Istanbul Travel Guide

Getting There By Air

Airlines offering flights to Istanbul from the UK include Turkish Airlines and British Airways (to Istanbul Ataturk) and easyJet and Pegasus Airlines (to Sabiha Gokcen). Flights to Istanbul from the UK take over three hours and cheap flights are available with no-frills airlines especially.

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

Rebuilt, state-of-the-art Atatürk International Airport is located 28km (17.5 miles) west of central Istanbul, in Yeşilköy.

Airport facilities
Facilities include bureau de change, ATMs, two 24-hour health clinics, pharmacies, 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, travel agencies and car hire from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National-Alama, Sixt and Ülger. Business facilities are also available.

Transport to the city
The Havaş service bus (tel: (0212) 465 4700; www.havas.net/en) 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 center in Etiler every two hours. IETT public buses run from nearby Yeşilköy into the city center.

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.

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

Sabiha Gökçen airport is located on the Asian side of Istanbul, 50km (30 miles) east of Taksim, the European center 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, cafés, 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 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.

Getting There By Road

Although the road network throughout Turkey is extensive, maintenance can be poor and conditions dangerous. European road rules are now better enforced than before, although the great volume of buses and trucks still make driving in Turkey challenging. The legal driving age in Turkey is 18 years. Driving in Istanbul is on the right and drivers must give way to the right at all times. Visiting drivers should also note that traffic lights change abruptly from red to green. Speed limits are 120kph (75mph) on motorways, 90kph (56mph) on main roads and 50kph (31mph) in towns. Drivers bringing cars into Turkey must show their registration documents, passport and international driving license at the place of entry. If arriving from Europe, visitors must have a Green Card and top-up insurance. A valid driving license, passport, logbook, insurance certificate and vehicle registration must be carried at all times. British motoring associations have reciprocal agreements with the Turkish Touring and Automobile Association (tel: (0212) 282 8140; www.turing.org.tr).

Emergency breakdown services
Traffic Police (tel: 154).

Routes to the city
The route to Istanbul from Europe has been greatly improved by the Istanbul bypass and two Bosphorus bridges which lead to the Istanbul-Ankara express. 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.

Driving times to the city
From Ankara - 6 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. Buyuk Istanbul Otogari (International Istanbul Bus Terminal) in Esenler, about 10km (6 miles) west of Istanbul, serves all international and most domestic lines. Most major intercity companies have free service buses from central Istanbul (usually Inonu Caddesi and Sirasilveler Caddesi in Taksim) to the bus station. 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 on the Asian side. Some of the best coach companies in Istanbul include: Kamil Koç (tel: 444 0562; 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; www.ulusoy.com.tr), which serves international destinations, Ankara, the Black Sea, as well as Izmir and Antalya; and Varan (tel: 444 8999; 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 after 2200 and arriving at the destination in the morning.

Getting There By Rail

Rail services from Istanbul are cheap and the cities is well connected.

Rail Services
Turkish State Railways - TCDD (tel: 444 8233; 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, and Haydarpaşa Station, Haydarpaşa Istasyon Caddesi, near Kadiköy on the Asian side. Trains bound for Sofia, Belgrade, Bucharest and Budapest (with transfers to Munich and Vienna) leave from Sirkeci Station, departing in the evening.

Rail Operators
Turkish State Railways offers the Friendship Express service to Thessaloniki from Sirkeci Station. 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.

Connections
From Ankara - 6 hours 30 minutes; Izmir - 11 hours; Gaziantep - 27 hours; Denizli - 15 hours.

Getting Around in Istanbul, Turkey

Public Transport

Istanbul has a modern metro system complemented by private and state-owned buses (tel: (0212) 245 0720; www.iett.gov.tr/en). Trams run through the city center to the outlying suburbs.

Light railway services operate to Atatürk airport, the main bus station and Aksaray, and HaydarpasŸa and Gebze Banliyö. Information on rail, metro and trams is available from Istanbul Ulasim (tel: (0212) 568 9970; www.istanbululasim.com.tr).

More unusual transport services include funiculars between KabatasŸ and Taksim; the vintage Nostaljik Tramvay, which clatters along Istiklal Caddesi; the Tünel underground, built in 1877, which travels the steep hill between Karaköy and Istiklal Caddesi; and the small circular tramway between Kadiköy and Moda.

Passenger ferries (tel: (0212) 251 5000; www.tdi.com.tr) connect points along the Golden Horn and Bosphorus. Buy tokens at dockside kiosks. The Deniz Otobusu (sea bus) (tel: (0212) 444 4436; www.ido.com.tr/en) offers a quicker but more expensive service. Small privately operated ferries run between Üsküdar and Besiktas.

DolmusŸ minibuses operate fixed routes throughout Istanbul and suburbs and can be flagged down anywhere. Pay the driver when boarding.

Taxis

Taxis can be hailed almost anywhere and at any time in Istanbul. Turks do not normally tip, but drivers often hope for a tip from foreigners. Demand that the meter (taksimeter) is switched on, as it must be by law. Reliable taxi companies include Canlicar Turizm Telsiz Taksi (tel: (0216) 318 1859), Istanbul Transfer (tel: (0212) 516 7701) and Zincirlikuyu Taksi (tel: (0212) 272 3625).

Driving in the City

Istanbul's vast urban sprawl is prone to severe congestion. Navigating its streets is difficult, driving standards are poor, and overall it is neither advisable nor necessary for foreigners to drive in the city.

Car Hire

Hiring a car in Istanbul is not advised but is available from Avis (tel: (0212) 297 9610; www.avis.com.tr), Europcar (tel: (0212) 254 7710; www.europcar.com.tr) and Hertz (tel: (0212) 465 5999; www.hertz.com.tr). Drivers must be over 21 years and have held a license for at least one year.