Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SIGHTS
Departure Point: Kabataş
After boarding, try to find a seat on the right side of the ferry so that you can view the vari-
ous islands as the ferry approaches them.
Heading towards the Sea of Marmara, passengers are treated to fine views of Topkapı
Palace, Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque on the right and Kız Kulesi, Haydarpaşa Railway
Station and the distinctive minaret-style clock towers of Marmara University on the left.
After a fire in 2011 and its decommissioning as a rail hub, Haydarpaşa Railway Station was
placed on the World Monument Fund's international watch list of endangered buildings.
The future of this landmark building, which opened in 1909, was unknown at the time of
writing and many locals were concerned that it would undergo unsympathetic conversion
into a hotel and shopping mall.
After a quick stop at Kadıköy, the ferry makes its way to the first island in the group,
Kınalıada. This leg takes 30 minutes. After that, it's another 15 minutes to the island of
Burgazada and another 15 minutes again to Heybeliada, the second-largest and perhaps the
most charming of the islands.
Heybeliada
Heybeliada (Heybeli for short and Halki in Greek) is popular with day trippers, who come
here on weekends to walk in the pine groves and swim from the tiny (but crowded)
beaches. The island's major landmark is the hilltop
Haghia Triada Monastery
( 216-351
8563; open daily, appointments essential; Heybeliada)
, which is perched above a picturesque
line of poplar trees in a spot that has been occupied by a Greek monastery since Byzantine
times. The current monastery buildings date from 1844 and housed a Greek Orthodox theo-
logical school until 1971, when it was closed on the government's orders. The Ecumenical
Patriarchate of Constantinople is waging an ongoing campaign to have it reopened. The
monastery has a small church with an ornate altar and an internationally renowned library,
which is home to many old and rare manuscripts. To visit the library, you'll need to gain
special permission from the abbot, Metropolitan Elpidophoros. A
fayton
will charge 25 to
bring you here from the centre of town.
The delightful walk from the
iskele
(ferry dock) up to the Merit Halki Palace hotel at the
top of Refah Şehitleri Caddesi passes a host of large wooden villas set in lovingly tended
gardens. Many laneways and streets lead to a picnic spot and lookout points. To find the
