Transportation in Istanbul


Istanbul’s a crowded and complex city. Because of that, traffic is one of the biggest problems. For a longer stay you should purchase Akbil, a debit card that can be used for most kinds of public transportation within the city. There’re different kinds of public transportation in Istanbul.

Bus

Private and public buses are very common. According to the traffic time tables can change. So you may wait 10,15 or 20 minutes for a bus. There’re three kinds of buses: The blue-green buses are privately owned and you pay money to get on. Foreign currency’s not accepted. The second kind of buses belong to municipality and are generally crowded. However they’re cheap

more »


Istanbul Airports (Ataturk and Sabiha Gokcen)


Istanbul (IST) (Ataturk, formerly Yesilkoy) (website: www.ataturkairport.com) is 24km (15 miles) west of the city (journey time - 30 to 50 minutes). To/from the airport: Havas runs a regular bus service between the airport and the city center. Taxis are available. Facilities: Duty-free shops, bank/bureau de change, bar, restaurant and car hire.

Sabiha Gokcen (SAW) (website: www.sgairport.com) is 40km (25 miles) from Istanbul, on the Asian side. To/from the airport: There are shuttle bus services to Taksim Square in the city (journey time - 45 minutes) and to Ataturk International Airport (journey time - 60 to 70 minutes). Taxis are available 24 hours. Facilities: Duty-free sh

more »