Nine islands in the Sea of Marmara, four of them served by ferry, about an hour and a half out
from the city piers. Büyükada is the largest. There are no private cars; there were horse
carriages until 2020 and there are electric vehicles now. It is a half-day at minimum and a full
day if you want to walk it properly.
The first Ottoman capital, under a mountain, with the Great Mosque and the Green Tomb. It is
reachable in a long day by fast ferry across the Marmara and then a bus, and it is a genuinely
different city rather than a suburb.
Edirne
Further — up on the Greek and Bulgarian border — and the reason to go is Sinan's Selimiye
Mosque, which he considered his masterpiece and which is better than anything he built in
Istanbul. A long day by coach, and worth it if domes are why you came.
Şile and Ağva, on the Black Sea coast a couple of hours out on the Asian side, are where the
city goes for a beach weekend. Less to see, more to do nothing in.
What each costs in time
The islands: half a day. Bursa or Edirne: a whole one, and an early start. Anything further is
an overnight, not a day trip, whatever the tour desks say.
This section is being written. The guide above is the section for now. New articles are published across the site about twice a week rather than a section being filled in a day, so this page grows steadily — it is worth looking in again. In the meantime the sixteen sight pages and the plans by trip length are finished, and they are the best place to start.
Coming next in this section
Büyükada in a day: the ferry, the island and the last boat back
