Below you will find detailed instructions for transport into Sultanahmet. The easiest is to contact us for either a 2 Way Private Transfer Ataturk Airport 30 EURO or 2 way Private Transfer Sabiha Gokcen Airport 100 EURO – if you book this we will meet you just beyond the barrier with a signboard and a private car.
Getting to Sultanahmet from Ataturk Airport
Most planes arrive at Istanbul Atatürk Airport 20 km west of the city centre. From the airport, there are various options for getting into Istanbul: you can take a taxi (about 30-35 TL to Taksim. About the same to Sultanahmet), the express bus service run by the local airport service called “Havaş” which departs half-hourly between 4AM-midnight and costs 10 TL to Taksim (and also to Etiler, and Kozyatağı), the public bus (line #96T) run by İETT costing 5 TL, which also stops at Aksaray close to Sultanahmet. Travel times are 20–40 minutes, but depend a lot on traffic, and Istanbul is heavily congested!
Then, there is the metro (signposted “light rail” in the airport, when you get outside the baggage claim its about a 10 minute walk in the airport to the metro line. Just follow the signs), which will take you directly to the Otogar (bus station) or to numerous stops within Istanbul (Aksaray in the city centre is the last stop, transfer stations for tram heading for deeper into old city is available at Zeytinburnu and Aksaray). It costs 2 TL (+an extra 2 TL when boarding the tram) and getting to Aksaray takes around 45 minutes.
When entering the metro station, you need to buy a jeton (token) for 2 lira. Just hand the cashier 2 lira and he’ll give you a token, or use the automatic dispenser (Jetonmatik), which accepts banknotes (5 TL, 10 TL) as well as coins. Use ‘select’ to choose the number of jetons and then push ‘ok’. They don’t accept credit card or foreign currency here. This will get you on the red metro line (towards Aksaray). From this line, if you are going to Sultanahmet, you can transfer at Zeytinburnu and buy another jeton (2 lira). Note that the jeton token here is different than the first one. From Zeytinburnu, take the blue tram line T1, towards Kabataş which passes by: Sultanahmet, Eminönu and Tophane. The trip from the airport to Sultanahmet takes about 45 min.
Directions from the Sultanahmet Tram stop: Walk down the Hippodrome to the end – you will see a large Ottoman building which is part of Marmara University. Veer left, but then turn right. (the Ancient Hippodrome walls are then on your right) Walk down the hill, past the car park and you will see a small childrens playground, Turn right there and left and Ayasofya is in front of you! Dont hesitate to ask if you are lost or you can phone us on 516 9446 for help!!
Other Notes: Note that people are working on commission at the airport trying to make you use special shuttle buses for very high fees (30+ TL), so for people who wish to travel more economically the Metro/tram-combination is easy and fairly quick, and offers very good value. Travel by metro/tram cost 1 token per trip which is equal to 2 TL. No matter how long you travel, it costs 1 token per trip.
Arriving at Sabiha Gökçen Airport
Istanbul also has a second airport, Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (IATA: SAW), located in the Anatolian side of the city. Charter flights as well as European low cost carriers operate from here most of the time. A Havatas bus (Havaş bus before 12 Jan 2012) connects this airport with Taksim in the city center for 14 TL (Jun 2011) and takes about an hour (closer to two in heavy traffic). There is also a Havaş service to Kozyatağı, a transportation hub of Asian Side, which costs 10 TL. If you arrive in the middle of the night, you can move to the departure hall after passing customs and rest on very comfortable seats — you will even find coin-operated Japanese massage chairs. Then, at 5AM the first Havaş bus will take you to town. The Havaş bus schedule is sometimes linked to the arrival/departure times of planes. A cheaper option is to take public bus line #E10 which brings you to Kadıköy, the main centre of the city in Asian Side, in 70 min (3 TL) and which operates 24 hours a day (once every hour between midnight and 6AM, more frequent in the rest of the day; see timetables ). From Kadıköy, you can take a ferry to Eminönü or Karaköy. Various private operators offer internet bookable shared minibuses to central locations — a good choice when arriving late. A typical price being EUR 90 for 4 people to a hotel in Laleli. A taxi to Sabiha Gökçen airport from Taksim, which lies around 50 km from the airport, takes ~35 minutes at 3:30am with no traffic. The meter will show ~65 lira, plus there is ~6 lira in tolls. Note the security screening is before the check-in counters, so add some extra time to make the cutoff times (45 minutes for international, 30 for domestic).
When arriving at Sabiha Gökçen airport, there are people offering shuttle services to the European side of the city, most costing €10, which is much cheaper than booking a taxi with your hotel/hostel (about €50-60). It is the best option after the Havas airport buses. For the return journey, officers are quite zealous with luggage checks and they systematically remove the cap from bottled water once at the gate. It is recommended not to buy water before the flight although you can take the open bottle on board. Another surprising feature of Sabiha Gökçen airport is the luggage check at the main entrance, but fortunately you are allowed to take drinks in the airport at this point.
Visa: Depending on nationality, foreigners arriving in Istanbul may need to purchase tourist visas (USA and some EU citizens, depending on exact nationality, do). This must be done upon arrival before queuing for passport control. The windows for purchasing the visa are located immediately to the left of the main passport control booths. You may pay using foreign currency or Turkish Lira (TL). The fee varies depending on the visitor’s nationality. The fee is $20 (or €15 or 10 GBP) for visitors traveling with U.S. and Australian passports. As of Sep 2008, Canadians pay US$60 (or €45). As of Aug 2009, EU pays €15 (note that GB citizens may pay in Pounds), or the fee is 35 TL.
Note that food and drinks at the airport may cost up to five times more than in the city proper, like in other international airports. If you are traveling on budget and plan to spend some time at the airport, it may be wise to bring your own meals from town instead of buying them there. If you come from the Metro, there is a supermarket in the tunnel leading to the elevators / stairs to the airport proper where you can do some last-minute shopping.
By train
International trains from across Europe arrive at the station in Sirkeci, close to Sultanahmet. Asian trains arrive at Haydarpasa station. To get between the two, catch a ferry across the Bosphorus (see Get around). Marmaray, the Rail Tube Tunnel and Commuter Rail Mass Transit System is being built, and is projected to be one of the most challenging infrastructure projects in Turkey.
International trains to and from Sirkeci:
Daily overnight train Balkan Express from Belgrade (Serbia) via Sofia (Bulgaria). Daily overnight Bosphorus Express from Bucharest (Romania) (departure at 12.16PM from Bucharest, arrival at 8.30AM in Istanbul, but expect about 2 hours delay) Cost: 170 RON (about 40 euro) for a second class sleeper, plus an additional fee if you wish a sleeping compartment (77 euro for a single-bed cabin or 10 to 33 euro for twin/up to six beds/cabin). No restaurant.
TransBalkan Express from Budapest (Hungary) also has one of its cars attached to Bosphorus Exp. in Bucharest, thus providing a direct service from Budapest to Istanbul. Twice a day there are trains to Thessaloniki (Greece) – the slow morning train that takes almost a whole day and the fast night train that is quicker but more expensive. (Due to budget cuts by the Greek government, the services to/from Greece has been suspended indefinitely since 13th February 2011.)
International trains to and from Haydarpasa:
Weekly trains to Aleppo (Syria) – taken out of service in 2008; it is unknown whether and when this service will resume. Weekly train to Teheran (Iran) (from Haydarpasa station) every Wednesday 10.55PM, costing 105 Turkish lira. It is also a good way to drive in the Eastern part of Turkey. You change trains on Friday at Lake Van which requires a four hour ferry ride to get across. Both the Turkish and Iranian trains are comfortable and clean. Waggon restaurants are rather cheap. Arrival in Tehran on Saturday at 6.45PM (but expect up to 10 hours delay…).
Schedule and price list of railway trips can be gathered from TCDD (Turkish Republic State Railways)
When arriving at the Turkish border from Europe, you may need to buy a visa before getting your passport stamp. This counter accepts only Euros or USD, not Turkish Lira. You need to go to the visa counter first to purchase your visa, then to passport control to get it stamped.
By bus
Buses and coaches terminate at the colossal Esenler Otogar, about 10 km west of the city center, located on the European side. Courtesy minibuses or taxis will easily get you into the center. The metro also stops at the Otogar. There are several daily buses to/from cities in Bulgaria, Greece, Republic of Macedonia and Romania.
With 168 ticket offices and gates, shops, restaurants, hotel, police station, clinic and mosque, the Büyük Otogar is a town in itself. From/To Thessaloniki (Greece): ticket prices are around €35 (one way). From/To Sofia and Varna (Bulgaria): ~25€ (one way). From/To Skopje (Macedonia): ~40€ (one way)
“Harem” is the major hub for the buses on the Anatolian (Asian) side, which can be reached easily from the European side with a Ferryboat.
By boat
International ferries, carrying tourist groups from outside Turkey stop at Karakoy Port. The port is ideally located close to Sultanahmet and Taksim. Cruise ships often dock close to downtown. Passengers not on tours will find taxis readily available at the port entrance, and modern streetcars a short walk away.
By car
Traffic in Istanbul can be manic; expect a stressful drive because you will be cut off and honked at constantly. The city currently holds more than 1,500,000 automobiles and there is a strong demand for building of new or alternate highways. If you’ve arrived in Istanbul by car, and you’re not familiar with the streets, it’s better to park your car in a safe place and take public transportation to get around. The city, lying on two different continents and separated by the Bosphorus, is connected by two bridges. The bridge on the south, closer to the Marmara Sea, is called the “Bosphorus Bridge”. The bridge closer to the Black Sea is named “Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge” and is longer than the first one. Both are toll bridges, and you must pay a fee to cross. Since 2006, the Bosphorus Bridge toll stations do not accept cash, and payment must be made using electronic cards, either manually (KGS) or automatically via a transponder mounted on the front of the car (OGS). The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge does not accept cash either, only KGS or OGS.
On weekdays, drivers should be aware of potentially hour-long traffic jams on the highways leading to both bridges, particularly heading west in the mornings and east in the evenings, since most people live on the Anatolian side but work on the European side.
There is a great shortage of parking in Istanbul, and existing lots are quite expensive. You will see many cars parked on the sides of the road, in front of garage doors even. Drivers unfamiliar with the city should also be aware that street signs are rare. It is a common thing to pull over and ask for directions, something the natives and taxi drivers do quite often.
