does not reopen the school. Burgazada is smaller and associated with the writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık, who lived there. Kınalıada is the closest island to the city and has the least to see. Our Princes' Islands blog post covers all four in more detail.

Sources — checked on 25 October 2026: Şehir Hatları island lines · Şehir Hatları fares · Şehir Hatları FAQ · Mavi Marmara · Turyol timetable · İBB Adalar fare tariff (PDF) · Adalar Municipality, bicycle rental · Metro Istanbul M8 · Metro Istanbul F1 · BirGün, winter timetable · To Vima, Halki Seminary
Euro amounts at €1 = ₺55.6.

Related guides: Princes' Islands blog post · Istanbul Airport to Kadıköy · Sabiha Gökçen to Kadıköy · Istanbulkart guide · Sabiha Gökçen M4 metro · Istanbul Airport M11 metro

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