ISTANBUL CITY GUIDE

Istanbul is an old old city, you can see the remains of many ancient civilizations and their culture in harmony with Turkish culture. The old versus the new, the traditional versus the modern is a conflict a visitor often observes. The city is full of contrasts, and colorful views,
So enjoy one of them:

The diverse ethnicity of the city, is another point which is worth examinig. The Minorities sum up to a majority and build up an enormous population. The natives of the city are very typical, you can easily identify them from the look in their eyes. take a look at the good old days.

Own car, your driving license will be valid. An International Driver's Permit is a good idea. Once you are in Istanbul, there are many ways to travel in the city. You can take a bus, taxi, mini-bus, shared cab (dolmus) or the tram to reach your destination by land, however if you prefer to enjoy the screams of seagulls along with a cup of tea, then you can take the ferries or the seabuses.

Istanbul is an old old city, you can see the remains of many ancient civilizations and their culture in harmony with Turkish culture. The old versus the new, the traditional versus the modern is a conflict a visitor often observes. The city is full of contrasts, and colorful views,
From the links below, you can find out the schedule of the Istanbul Atatürk Airport (Yesilkoy / Istanbul) and Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen International Airport.

"Atatürk Airport" Web Address; www.dhmiata.gov.tr
Arrivals & Departures
"Sabiha Gökcen Int. Airport" Web Address; www.sgairport.com
Arrivals & Departures

Plane Talk

Atatürk Airport is located in Yesilköy, in the european side of Istanbul. Airports distance is 28 km to downtown, 4 - 4.5 km to sea shore. The airports live at a dizzying pace for 365 days a year, and 24 hours a day. TAV’s experienced and genial staff operates at every point from the parking lot to the security inspections, from check-in’s to cafés, from duty free shops to boarding bridges; to ensure that the passengers are comfortable, and their journeys pleasant. 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 Havas bus company provides service from airport to Taksim Square and Taksim Square to airport, charge is 10 TL 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 15.00 - 12 Euro- 11 Pound - 25 TL (25 Turkish Lira)
Hotel shuttle buses - Many of the major hotels provide shuttle bus and van services to and from the airport.
Limousine - typical minimum charge is USD 110.00 + V.A.T.
There is another airport, Sabiha Gökcen 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 2 TL and increases at night between midnight and 6:00 a.m., gece, with the meter starting at 2.5 TL. Tipping is not required but rounding up to an even denomination is common, i.e. 4.8 TL to 5 TL. As in most major cities, there are some less then honest characters out there. A cab from Sultanahmet to Taksim on average is about 5 TL, about $3 to $4. From the airport to Taksim is about 20 YTL ($ 12) and 30 minutes approxamitly.

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.

Dolmush

The dolmush, 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 dolmush 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 Tunnel

The Istanbul Metro is a mass-transit underground railway network that serves the city of Istanbul, Turkey. Founded in 2000, it now includes 6 stations.The system currently consists of one line. This line is a north - south line. It is a serpentine shaped line, and is fully underground. It runs from 4 Levent to Taksim. Currently, the line works between Taksim and 4. Levent, but in the beginning of 2009, Şişhane, Sanayi, Maslak and Atatürk Oto Sanayi Stations will be in service, and the line will consist of ten stations. The tunnel between Şişhane and Taksim will pass under the İstiklal Street. There is a flat fare - 1.40 YTL ($ 1), paid in tokens. (which are valid on the funicular, Modern Tram, Hafif Metro, busses and trans-Bosporos ferry boats). Akbils are also valid. This is the most popular for long distance travelling. This ticket is valid in all metro, tram, light rail, funicular, ferry boat & bus.
Istanbul, the former capital of Turkey has three separate tramway systems. The city is divided between Asia & Europe. The Asian side has a heritage tram system, whether the European side has both heritage tram & modern tram system. Istanbul once had a large tramway network on both Asia & Europe. It first started as horse tram, & gradually changed to electric tram. The tram service was completely stopped in 1966. Tram returned in Istanbul in 1990.
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 Tunel, 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 Pegasus Air, 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 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