Middle East - Anthony Ham [463]
Many foreign airlines have their offices north of Taksim, along Cumhuriyet Caddesi in Elmadağ. Travel agencies can also sell tickets and make reservations. Turkish Airlines Map; 0212-252 1106; www.thy.com; Cumhuriyet Caddesi 7) is the main domestic carrier, and Onur Air, Atlasjet and Fly Air also operate domestic flights from İstanbul.
For more details regarding flying to and from Turkey Click here; for details on flying around the country Click here.
Boat
Yenikapı (Map), south of Aksaray Sq, is the dock for fast ferries across the Sea of Marmara to Yalova, Bursa and Bandırma (from where you can catch a train to İzmir). These carry both passengers and cars.
Bus
The huge International İstanbul Bus Station (Uluslararası İstanbul Otogarı; off Map; 0212-658 0505) is the city’s main otogar (bus station) for intercity and international routes. It’s in Esenler, about 10km northwest of Sultanahmet. The Light Rail Transit (LRT) service stops here en route to/from the airport. If you’re coming from Taksim Sq, bus No 83O (TL1.30, one hour) leaves about every 20 minutes from around 6.30am to 8.40pm. A taxi from Sultanahmet to the otogar costs around TL22 (20 minutes); from Taksim Sq around TL30 (30 minutes). Many bus companies offer a free servis (shuttle bus) to or from the otogar.
Buses leave from here for virtually anywhere in Turkey and for international destinations including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Romania and Syria.
If you’re heading east to Anatolia, you might want to board at the smaller Harem Bus Station Map; 216-333 3763), north of Haydarpaşa Railway Station on the Asian shore, but the choice of service there is more limited. When arriving in İstanbul by bus from anywhere in Anatolia, it’s considerably quicker to get out at Harem and take the car ferry to Sirkeci/Eminönü (TL1.40), which runs between 7am and 9.30pm daily, than stay on the bus until the international station.
Car & Motorcyle
It makes no sense to drive around İstanbul itself and have to deal with the traffic and parking problems. However, if you’re heading out of the city, all the main car-hire agencies have desks at Atatürk International Airport, and some at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport.
Train
For services to Edirne and Europe go to Sirkeci Railway Station Map; 0212-527 0051). Daily international services from Sirkeci include the Bosfor/Balakan Ekspresi, stopping in Sofia (Bulgaria), Bucharest (Romania) and Belgrade (Serbia; TL92.40 to TL252.60), and the Dostlu/Filia Ekspresi to Thessaloniki (Greece; TL101.30 to TL178.20). European trains will terminate at Yenikapı after the completion of Marmaray, an ambitious public transport project aimed at relieving İstanbul’s woeful traffic congestion, but this will not come about until 2012 at the earliest.
Trains from Anatolia and from countries to the east and south terminate at Haydarpaşa Railway Station Map; 0216-336 4470), on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus. International services from Haydarpaşa include the Trans-Asya Ekspresi to Tabriz (Iran) and the Toros Ekspresi to Aleppo (Syria).
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GETTING AROUND
To/From the Airport
There’s a quick, cheap and efficient LRT service from Atatürk International Airport to Zeytinburnu (TL1.40), from where you connect with the tram (TL1.40) that takes you directly to Sultanahmet – the whole trip takes about 50 minutes.
If you are staying near Taksim Sq, the Havaş airport bus (Map; 0212-244 0487) is your best bet. Buses leave Atatürk airport (TL9) every 15 to 30 minutes from 4am to 1am, and Sabiha Gökçen airport (TL10) 25 minutes after planes land. From the Havaş office at Taksim, buses depart for the airports every 15 to 30 minutes from 4am to 1am (less frequently to Sabiha Gökçen).
Hostels and some of the smaller hotels in Sultanahmet can book minibus transport from the hostel to the airport for around TL10 per person. Unfortunately, this option only works going from town to the airport and not vice versa, and there are only six or so services per day.