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Boat

The cheapest and most scenic way to travel any distance in İstanbul is by ferry. The main ferry docks are at the mouth of the Golden Horn (Eminönü, Sirkeci and Karaköy) and at Beşiktaş, a few kilometres northeast of the Galata Bridge, near Dolmabahçe Palace. Jetons (transport tokens) cost TL1.40.

Ferries for Üsküdar and the Bosphorus leave from Eminönü; ferries depart from Kabataş (Adalar İskelesi dock) for the Princes’ Islands. From Karaköy, cruise ships dock and ferries depart for Kadıköy and Haydarpaşa on the Asian shore.

Public Transport

A tramvay (tramway) service runs from Zeytinburnu (where it connects with the airport LRT) to Kabataş (connecting with the funicular to Taksim Sq) via Sultanahmet, Eminönü and Karaköy (connecting with the funicular to Tünel). Trams run every five minutes or so from 6am to midnight.

A quaint antique tram rattles up and down İstiklal Caddesi in Beyoğlu, from the Tünel station to Taksim Sq via the Galatasaray Lisesi.

An LRT service connects Aksaray with the airport, stopping at 15 stations, including the main otogar, along the way. It operates from 5.40am until 1.40am.

İstanbul’s efficient bus system has major bus stations at Taksim Sq, Beşiktaş, Aksaray, Rüstempaşa-Eminönü, Kadıköy and Üsküdar. Most services run between 6.30am and 11.30pm.

There is a one-stop Tünel funicular system between Karaköy and İstiklal Caddesi (TL1.40, every 10 or 15 minutes from 7.30am to 9pm). A newer funicular railway runs through a tunnel from Kabataş (where it connects with the tram) up to the metro station at Taksim Sq.

Every 30 minutes, suburban trains from Sirkeci Railway Station (TL1.40) run along the southern walls of Old İstanbul and west along the Marmara shore. There’s a handy station in Cankurtaran for Sultanahmet. Services also connect Haydarpaşa Train Station with Gebze via Bostancı.

Taxi

İstanbul is full of yellow taxis, all of them with meters, although not all drivers want to use them. From Sultanahmet to Taksim costs around TL10; to the main otogar around TL22.

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AROUND İSTANBUL

Since İstanbul is such a vast city, few places are within easy reach on a day trip. However, if you make an early start it’s just possible to see the sights of Edirne in Thrace (Trakya), the only bit of Turkey that is geographically within Europe. The fast ferry link means that you can also just make it to Bursa and back in a day, although it’s much better to plan to overnight there. Another must-see is İznik, a historic walled town on the shores of a peaceful lake, easily accessible from İstanbul.

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EDİRNE

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European Turkey’s largest settlement outside İstanbul, Edirne is disregarded by all but a handful of travellers who come to enjoy the stunning architecture. It was briefly the capital of the Ottoman Empire and many of its key buildings are in excellent shape. You’ll find none of the razzmatazz or crowds of the Aegean or Mediterranean coasts here, but Edirne is hardly a backwater. With the Greek and Bulgarian frontiers a half-hour’s drive away, the streets are crowded with foreigners, locals and off-duty soldiers. At the end of June is the oily Kırpınar Wrestling Festival.

Sights

Dominating Edirne’s skyline like a massive battleship is the Selimiye Mosque (1569–75), the finest work of the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. Its lofty dome and four tall (71m), slender minarets create a dramatic perspective. In the southeast corner of the complex is the 15-room Turkish & Islamic Arts Museum (Türk İslam Eserleri Müzesi; 225 1120; admission TL2; 8am-5pm Tue-Sun), which features displays on oil wrestling and dervishes. Smack-bang in the centre of town, you can’t miss the 1414 Eski Cami (Old Mosque), which has rows of arches and pillars supporting a series of small domes. Another example of architectural magnificence is the Üçşerefeli Cami (Three-Balcony Mosque), which has four strikingly different minarets, all built at different