A calm Turkish island in the Aegean Sea, known for its Greek stone houses, vineyards producing local wine, and 15th-century Ottoman castle overlooking the port.
Bozcaada, a triangular island in Turkey’s Aegean Sea, invites you to walk its cobblestone streets past 19th-century Greek houses with colorful shutters. Vineyards cover sunlit slopes between the town and the 15th-century stone castle overlooking fishing boats in the harbor. Homer called this place Tenedos in the Iliad, where Greek forces hid during the Trojan War. Today, you’ll find cold springs mixing with sea water at beaches, fishermen mending nets near the ferry dock, and small wineries pressing grapes grown since ancient times. The island allows no large hotels or chain stores, keeping its two main villages and coastal paths free from overcrowding.
History and Architecture
Bozcaada’s Turkish and Greek neighborhoods meet along the main street, where Ottoman mosques stand a short walk from the Church of St. Mary’s bell tower. The stone Bozcaada Castle, rebuilt by Mehmed the Conqueror in 1455, guards the northeastern shore with walls thick enough to withstand cannon fire. Inside the castle grounds, you can explore an Ottoman-era mosque and rainwater cisterns still bearing Turkish inscriptions. At the Bozcaada Museum, a red-doored building near the harbor, photographs and farming tools document how Greek families made wine here before 1923. Six family-run wineries still age their vintages in oak barrels, using techniques passed down through generations.
Coastal Areas and Swimming Spots
Cold freshwater springs rise through the seabed at Ayazma Beach on the south coast, creating clear patches in the turquoise water where swimmers often gather. Rocky outcrops at Akvaryum Bay provide shelter for octopuses and sea bream, visible through snorkel masks on calm days. Windsurfers favor Çayır Beach’s steady afternoon breezes, while those seeking quiet spread towels on the undeveloped stretch of sand at Beylik Bay. A 40-minute walk west from town leads to Polente Lighthouse, where you can watch the sun sink into the Aegean from cliffs dotted with wild thyme. Inland footpaths cross vineyards and fig orchards, ending at Göztepe Hill’s 192-meter summit with views reaching to the Dardanelles.
Wine Production and Tastings
Vineyards occupy about 30% of Bozcaada’s land, with grapevines first planted here during Homer’s time. At Corvus Winery near Tuzburnu Bay, you can sample Kuntra red wines made from grapes grown in volcanic soil. The Talay family’s winery on Lale Street releases earthy Karalahna reds each autumn, pressing fruit in the same stone building their grandparents used. Austrian winemaker Oliver Gareis experiments with blending local Öküzgözü grapes with Cabernet Sauvignon at his hilltop Amadeus Winery. September brings the grape harvest, when farmers work dawn to dusk picking clusters by hand, and the Jazz Festival fills beach coves with live music.
Transportation and Visits
To reach Bozcaada, take a ferry from Geyikli port – the crossing takes 30 minutes, with ferries departing hourly in summer. Between June and mid-September, drivers must reserve vehicle space on ferries at least two days in advance. Cars stay parked outside the town center, so most visitors rent bicycles or explore on foot. Shared minibuses run frequently between the harbor and Ayazma Beach during peak season. May and September provide cooler weather, fewer visitors, and lower accommodation prices compared to July and August.
Dining and Nighttime Activities
Restaurants along the harbor serve grilled sea bass and octopus salads, with Yalova’s terrace tables overlooking fishing boats unloading their catch. At Hanımeli, a family-run spot near the castle, try handmade dumplings filled with spiced lamb and topped with garlic yogurt. After dark, the lemon-yellow Salhane building becomes a wine bar where locals discuss vintages over glasses of Vasilaki white. Morning meals start with cucumber-tomato salads, olives, and fig jam at Rengigül Café, where tables sit under a 150-year-old mulberry tree. Bakeries near the main square sell Tenedos cookies, their pine-like flavor from mastic resin best enjoyed with strong Turkish coffee.
Major Sites to Visit
Pay a small fee to enter Bozcaada Castle and climb its ramparts for views of cargo ships passing through the Dardanelles Strait. Near the southern beaches, stone ruins mark the site of Ayazma Monastery, once home to Greek Orthodox monks surrounded by cypress groves. Three stone windmills on the island’s northern hills now house art studios open to visitors on weekends. Bookshops like Bozcaada Kitapçısı stock regional cookbooks and maps of hiking trails. Every Tuesday, farmers sell sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil soaps, and jars of poppy syrup at the open-air market behind the town hall.
