The two northernmost towns on the European Bosphorus are Sariyer and Rumeli Kavağı. Sariyer is more developed and wealthy, trapped between a dense forest and the water, while Rumeli Kavağı is a quiet seaside village with a convivial atmosphere.
With a name that literally translates to "Big Island", Büyükada is the largest of Istanbul's nine Princes' Islands. We spent a day biking from one end to the other, enjoying fabulous views of the sea, swimming with jellyfish, climbing hills and finding ways to escape the crowds.
Burgazada is the third-largest of the popular Princes Islands, found just off Istanbul's southern coast in the Sea of Marmara. Around 2000 people live there permanently, but its population swells considerably in the summer... and on sunny Sundays, like the one we stupidly chose for our visit.
