Places to see in Bozcaada

20 October 2020
Melke

When I said that I would stay for three days Bozcaada before going there, many of my friends said that the island was too small, that I’d be bored for three days, and that only one day would be enough. I was also warned that there are not many options for the places to see in Bozcaada, so I shouldn’t expect much. After I went to Bozcaada, I was in a dilemma with the idea of whether I came to where my friends had already mentioned. The reason is that there are numerous places to see in Bozcaada, as well as dozens of bays to visit, hundreds of paths to enter, in short, many places that would not be easy to fit in three days. Now, I immediately start to explain which places to see in Bozcaada and what to do in Bozcaada as far as I know.

How Long to Stay in Bozcaada?

The assessment of visits to a place, of course, is as relevant to the facilities in that place as well as what the visitor expects and wants. As a person who likes to travel mountain slopes, I wouldn’t be bored if I stayed in Bozcaada for three extra days. But if I were just hanging out at the center and going to one or two popular places, a weekend break would be more than enough. My advice is that if you go to Bozcaada, you should not just stay in the center, but visit the bays as long as you have time, even if nothing happens. If you like to travel mountain slopes and view the scenery like me, I recommend you to spend at least three or four days there.

Transportation to Bozcaada

You can go to Bozcaada from Geyikli by ferry. There are ferries by the hour in the season. Also, the ferries leave regardless of the departure time in the busy days as they are full. That is, the ferry services always keep going. Before taking a ferry, you can leave your car in Geyikli, and cross to the island on foot. There are some paid parking lots near the Geyikli ferry. For a payment of 10 TL, you can leave your car here as long as you want here without a day restriction.

Geyikli-Bozcaada Ferry

If you are going to the island by your car rather than on foot, be sure to buy online tickets to avoid waiting on a line. Since the ticket, you buy on your way is a round-trip ticket, you do not need to buy another ticket on your way back from the island. You only need to make a reservation for return. In fact, make this reservation immediately when you arrive in Bozcaada. Otherwise, you may be at risk of waiting on a line for hours. During peak periods, this wait is said to have even exceeded eight hours.

There are parking lots where you can park your car for free at the exit of the ferry immediately after passing by ferry. If you are going to stay in the center all the time, it may be a good option to leave your car in these parking lots because once you leave the center, you cannot return to the center via your car. The center is closed to car traffic. You are only allowed to pass when you take the ferry again, that is when you have a reservation for the return.

You can get your online ticket on Gestaş’s website by clicking here.

Bozcaada Bike and Scooter Rental

For Bozcaada, it is generally said that the island is very small and it is easy to travel without a vehicle, but I do not agree with this. I think a vehicle is needed while touring the island. Of course, this is a very personal thing. If you are only going to spend time in the center, or if you are going to a few famous beaches where you can go by minibuses departing from the center, you may not need a vehicle. But if you want to explore the island, you can’t do it without a vehicle if you have any intention of seeing other bays besides famous bays. I would definitely recommend you to see the quiet part of the island rather than go to famous bays and get into the crowd.

Apart from your vehicle, you can rent bicycles, scooters, and ATVs to use while touring in Bozcaada. There are points that rent these vehicles in a few places.

BOZCAADA TRAVEL GUIDE

Bozcaada Bays

At the top of the list of places to see in Bozcaada, undoubtedly beautiful bays are coming. The most famous bays of Bozcaada are extremely crowded, especially on holidays. But fortunately, there are so many bays on the island that you can go and see the bay that suits you best. In the meantime, let me remind you right away, whichever bay you go to, it is useful to be careful when swimming. There is too much sea urchin in the water. The stony parts are already full of sea urchins, but they can also be in the sand. You may want to consider getting a sea shoe to avoid risks.

Ayazma Beach

Ayazma Beach is known as the most famous bay of Bozcaada. Aside from being extremely crowded on holidays, it is not considered very calm in normal times, too. You can reach this bay by minibuses. Compared to other bays on the island, there is a very wide sandy beach. Sunbeds and beach umbrellas can be rented on the beach. There are toilets, showers, and changing rooms that you can use. At the same time, the snack bar and restaurants around the bay are constantly serving. The bay is extremely crowded actually due to all these possibilities.

Sulubahçe Bay

Sulubahçe Bay, which is just ahead of Ayazma Beach, can be reached by using minibuses. Since this place is right next to Ayazma, we can say that it has almost the same facilities. Although not as much as the Ayazma, this bay is not calm either. It’s pretty crowded here during the holidays.

Aquarium Bay

Aquarium Bay is a small bay that you can only be reached by personal vehicle. There is a very small sandy beach. It is very calm on weekdays, but that tiny bay is crowded on the weekends. Unfortunately, there are no facilities such as showers, toilets, changing rooms or restaurants in the bay. However, a boat docks for food and beverage sales on weekends, and people meet their needs from this boat.

Beylik Bay

Another beautiful bay is Beylik Bay. However, this bay, which you can reach by personal vehicle, is one of the bays that are flooded with visitors at the weekends, although it is calm on weekdays. I have to say that there are no facilities such as showers, toilets, changing rooms, restaurants in the bay.

Çamlık Bay

Çamlık Bay is not considered as popular as other bays, although it is larger than them. I guess it is because of the effects of the winds blowing in the bay all the time and the light mossy sea. This place is top of the list of places preferred by especially those who want to do kitesurfing due to its wide coastline and wind. Here, too, there are no facilities like showers, toilets, changing cabins, or restaurants.

Ayana Bay

Ayana Bay, which visited despite its small coast due to its beautiful sea and less wind, is much calmer than other bays at the weekend. There are no facilities such as showers, toilets, changing rooms, restaurants in the bay.

Tuzburnu Bay

Tuzburnu Bay is actually a pleasant place, but it is one of the places that people do not prefer because of the heavy winds. Even so, if you want to go to Tuzburnu Bay, you can enjoy a sea view from the hill by stopping by the lighthouse on the right while going to the bay. Similarly, there are no facilities such as shower, toilet, changing cabin, or restaurant in this bay.

Places to See in Bozcaada

I personally would like to examine only Bozcaada bays under this title. So even if you cannot find anything there, I would insist to say go to all the bays because the places I went and saw in the city center did not attract my attention. However, I wanted to discuss the places to see in Bozcaada except the bays under a separate heading, because among the things that I do not enjoy doing may be those of your personal interests.

Bozcaada Streets

The narrow streets of Bozcaada with its beautiful houses and ivy hanging from the doors can visually warm your inside. Some houses are so beautiful that they may even make you feel an indescribable desire to ask permission and see inside. If you have time, I would say that spend your time to wander the streets. You will not be able to keep your eyes off the houses, especially during a small walk in the Greek District.

Bozcaada Museum

Bozcaada Museum is one of the places that those who are particularly interested in history must visit. Among the things on display at the museum, there are many things from information about the history of the island to photographs of the island from the past to the present and items used in previous years. The museum is open every day of the week and entrances are paid.

Bozcaada Castle

When the ferry approaches Bozcaada, the first place that will appear in front of you will be Bozcaada Castle. Inside the castle, which is in extremely good condition when viewed from the outside, there are artifacts from the Ottoman period and ruins from previous history. The entrance to the castle, which is open every day of the week, is paid.

Wine Tasting and Wine Sellers

Although wine tastings are not on the list of places to see in Bozcaada, it is the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to things to do in Bozcaada. Bozcaada is a remarkable destination for wine lovers. You can attend wine tastings and vineyard tours organized for winemakers’ enthusiasts. You can get information about tastings and tours from the wine producers in the center. If you want to buy wine, you can buy your wines by tasting from the sales offices of the winemakers in the center.

Sunset and Polente Lighthouse in Bozcaada

When you say that you will go to Bozcaada, the first suggestion from those who have been to Bozcaada is that you should watch the sunset. I must admit that I was really surprised when I was told that I should not return without watching the sunset, because I thought that I watch the sunset almost every day, and what is there to say “Don’t come back without watching?”. However, watching the sunset in Bozcaada is really one of the most important activities. So much so that even products such as sunset plate and sunset wine are sold in the shops. I can also say that I saw people who hurry to take a sunset plate and jump into a taxi in order to catch up to the sunset. That’s why I said let’s go and watch this sunset one evening.

I had gone to the Polente Lighthouse, where the sunset was watched, and spent some time during the day. It was a really nice and enjoyable place. I wanted to stop by another day for the sunset. When the sunset time approached, where there was nobody during the day, the cars parked for about 1 kilometer. So, there is actually a giant army of about 300 people who are busy taking the same photo in the background of those peaceful sunset photos. (And when I saw that it was so crowded, I gave up and came back.)

It is entirely up to you whether or not to enter this crowd. If you think you will enjoy it, of course, you can watch the sunset with 300 people. But my suggestion is that you set the sun in other quieter places, because the sun sets there giving the same feeling. But I still recommend you to go to the Polente Lighthouse during the day and see the surroundings. It is certainly true that it is one of the most interesting places to see in Bozcaada.

Food & Beverage in Bozcaada

Bozcaada is not a very cheap place to eat and drink, but it is not too expensive. Mixed breakfast prices in average places in the center vary between 35-50 TL. If you don’t prefer mixed breakfast, but want to eat something such as pastry, omelet, or toast, you can have breakfast for about 20 TL per person. In places that make home meals, the price of an average menu including rice, stews, and extra product cost around 35 TL. We didn’t prefer to drink raki or wine for dinner. Therefore, I do not know the prices, but we were warned by many people to bargain without sitting at the table in alcoholic places.

Vegan Options in Bozcaada

If there are vegans or lactose intolerant who are brooding on what to eat in Bozcaada, I have good news! In addition that you have the opportunity to find enough vegan food to eat your fill enough by eating different foods a day, you can also take ice cream if you want to eat dessert after your meal. In Bozcaada’s famous Çiçek Patisserie, vegan pastries are sold. The price of the vegan pastry was 6 TL when I bought it. It was a bit expensive, but this is related to the general prices of Çiçek Patisserie.

You can also buy a full Vegan sandwich for 25 TL from the famous sandwich shop named Boboz. They said that they prepared the meals with olive oil in the home cooking places. (It is still useful to get confirmation when you go.) Besides, there are vegan ice cream options at Çiçek Patisserie and Turkay Dondurma.

Camping in Bozcaada

I have some sad news for those who want to camp in Bozcaada. There is only one camping business on the island. Apart from this camping site, it is forbidden to set up a tent and camp anywhere in Bozcaada. Caravans and vehicle tents are not included in this ban. So if you wish, you can stay in the caravan, sleep in your vehicle tents, but you cannot camp by setting up a tent. Are there any people who do? Of course there are. There are illegally set up tents in many bays. But according to the information we received from the gendarmerie, these tents were picked up when they come across.

Accommodation in Bozcaada

Since Bozcaada attracts a lot of local and foreign tourists, almost everywhere on the island is full of hotels and hostels. And despite this abundance of accommodation places, none of the hotels on the island have a place, especially during holidays. In fact, in order to meet this intense demand, many people have turned part of their homes into a hostel. As such, it becomes very difficult to make a suggestion. Because the demand is high, many of the businesses are places that are not interested in being perfect businesses and in this respect, many businesses are similar to each other on the basis of possibilities. So I’m just going to describe a place that I really think is different from the others.

You can click here and check Airbnb rentals around Bozcada. If you are looking for a uniqe place to stay or traveling with family and friends Airbnb offers quite affordable prices. If you click the link above and make a reservation, I may may earn a commission without no additional cost for you. Hope you enjoy your stay!

Bozcaada Aya Yorgi Houses

The good thing about social media is that it brings beautiful people to you in some way. I went to Aya Yorgi Houses with the suggestion of a friend who followed me on Instagram. When I first got off the car, I must say that I was surprised that there was such a calm and quiet place on the island. In fact, we can say that this place is not a hotel, but a living space located within 12 decares of land in a place far from the center. It has only 12 rooms, and that’s why you sometimes feel like there is no one else in the facility except you. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I say that people encounter each other only in the poolside and in the garden of the restaurant.

Ms. Tulay, who has just taken over the business of this place, is an academic who continues her active teaching life in the field of tourism. It is very clear that his academic identity has an effect on the consideration of every fine detail and the high customer satisfaction in the facility where they have just started business with his wife and children. If you want to stay here, I am sure you will leave satisfied, but even if you do not stay, definitely go for a cup of tea. When you’re gone, don’t forget to say hello to her for me, please.

A little information for Aya Yorgi Houses; Choose the long way in the map when you leave the center. The short road is not suitable for the vehicle. I’ll leave this image here in case you have any hesitation about which road is.

Bozcaada Campsite Ada Camping

Ada Camping, which is the only camping site in Bozcaada, is an extremely crowded camping area as it offers the cheapest accommodation on the island. When I say cheap, I mean by comparing the hostel prices starting from around 300 TL per night on the island because it is not possible to compare this place with other camping areas and call it cheap. In July 2019, tent accommodation prices are 45 TL per person with your own tent, and it was 60 TL per person with a tent to be rented from the facility. The price of a place like this may not be the right criticism. After all, we’re talking about a place where there’s no competition and there’s a lot of demand.

Aside from the prices, I cannot say that I like it very much as all the tents are very close to each other. The concept of camping in this campsite has nothing to do with nature camping, maybe a camping concept that we can describe as a holiday camp. (Normally) That’s why I didn’t feel comfortable staying here and I chose to sleep in my car, which will soon turn into a trailer. I say this especially if you expect a camping site like me so that you don’t be disappointed when you can’t find what you hoped for.

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