Local before arrival
As hectic as Istanbul might appear to you, you can escape the masses just as quickly. You have to work your way through the crowds until you reach one of the piers (Kabataş or Bostancı), but then you’re home free; Depending on the boat, the trip to the group of islands in the Sea of Marmara will take between 45 and 90 minutes. No private vehicles are allowed on the islands. You can either rent a bicycle or climb into a carriage if you would like to explore the former exile of Byzantine princes and Ottoman sultans.
