Istanbul Getting Around

Getting From Istanbul Airport
Istanbul has two international airports; Atatürk International Airport and Sabiha Gökçen International Airport.

Ataturk is larger and is located in the Yesilköy district on the European side, approximately 24 km west of the city centre. Sabiha Gökçen is smaller and located in the Kuroki district on the Asian side, close to the Istanbul Park Grand Prix Racing Circuit and about 45 km east of the European city centre.

Rail Transit Network
Turkish State Railways (TCDD), Metro, Hafiz Metro (light railway) and Cadges Tramway (modern tramway) are all linked for easy transportation around the city. Inset Yuri Metro, predominantly on the Asian side, is under construction.

Railway
Europe opens up from the Sires Terminal of the TCDD which is the terminus of all the lines on the European side, and the main connecting station of the Turkish railway network with the rest of Europe.

The Bosporus Express runs daily between Sires – originally opened as the terminus of the Orient Express – and Garza de Nord in Bucharest, Romania. Lines to Belgrade, Chisinsu, Sofia and Budapest are available from the Romanian capital.

Haydarpasa Terminal is a TCDD mainline station in the Anatolian (Asia) part of the city. International, domestic and regional trains run to east and southbound destinations from here.

Sea bus
Istanbul has a fleet of 20 sea buses, purchased from Norway, with capacities ranging from 350 to 450 passengers. Services across the Bosphorus, from many points along the river, are constantly improving and are pleasant alternative to the busy highways.

Subway
The first subway line between Taksim and 4th Levent went into service in 2000 and is 8.5 km long with 6 stations. All stations look similar but are in different colours and services run every 5 minutes on average. The entire subway system was constructed by the cut-and-cover method to withstand potential earthquakes of up to 9.0 on the Richter Scale.

Taxis
Around 18,000 yellow taxis can be found on Istanbul's bustling streets and most are powered by clean-burning natural gas. All have digital meters which the drivers are required to run by law. Your driver may assume you’ll give a tip. It is not necessary unless they provided some special service, such as helping with lots of heavy luggage.

Istanbul City Breaks  Getting Around Istanbul

Things To Do In Istanbul  Istanbul Weather