Istanbul public transportation guide
Istanbul public transportation guide, prices and tips for
public transportation by bus, plane, train, railway, tramcar,
metro, sea, ferry boats, IstanbulCard and more
Air Transportation in Istanbul
Istanbul Airport (IST) was fully opened on April 6th 2019, when the older Ataturk
Airport was completely closed the same day. Istanbul
Airport's IATA code IST, which was being used by
Ataturk Airport. Although the
capacity of the new Istanbul Airport is one of the
biggest in the world, it is considerably farther
than Ataturk, being located roughly 40 km away from the city
center.
Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, opened in 2001.
This airport, with a capacity of 3 million international
passengers per year, is on the Asian side of Istanbul,
42 km away from Taksim Square in the city center.
Havabus
is the airport bus provider offering shuttle services
to Taksim Square with departures linked to the flights.
See below for public transportation options from
Istanbul's airports
to city center.
Airlines
Most major European airports are 2-4 hours away from
Istanbul by air, and from the east coast of North
America it is about a 10-hour journey. Istanbul is
readily accessible from all parts of the world, and
served by more than 50 airlines.
Turkish Airlines (THY)
is the national carrier. Turkish Airlines (THY) offers
direct flights from 77 cities around the world.
Pegasus
is the second most popular Turkish airline, which
operated economy class flights mainly, mostly departing
from Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW).
You can search & buy domestic and international tickets
at Obilet.com
for all over Turkey.
Flight Distances
The list of distances from major cities to Istanbul (air
miles)
|
City |
Miles |
City |
Miles |
City |
Miles |
|
Athens |
349 |
Madrid |
1564 |
Zurich |
1000 |
|
Amsterdam |
1253 |
Moscow |
1028 |
Tel Aviv |
688 |
|
Berlin |
992 |
Oslo |
1520 |
Kuwait |
1605 |
|
Bucharest |
305 |
Paris |
1277 |
Bahrain |
1697 |
|
Budapest |
614 |
Prague |
868 |
New York |
4538 |
|
Brussels |
1226 |
Rome |
839 |
Los Angeles |
5220 |
|
Copenhagen |
1144 |
Sofia |
271 |
Rio de laneiro |
6400 |
|
Dublin |
1568 |
Stockholm |
1290 |
Buenos Aires |
7570 |
|
Helsinki |
1295 |
Vienna |
748 |
Beijing |
4159 |
|
Lisbon |
1860 |
Warsaw |
842 |
Tokyo |
5291 |
|
London |
1423 |
Zagreb |
947 |
Cape Town |
4908 |
Airport - City Transport in Istanbul
Istanbul Airport (IST) was fully opened
on April 6th 2019. It may take more than 1 hour to
reach the city center, depending on traffic conditions
at
the time you arrive. There is no direct subway connection to
the new airport, yet. A taxi ride should cost
around 25-30 US Dollar from the airport to Taksim square.. You
can also use
HavaIst Airport Shuttles
to come to Taksim Square, Yenikapi (closer to M1 Metro
Line and old city Sultanahmet) and 15 Temmuz / Esenler
Bus terminal (connected to M1 Yenikapi metro, with
interchange station at Aksaray to Sultanahmet / Kabatas
T1 tramcar line). HavaIst tickets are sold on the buses
and will cost around 3-4 US $).
Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) is
located on the Asian side of Istanbul,
42 km away from Taksim Square. Transportation with
standard public transportation would be very difficult
for the tourists.
The most
comfortable and comparatively economic way of getting to
Taksim from Sabiha Gokcen Airport is using privately operated
Havabus airport shuttle buses. Tickets are sold on
the buses and will cost you around 3-4 US $. They depart
every half an hour (last departure from the airport is at
01:00 a.m). Havabus shuttles do
not go to the old city, Sultanahmet district, You need to
use additional
M1 metro,
M1 tramcar combination or a short taxi ride from
Taksim to Sultanahmet. An honestly priced taxi ride should
cost around 30 US Dollar from Sabiha Gokcen Airport to
Taksim square.
Public Transportation in Istanbul
Public buses are operated by IETT company, a corporation
owned by Istanbul Municipality. There are public buses
to almost every corner of the city. There are also
"private public buses" (Ozel Halk Otobusu) which are
also operated under the control of IETT. Although they
are owned privately, the pricing and ticket system is
the same. In 2009 an express public bus system was
launched between major locations, known as Metrobus. As
the name suggests, these are big buses running on a lane
assigned only for them on the main roads. Thus they move
faster, independent from city traffic. Metrobus lines
combine outer residential districts of the city and are
not very useful for tourist transportation.
Alternative public transportation systems are tramcar,
metro and subway lines operated by Istanbul Ulasim. The
most useful rail transportation options for tourists are
M1 Otogar / Bus terminal - Yenikapi; M2 Yenikapi -Taksim
-Haciosman metro lines, and T1 Zeytinburnu - Sultanahmet
- Kabatas tramcar line.
Marmaray line, a 76.6 km (47.6 mi) long commuter rail
line, comprising a subway rail tunnel under the
Bosphorus strait, and the modernization of existing
suburban railway lines along the Sea of Marmara from
Halkalı on the European side to Gebze on the Asian side.
Marmaray line is rather useful for people living in
Istanbul than tourists, which combines the residential
districts on European and Asian sides of Istanbul.
If you will stay in the city more than one week and your
intention is to use the public system very often, it is
highly recommended to buy an Istanbul Kart (Card), which
can be purchased and refilled at kiosks available in
central bus and metro stations. The Istanbul Card can be
used for all public transportation systems, including
IETT buses, ferry boats, subway, light metro and trams.
Otherwise, public transportation tickets and tokens can
be obtained from ticket automats or from kiosks near
major stations. Public transportation with IstanbulKart
for one way costs roughly around 0.5 US$ in Istanbul
(based on volatile exchange rates). After first use of
the Istanbul Card, you get approximately %30-40%
discount for a maximum of 5 different "combining lines"
you take within 2 hours. Ticket costs will be deducted
from the amount of money you deposit into your Istanbul
Card in Turkish Lira.
Sea Transport in Istanbul
The company
owned by Istanbul municipality which was controlling all
maritime lines within city has been divided in 2
companies in 2010 for a privatization program. Now,
Urban Maritime Transportation company
Sehir Hatlari operates conventional ferry boat lines and
IDO
operates fast ferry boats and IDO Sea Buses (Deniz Otobusu).
Fast and conventional ferry boats run between various
coastal districts of Istanbul.
Kadikoy - Haydarpasa -
Karakoy;
Eminonu -
Uskudar; Eminonu - Kadikoy;
Besiktas - Kadikoy; Besiktas - Uskudar;
Kabatas -
Prince Islands; Kabatas - Kadikoy;
Kabatas -
Bostanci (seabus);
Yenikapi - Yalova (fast ferry), Yenikapi - Bursa
(fast ferry); Yenikapi - Kadikoy - Bostanci (seabus);
Uskudar - Eminonu -
Eyup (Golden Horn / Pierre Loti) are the most popular
sea transportation routes.
Kabatas ferry pier (vapur iskelesi) can be reached by
funicular from Taksim square, and by
T1 tramcar from the old city,
Sultanahmet. Eminonu /
Sirkeci ferry piers are located some 10-15
minutes walking distance from Sultanahmet square, and can
also be reached by the tramcar. Yenikapi sea bus pier is
located on the coastal part of Aksaray district, some 10
minutes walking distance to
Aksaray tram station at town square.
Most enjoyable ferryboat journey would be taking the
morning Bosphorus cruise (Bogaz turu) of
Sehir Hatlari from Eminonu to
Sariyer. "Bogaz Turu" takes a little over an hour and
it stops at several other small towns and fishing villages along the
Bosphorus. You can also book guided half day morning /
afternoon
Bosphorus tours including transfer from your hotel.
Istanbul's
International
cruise port is
Galataport located centrally not very far from
Taksim and Sultanahmet, in Salipazari, Karakoy district.
Huge ships of international cruise liners dock here.
Western tourists who arrive in Turkey by cruise liners and
sleep on the ship are allowed to enter Turkey without a
visa, with the permission given by the local custom
authorities as soon as you set foot ashore.
Intercity Transportation by Bus & Railway
Most
intercity buses and coaches terminate at the colossal
Esenler Otogar, about 10 km west of the city center,
located on the European side. The station can be easily
reached via the Otogar stop on the M1. Companies may
also have courtesy shuttles or taxis which will allow
you to easily access the center of the city. Buses
depart & arrive for all regions of Turkey as well as for
international destinations including cities in Bulgaria,
Greece, Republic of Macedonia and Romania. The terminal
is huge and each company has a separate office. "Harem
Otogar" is the major hub for the buses on the Anatolian
(Asian) side, which can be reached easily from the
European side with a Ferryboat. Turkish bus companies
mostly don’t have a toilet inside the buses but they
take a break along the way
for such needs usually once in every 4 or 5 hours. Resting
duration is around 30 minutes.
You can search & buy intercity bus tickets at
Obilet.com for all over Turkey.
Trains to Europe via Bucharest or Sofia historically ran
from Halkali, the terminal station combined to the
Marmaray metro & rail system that connect to the city
center. Trains are not as popular as intercity coaches
for long distance transportation, with a much smaller
and less frequent network. There are rail connections
from Istanbul to Ankara, Izmir and some Eastern
Anatolian cities. Trains are old-fashioned and most of
the services are much slower than buses, although
between the three main cities there are Mavi Tren and
Express trains which are faster and more comfortable.
High Speed Railways in Turkey began service in 2009.
Turkish state railways company, TCDD has branded its
high-speed service as Yüksek Hızlı Tren or briefly YHT.
High speed trains currently operate on two lines: the
Ankara - Eskişehir portion of the Istanbul - Ankara
high-speed railway and the Ankara - Konya high-speed
railway, which opened in August, 2011. Reservations are
essential for intercity journeys, and there are several
classes of seats and sleepers.
Istanbul Travel Map
Istanbul Travel Activities
Daily Tours and Excursions in
Istanbul
Daily tours and excursions in Istanbul by reputable travel agency of Turkey
Everyday Turkey Tours from Istanbul
Turkey tour packages which include Ephesus, Pamukkale,
Cappadocia, Fethiye, Antalya and more.
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See Also
Travel Tips for Tourists
Public Transportation
Major Districts in Istanbul
Historical Landmarks
Culture and Art Guide
A Brief History of Istanbul