When approaching Bozcaada’s eastern coast on the ferry from the mainland, the island’s terrain is unimpressive and barren.  Offsetting this bleakness is the characteristic Greek whitewashed town of Bozcaada with its narrow streets and its impressive fortress. The outdoor harbor area is a pleasant place for tea, next to sailboats, and further out, great ocean going ships in queue to pass to Istanbul.

Set upon the hill to the north of the town is the very well preserved fortress, which was originally built in the time of the Venetians and served great importance during the era of the Ottoman Conqueror Sultan Mehmet.  It was later torn down in 1807 and rebuilt 1.5 kilometers inland in 1842.  A number of historic sea battles were waged here as the island’s ownership passed back and forth between the Greeks and the Turks.

The island makes an ideal place to set up base for day trips to the archeological sites of Troy and Assos.  The ferry to and from Bozcaada and the mainland takes about a half an hour, runs four times a day, and costs USD 2.  From there it is about an hour to either Troy or Assos by modern air-conditioned busses which meet the ferry upon arrival and departure.

The islanders retain a hospitable and laid back attitude towards tourists. 

The 1999 release of the Turkish film Eylul Firtinasi (After the Fall) was filmed on the island of Bozcaada and highlighted the island’s beauty.

The movie quickly created a mystique surrounding the island and Bozcaada has since then been gaining popularity as tourist destination for the Turks, many of which make the trip by motorcycle from Istanbul.  Conversely, the island has remained in relative obscurity to the international traveler.  Second, many locals are of Greek ancestry, which adds a more liberal mind set.

Finally, the summer residences of affluent Istanbulers tend to live modest and relaxed lives on the island.

If you want to take a tour of the island, minibus are found at the town square (all minibuses take the same route), and it take only twenty minutes or so to get around the entire island.  As you go inland, the dusty brown color turns green and a consistent, yet subtle, northern wind keeps the island cooler than others in the Aegean Sea. The wind picks up as you head to the western extremities of the island where sixteen windmills generate not only Bozcaada’s energy needs but also exports to mainland Turkey.

The island’s two vineyards are famous for their economically priced wines.  It’s a tradition all around the island to offer visitors some grapes.  Bozcaada was once very famous for viniculture; however in recent years the vineyards have fallen upon hard time.  Nonetheless there are still folks that take pride in the grapes of Bozcaada and are struggling to keep the tradition alive.