Hope Hill
The Halki theological school on top.
Anil Öztas — CC BY 4.0 · User:Darwinek — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Controdolled — CC BY-SA 4.0 · User:Darwinek — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mesutsuat — CC BY-SA 4.0
Heybeliada is the second-largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara off Istanbul, covering about 2.35 sq km, with roughly 4,400 residents in winter and some 30,000 in summer. It is quieter and greener than neighbouring Büyükada, with four hills, pine woods and old wooden houses, and private cars are not allowed. Its Turkish name means with a saddlebag, after the valley between two hills. The Greeks called it Halki, after the copper it was famed for in antiquity. In 1844 Patriarch Germanos IV founded the Halki theological school on the site of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity on Hope Hill; it closed in 1971. Plans to reopen it were announced in 2026, so check the visiting arrangements. The main sights are the school building atop Hope Hill and the Church of St Nicholas, built in 1857, close to a synagogue and a mosque that recall the island's mixed past. Fine 19th-century wooden mansions line Lozan Zaferi and Refah Şehitler streets. Trails lead to monasteries and swimming coves among the pines, and Mill Hill is the highest point at 136 m. Horse carriages gave way to electric vehicles in 2020. The island lies about 3 km from Büyükada, with ferries to Kabataş, Eminönü, Kadıköy and Bostancı. The crossing takes about an hour to an hour and a half from Kabataş and about half an hour from Bostancı. Bring walking shoes and water, as the hills are steep, and avoid summer weekends.
The Halki theological school on top.
Fine 19th-century houses.
Trails and quiet swimming spots.
Princes' Islands, Sea of Marmara, Adalar district, Istanbul
It suits those who prefer calm and walking, being smaller and less crowded, while Büyükada has more services and sights. A ferry links the two.
Mostly on foot or by bicycle. Electric vehicles have replaced the old carriages, and there are no private cars.