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| WITHIN THE CITIES | |
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Plane Talk
Atatürk International Airport is located in Yeşilköy, 25 kms from Taksim. The new International Terminal is one of the busiest hubs in the region as a major transit point from East to West and. It also features Duty Free Shops in the Arrivals area so you can load up on cigarettes and liquor. Upon arriving, landing to customs is usually a quick process taking no more then 20 minutes to a half hour. Visas for U.S. and residents of EU countries can be obtained upon arrival. Departure is a more lengthy operation involving passing through extra security checks that could take up to 90 minutes.
Connections to the City
Transportation options from Atatürk Airport into town include:
Bus Shuttle – The Havaş bus company provides service from airport to Taksim Square and Taksim Square to airport, charge is 7.500.000 TL (5 USD-4.5 Euro-3 Pound) between 05.00-06.00 every hour, between 06.00-23.00 every half an hour. The Havas buses depart from a bus stop located outside on the street at ground level at International Arrivals. They stop at the Sea Bus station Bakırköy (for transfers to Bostancı and Kadıköy on the Asian side), Aksaray and Taksim Square.
Taxi - typical minimum charge into Taksim is USD 18.00 - 14 Euro- 10 Pound- - 25.000.000 TL (25 million Turkish Lira)
Hotel shuttle buses - Many of the major hotels provide shuttle bus and van services to and from the airport. A typical average charge is USD 85.00 + V.A.T.
Limousine - typical minimum charge is USD 110.00 + V.A.T.
There is another airport, Sabiha Gökçen Airport, on the Asian side in Kurtköy. It is currently used by low-cost and charter airlines only.
Taxis
Taxis are a dependable means of public transportation available at all times of day and night. Make sure to only use yellow taxis with meters and pay attention to be sure the driver turns on the meter. The day-time tariff, gündüz, starts 1.050.00 TL (one million, fifty thousand TL, about $.75) and increases at night between midnight and 6:00 a.m., gece, with the meter starting at 1.350.000 TL, almost a $1. Tipping is not required but rounding up to an even denomination is common, i.e. 4.800.000 TL to 5.000.000 TL. As in most major cities, there are some less then honest characters out there. Be careful especially when giving large denominations, 20 million TL bills, or receiving change, 1 million TL bill instead of 10 million TL. A cab from Sultanahmet to Taksim on average is about 5 million TL, about $3 to $4.
Public Transportation
Public transportation options include the limited Metro (stations at Taksim - Osmanbey - Gayrettepe - Levent - 4 Levent), the world's largest bus fleet, the light rail system departing from Sirkeci station in the historic Sultan Ahmet district, and numerous ferryboats that criss-cross the Bosphorus from the main terminals at Eminönu, Karaköy and Beşiktaş. Also not to be missed is the historic tramway that shuttles up and down the pedestrian-only Istiklal Caddesi in Beyoğlu and the 19th century funicular subway, Tünel, located at the end of Istiklal Caddesi.
Buses
The Municipality operates a large fleet of red colored public buses, belediye otobüsleri, complemented by the privately operated blue and green private buses, halk otobüsleri. Tickets for the public buses, $.75 are not taken by the private buses. Only the automated AKBIL, 'smart card' works on both systems.
Dolmuş
The dolmuş, meaning full, are point to point shared taxis or jitneys, that run between the city’s major centers. If you don’t get on at the departure point you can flag them down anywhere on their route. The destination of the dolmuş is usually placed on the front window. Payment is made en route but can also be done at the last stop if you are going to the end of the line. Popular routes are Taksim to Teşvikiye, Bostanci, Kadıköy, Bakırköy, Yeşilköy, Kadıköy to Bostancı. The large squarish minibuses are the poorer cousins to the dolmuş operating in the same manner. The main minibus line runs from Beşiktaş to the business centers in Balmumcu, Gayrettepe, Levent, Maslak and back down to the Bosphorus at Sarıyer.
Ferry boats and hydrofoils
Despite being surrounded by seas on three sides, Istanbul does not have the elaborate sea transport system of a Venice or even Amsterdam. What it does have is continuous service between the two Asian centers of Kadıköy and Üsküdar, and Beşiktaş, Kabataş, Eminonu/ Karaköy on the European side. The main form of sea transport are the sleek but slowish, vapur, managed by the Turkish Maritime Lines. The vapur run every 15 mins to half an hour from 6:30 AM to 9 PM depending on the line. There is also the Bosphorus that runs up and down the Bosphorus starting Eminönu up to Anadolu Kavağı with a special excursion on Sundays. Prices start at $.50 for a one way ticket.
The Istanbul Municipality runs the speedier, deniz otobüsleri, sea bus or hydrofoils, under the IDO (Istanbul Sea Buses) name. The main line is between Kabataş, Karaköy and Eminonu in the center of the city, to Kadıköy and Bostancı, on the Asian Side, and Bakırköy in the western part of the city near the Atatürk Airport. More expensive then the vapur, the average one way ticket is $2.
There are also cooperatively run smaller ferryboats that run as dolmuş. The Beşiktaş - Üsküdar is the most popular of these inexpensive lines running well into the evening up to as late as 2-3:00 AM. Costs $.50.
Metro, tram and Tünel
The quickly improving rail transportation in Istanbul features two main lines. The Taksim to Levent Metro connects the business and shopping centers of the European side. The more useful, for touristic purposes, Zeytinburnu to Eminönü line runs straight through the center of the historic peninsula passing by major sites such as Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar and Beyazıt Square. The tram costs $.70 and runs from 6:00 AM to 12:00 midnight. And lastly there is the Tünel and historic tram in Beyoğlu. The Tünel, one of the world's first subways, is a 125 year underground funicular line that connects Karaköy at the head of the Golden Horn with İstiklal Caddesi in Beyoğlu. From there the cute, one car historic tramway goes up to Taksim Square from Tünel. Tickets for each are bought separately at $.50.
Intercity Transport
Getting out of Istanbul to the rest of Turkey up to last year meant catching a Turkish Airlines flight out of the domestic terminal at Atatürk Airport. This year with the addition of new privately run airlines, now there are many more options and prices available for trips to Mediterranean and Aegean hotspots like Antalya, Bodrum, Izmir and Fethiye. In addition to Turkish Airlines, check with Onur Air, Atlasjet, and Flyair. For most Turks, the main form of national transportation is the cheap and ubiquitous inter city buses. There are two major bus stations on either side of the city, Topkapi on the European side and Harem on the Asian side. The upmarket Varan and Ulusoy bus companies run out of their own terminals stopping en route to their destinations at well appointed road side restaurants and rest stations on route. A trip to Ankara via bus costs on average $30 (45 million TL) and lasts about 5 ½ hours.
SHUTTLE TRAIN
Tel: 444 8 233
HELICOPTER & PLANE RENTAL
MACH AIR: 0212 541 14 23
SANCAK AIR: 0212 541 41 41
TOP AIR: 0212 599 02 279
FERRIES & SEA BUSES
Tel: 444 4 436
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| | CAR RENTAL | DISTRICT | PHONE | |
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Avis |
Yeşilköy |
0212 662 08 52 -
465 34 55 |
| Sabiha Gökçen Airport |
0216 585 51 54 |
| Budget |
Taksim |
0212 296 31 98 |
| Yeşilköy |
0212 663 08 08 |
| Europcar |
Yeşilköy |
0212 465 36 96 |
| Taksim |
0212 254 77 10 |
| Hertz |
Yeşilköy |
0212 663 08 07 |
| Harbiye |
0212 233 71 01 |
| Inter Limousine Service |
Harbiye |
0212 230 27 43 |
| Sixt |
Üsküdar |
0216 318 90 40 |
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