Transportation in Istanbul

Istanbul Transportation Guide

Getting to Istanbul

By Air

There are two international airports in Istanbul. The larger Atatürk International Airport is in the Yeşilköy district on the European side, about 24 km (15 miles) west from the centre of the city. The less significant Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is in the Kurtköy district on the Asian side of the city, close to the Istanbul Park GP Racing Circuit. It is about 20 km (12 miles) east of the Asian side and 45 km (28 miles) east of the European city centre.

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By Rail

The rail service between Paris and Constantinople was initiated in 1883 by the Belgian Georges Nagelmackers, who transported passengers from Varna to Constantinople via steamship. In 1889, the entire journey became possible by land with the completion of a rail line through Bucharest to Constantinople. The train on this route was the well known Orient Express, made even more famous by the celebrated fiction of Agatha Christie and Graham Greene.

Initially, the Sirkeci Terminal of the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) was the terminus for the Orient Express. Today, it is the station for all the lines on the European side, and the main centre which connects the Turkish railway network to the rest of Europe. A tourist can travel to international destinations through the line that runs from Istanbul to Thessaloniki, in Greece, and via the Bosphorus Express which plies daily between Sirkeci and Gara de Nord in Bucharest, Romania. Lines to Sofia, Belgrade, Budapest, and Chişinău are provided by the Bosphorus Express connection to Bucharest.

By Road

You can travel by road between Europe and Turkey on three main motorways - the E5, E90, and the Trans European Motorway (TEM). The motorway network around Istanbul is in good shape, and is being developed further to connect to more places. You can drive east to Ankara and west to Edirne. Two express highways circle Istanbul. The older E5 is mostly used by inner city traffic, while the newer TEM highway supports mostly intercity or intercontinental traffic. The Bosphorus Bridge on E5 and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge on TEM allow travellers to commute between the European and the Asian sides of the Bosphorus.

By Sea

Istanbul is surrounded on all sides by water - the Sea of Marmara, the Black Sea, the Golden Horn, and the Bosphorus. Therefore, water transport is highly efficient and affordable.

IDO, which stands for İstanbul Deniz Otobüsleri, meaning 'Istanbul Sea Buses', runs the high-speed catamaran, Seabus, between the European and Asian parts of Istanbul. Seabus also takes travellers to the Princes' Islands and other places in the Sea of Marmara. The catamaran ferries take off from the Yenikapı High Speed Car Ferry Port on the European side, and the Pendik High Speed Car Ferry Port on the Asian side. The ferries operated by Seabus are larger than other such transport in the city. You can shorten your drive from Istanbul to Izmir, and other major destinations on Turkey's Aegean coast by several hours by taking the car ferries that ply between Yenikapı on the European side of Istanbul, and Bandırma.

Istanbul port is the most important port in Turkey. While the old port on the Golden Horn is mainly used by individual passengers, the large cruise liners use the Karaköy port in Galata. You can take a seabus or a cruiser from Karaköy and Eminönü to numerous places such as Pireaus (Greece) and the Greek islands, Dubrovnik (Croatia), Venice, Naples (Italy), Marseille (France), and Haifa (Israel) in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as to Odessa (Ukraine) in the Black Sea.

Getting around Istanbul

The main bus station which is known as the International İstanbul Bus Station, or the otogar, is at Esenler, 10 km (6miles) west of Sultanahmet. Istanbul is served by city and private buses. You can catch a suburban train from Sirkeci station, and although this is cheap, you'll find that trains here are rather poorly maintained. You can find some inexpensive trains that run frequently in the new metro which is still under construction. If you want to see the beautiful side of the city, there is nothing like taking the tram. A large number of yellow taxis ply Istanbul. You can rent a car if you have the courage to brave the crazy traffic. But if you want a bit of inexpensive fun, take the hour long ride on the ferry or a catamaran up the Golden Horn or the Bosphorus.