Adalar storage

Why Adalar needs storage: second homes, repair season and waste

The municipality's population page gives 17,489 people for 2025, says the summer population approaches ten times the winter one, and describes most homes as summer houses. For a house opened and closed with the seasons, keeping summer furniture or winter bedding in a locked room on the mainland could be an option; that is our inference, not an official figure.

The municipality's notice sets the repair calendar: simple-repair building work was halted from 1 June to 1 September 2026, as it is every year, so autumn and spring are the practical window for emptying a home. We found no risky-building plan-note page for Adalar on the İBB site, and the municipality has no transformation directorate, so we claim no wave of transformation evictions.

Disposing of old furniture is not easy either. We saw no regular collection line on the municipality's site; in October 2025 rubble and furniture piled up in Büyükada and Heybeliada was shipped to the mainland, 18 trucks in total, with İSTAÇ support.

From the island to Sancaktepe: ship, Maltepe pier and the climb from the quay

The District Governor's office calls Adalar the only district with no land connection. Our depot is in Sancaktepe on the Anatolian side: no Bosphorus crossing, but a sea crossing. Our OSRM / OpenStreetMap calculation from September 2026 gives about 13–14 km and 14–15 minutes without traffic from Sancaktepe to the Maltepe shore around the landing pier. That is the mainland leg only; the total from the island depends on the ship's schedule, so we give no figure.

The municipality's landing-ship guide is the official framework. The ship carries the vehicles on its list, which includes vehicles bringing the household goods of people settling permanently; return loads are priced by tariff. Requests follow a daily programme, weather or a fault can change a sailing, and the schedule must be confirmed with the Operations Directorate (0216 382 3 382, extension 1901) and the Maltepe pier. We did not read the PDF tariffs, so we state no amounts, and we could not confirm whether a load bound for a storage depot falls within the list.

From quay to door, UKOME decision 2024/5 allows electric load-carrying vehicles only for businesses based in Adalar, with a 20 km/h limit; we found no source showing that a vehicle from the mainland may drive around the island. No published rule says how a large item comes down a hill, so handcart, a locally permitted load vehicle or crew power are options we settle at the survey.

Five neighbourhoods, five street textures: slope, levels and parking

Adalar has five neighbourhoods: Nizam and Maden on Büyükada, plus Heybeliada, Burgazada and Kınalıada. The figures come from OpenStreetMap and the Copernicus elevation model, which carries building and tree noise, so read slopes as a comparison among the five. One parking space is mapped in Maden and none elsewhere, and the islands have no motor vehicles; the question is how belongings get from quay to door.

• Nizam Mahallesi

  The largest neighbourhood at 3.221 km²: 17.6 km of local streets, 6.8 km of through roads; 4 % of local streets are one-way or narrow, the mean grade is 8.7 % and 59 % of streets are steep. Level data for the 1,557 buildings rounds to 0 %, so we do not trust the 4.7-level mean.

• Maden Mahallesi

  18.6 km of local streets and 4.8 km of through roads in 2.518 km²; no narrow or one-way streets. The mean grade is 7.8 % and the steep share of 44 % is the lowest of the five, yet still marked. Level data for the 1,808 buildings rounds to 0 %; one parking space is mapped.

• Heybeliada Mahallesi

  The longest local street network, 23.2 km in 2.505 km²; 3 % is one-way or narrow. The mean grade is 9.2 % and 59 % of streets are steep. Only 3 % of the 816 buildings carry level data. One writer says the places worth visiting line up along a single long hill.

• Burgazada Mahallesi

  10.4 km of local streets in 1.613 km², and the steepest of the five: a mean grade of 10.1 % and 62 % of streets steep. No narrow or one-way streets. 95 % of the 837 buildings carry level data, averaging 2.1 levels, a low mansion and house fabric.

• Kınalıada Mahallesi

  The smallest neighbourhood at 1.485 km², yet 20 km of local streets. No narrow or one-way streets, a mean grade of 8.1 % and 48 % of streets steep. 96 % of the 1,074 buildings carry level data, averaging 2.1 levels. The municipality's island page calls the island rockier.

Preparing for sea and slope: five notes for Adalar

1. 1.Ask about the ship before fixing a date

   The landing ship runs to a daily programme and weather or a fault can change a sailing. We found no page on the District Governor's site about permits for vehicles entering the island. We clear both at the survey, then write the calendar.

2. 2.Pick the room by what leaves the island

   Our rooms are 8 m³ for a 1+0, 15 m³ for a 1+1, 22 m³ for a 2+1 and 28 m³ for a 3+1. For seasonal items a small room usually suffices; a whole flat usually fits the room of the same name. Every extra box costs effort on the hill and ship, so we trim the list together.

3. 3.Finish packing before you reach the quay

   A lorry cannot reach the door, so assume the contents come down by hand or handcart. Take furniture apart, keep boxes carryable and write the room name on top. The ship guide says the municipality is not responsible for breakage or loss in carriage.

4. 4.Choose the season: spring or autumn

   Simple repairs are halted from 1 June to 1 September and winter weather can change sailings; a few writers say summer crowds make the pier and market area hard to walk. Spring and autumn may be easier.

5. 5.Measure doors and stairs in advance

   The municipality's Burgazada page places the mansions on Gezinti Street and on Gönüllü and Mehtap streets; one writer calls Kınalıada's streets narrow. Measurements help us decide at the survey whether a large piece must come apart.

Room sizes and monthly prices

Room sizes and monthly prices

See the full price table and what decides the price

Storage by situation

Between homes, renovation, seasonal items or an office: open the page that matches your situation.

• Between homes
• Renovation and urban transformation
• Going abroad
• Moving to a smaller home
• Office and archive
• Seasonal belongings
• Short-term storage
• A few items
• Trousseau belongings
• Student belongings

Questions about storage in Adalar

Neighbouring districts

• Maltepe
• Kartal
• Kadıköy