Istanbul - Getting There By Air

State-of-the-art Atatürk International Airport is located 23km (15 miles) west of central Istanbul, in Yeşilköy. 


Airport facilities: Facilities include bureaux de change, ATMs, two 24-hour health clinics, pharmacies, lost and found, banks, post office, 24-hour left luggage, business-class hotel (including accommodation at an hourly rate), baggage service, restaurants, snack bars, hairdresser, tourist information, shops, duty-free, 24-hour hotel reservation (private companies), travel agencies and car hire fromAvis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National-Alama,Sixt and Ülger. There are also Business facilities.

Transport to the city: The Havaş service bus (tel: (0212) 465 4700; website:www.havas.com.tr) to Aksaray and Taksim Square departs from the international and domestic terminals every 30 minutes (journey time - 30-40 minutes) between 0400-0100. Buses also run every 30 minutes as far as Bakirköy sea bus pier between 0630-2030 (weekdays), 0810-2130 (weekends). Buses also travel to the Akmerkez shopping centre in Etiler every two hours. IETT public buses run from nearby Yeşilköy into the city centre. There are plenty of taxis outside the airport; insist on the meter being used. A taxi to Taksim should cost around US$20. The Metro has regular trains between the airport and Esenler Otogar, the main bus station, and Aksaray.

For more information:
Istanbul Atatürk International Airport (IST)
Tel: (0212) 465 5555. 
Website: www.ataturkairport.com


Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport

Sabiha Gökçen airport is located on the Asian side of Istanbul, 50km (30 miles) east of Taksim, the European centre of Istanbul, 1.5km (1 mile) from the TEM motorway, and 12km (7.5 miles) from Pendik sea bus jetty and train station. This airport has relieved some of the overload at Atatürk Airport with its domestic terminal and international terminal mainly serving German cities, plus London and Amsterdam. It also handles a small number of charter flights to central Asia, and cargo and military planes.


Airport facilities: These include information and help desks, ATMs, a bank, post office, duty-free shops, gift shops, bookshops, restaurants, cafes, wheelchair service, a VIP lounge, conference and business facilities and parking. Car hire is provided in both terminals by Avis, Decar, Hertz and WRC.

Transport to the city: The Havaş service bus (see above) operates hourly to Taksim between 0400-0100, with stops including Pendik, Bostanci, Kadiköy and Harem. Cheaper IETT public buses run to Levent, Kadiköy and Kozyataği. Taxis are available 24 hours a day and cost at least US$60 to Taksim, more to Sultanahmet.

Approximate flight times to Istanbul: From London is 3 hours 30 minutes; from New York is 9 hours; from Los Angeles is 13 hours; from Toronto is 10 hours and 30 minutes and from Sydney is 22 hours.

For more information:
Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) 
Tel: (0216) 585 5000. 
Website: www.sgairport.com

Istanbul - Getting There By Rail

Turkish State Railways (TCDD) (tel: 444 8233; website: www.tcdd.gov.tr) operates the national railway network, with rolling stock that is often slow and lacking air conditioning, although cheap. There are two stations in Istanbul - Sirkeci Station, Ankara Caddesi, near Eminönü on the European side (tel: (0212) 527 0051), and Haydarpaşa Station, Haydarpaşa Istasyon Caddesi, near Kadiköy on the Asian side (tel: (0216) 336 0475). Both stations are equipped with restaurants, newspaper kiosks and waiting rooms.


Rail services: Trains bound for Sofia, Belgrade, Bucharest and Budapest (with transfers to Munich and Vienna) leave from Sirkeci Station, departing in the evening. Trains for Turkish destinations (Asian side) leave from Haydarpaşa Station. There are express trains between major Turkish cities but cheaper rural routes can be painfully slow and crowded. There are several services to Ankara, some overnight, the quickest being the daytimeBaşkent Express (journey time - 6 hours 30 minutes). There are also daily trains to Izmir (journey time - 11 hours including ferry crossing to Bandirma), Gaziantep (journey time - 27 hours) and Denizli (journey time - 15 hours).

Istanbul - Getting There By Road

Although the road network throughout Turkey is extensive, with some dual carriageways and numerous three-lane highways, maintenance can be poor and conditions dangerous - Turkey has one of the worst accident rates in the world. European road rules are now better enforced than before, with fines rising yearly, although the great volume of buses and trucks still make driving in Turkey challenging and visitors are advised to drive cautiously. 

The route from Europe has been greatly improved by the Istanbul bypass and two Bosphorus bridges which lead to the Istanbul-Ankara express. The fastest roads are theotoyols (multilane highways), linking Istanbul to several major cities. 

The legal driving age in Turkey is 18 years. Drivers bringing cars into Turkey must show their registration documents, passport and international driving licence at the place of entry. If arriving from Europe, visitors must have a Green Card (available from insurance companies) as well as appropriate top-up insurance. A valid driving licence, passport, logbook, insurance certificate and vehicle registration must be carried at all times. Driving is on the right and drivers must give way to the right at all times. The speed limit on motorways is 120kph (70mph), 90kph (55mph) on main roads and 50kph (30mph) in towns. Visiting drivers should also note that traffic lights change abruptly from red to green. Officially, the blood/alcohol limit is 0.05%, however, this is poorly enforced. 


British motoring associations have reciprocal agreements with the Turkish Touring and Automobile Association (TTOK) (tel: (0212) 282 8140; website:www.turing.org.tr). 

Emergency breakdown service: To report an accident, call the Traffic Police(tel: 154). SOS phones are available on the roadsides on motorways. 

Routes to the city: The E-80, E-90 and Trans European Motorway (TEM) are the three main roads leading to Turkey from European borders. The main motorway from the Turkish border at Edirne straight through to Istanbul, Ankara and beyond is the E-80, closely paralleled by the somewhat smaller D-100. The route to Antalya follows the E-80 to Izmit and then heads south on the D-650. 

Approximate driving times to Istanbul: From Ankara - 7 hours; from Antalya - 12 hours. 

Coach services: The safest and most convenient method of internal transport, especially for travel to southern Turkish resorts, is Turkey's vast system of intercity coaches. 

Uluslararasi Istanbul Otogari or International Istanbul Bus Terminal (tel: (0212) 658 0505) in Esenler, about 10km (6 miles) west of the city centre, serves all international and most domestic lines. Most major intercity companies have free service buses from central Istanbul to the bus station. Most of these shuttle services leave (in good time before the coach scheduled departure time) from Inonu Caddesi and Sirasilveler Caddesi in Taksim, also home to many ticket offices. Visitors can book tickets here any time before departure and most offices take credit cards, with the biggest firms accepting online bookings.

The Esenler bus terminal can also easily be reached by the Hizli Tren (rapid train) service from Aksaray, or from Sultanahmet by using a combination of tram and metro. IETT city bus 83-O runs direct to the bus station from Taksim square. A few Anatolian services leave from Harem otogar (tel: (0212) 333 3763) on the Asian side.

Some of the best companies include: Kamil Koç (tel: (0212) 658 2000 or 444 0562 (toll free); website: www.kamilkoc.com.tr), which serves a wide range of destinations throughout Turkey, including Bursa, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Bodrum, Fethiye and Çanakkale; Ulusoy (tel: 444 1888 (toll free); website:www.ulusoy.com.tr), which serves international destinations, Ankara, the Black Sea, as well as Izmir and Antalya; Varan (tel: 444 8999 (toll free) or (0212) 658 0270; website: www.varan.com.tr), which serves Greece and Austria as well as much of western and southern Turkey. Long journeys are usually made at night, leaving Istanbul between 2200 and 2400 and arriving at the destination in the morning.