Burgazada

Overview

Seen from the ferry, it is almost a perfect circle: one green hill rising from the sea, a ring of houses along the shore and a church dome near the pier. Fish restaurants set their tables by the water, while the lanes behind them climb gently into the pines. This is Burgazada, the third of the Princes’ Islands and the island of the writer Sait Faik.

So bring a book of his stories, and read one on the island where it was written.

Burgazada, the Round Island

To begin with, the island lies in the district of Adalar, between Kınalıada and Heybeliada, and it is only about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) across. In the middle, a single hill, Bayraktepe, rises to about 170 meters (558 feet), and a forest of red pines covers much of it. In the 2025 census, the island had 1,713 residents. Just offshore, in turn, the tiny uninhabited island of Kaşıkadası, Spoon Island, completes the view.

History of Burgazada

Antigoni and its fort

In ancient times, the island was called Antigoni, after Antigonus I, a general of Alexander the Great, who built a fort here. Later, the Greek word for a fort or tower, pyrgos, gave the island its Turkish name, Burgaz.

Greeks, Jews and a storyteller

For centuries, actually, most islanders were Greek. Later, in the 20th century, many Jewish families from Istanbul settled here too, and summer residents also included writers, actors and musicians. Among them was Sait Faik Abasıyanık, one of the great names of the Turkish short story, who set many of his tales among the fishermen and the lanes of Burgaz. Another resident, for example, was the writer Halide Edib Adıvar.

What to See on Burgazada

The church of Saint John

First, near the pier, the Greek church of Saint John the Baptist, built in 1899, rises above the little town. It stands on the site of a Byzantine church, where tradition says Methodius, a later patriarch, was held prisoner for his views on icons.

Sait Faik’s house

Then, up the lanes from the church, the writer’s old house, once called the Spanudis Mansion, has become the Sait Faik Museum, so you can see where he lived and wrote.

Kalpazankaya

Finally, walk or ride to the far side of the island, to Kalpazankaya, the Counterfeiter’s Rock. From here, therefore, the views back toward the mainland and over the sea are wide, and at sunset, they are at their best.

Around Burgazada: Coves, Monasteries and a Lighthouse

East of the pier, the shore leads to the island’s old beach and a cape that points toward Heybeliada, with a small lighthouse at its tip. South of the beach, past Mezarlık Burnu, the coast turns steep below Bayrak Tepesi, where the Christos Monastery stands on the hill. Further on, a small cove beside Kalpazankaya is one of the island’s walking spots, Madam Marta Bay lies to the south, and the Monastery of Aya Yorgi stands on the northwest side. Back in town, fine wooden mansions line Gezinti Avenue on the shore and the Gönüllü and Mehtap streets that face Kaşıkadası and Heybeliada. The island had no mosque until 1953, when a small one was built on land given by the municipality for the 500th anniversary of the conquest.

How to Visit Burgazada

Getting there

In general, city ferries run from Eminönü, Kabataş, Kadıköy and Bostancı, and most stop at Kınalıada first, then Burgazada. Timetables change between summer and winter, and we plan your crossing on the current city ferry timetable.

Seeing it with us

Burgazada is a stop on our Princes’ Islands tour. Afterward, sail on to Heybeliada and Büyükada, or read our guide to all the Princes’ Islands.