From the airport to Istanbul

Istanbul has two airports on two shores, and the one you land at decides your first hour in the city. Istanbul Airport (IST) stands in Arnavutköy on the European side, Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) in Pendik on the Asian side. Match the airport to the shore of your hotel, then follow the rail line that belongs to it.

IST is the newer and the larger of the two. On 6 April 2019 every scheduled passenger flight moved over from the old Atatürk airport, a relocation of the equipment that took 41 hours. It has a single terminal with five concourses, it is the home of Turkish Airlines, and in 2025 it handled about 84.5 million passengers. SAW is the base of Pegasus and AJet, so flights on either of those airlines land there. From Belgrade, Turkish flies to IST and Pegasus and AJet to SAW, depending on the season and the carrier.

Distances are as the crow flies; by road IST is about 45 km from Sultanahmet.

The two distances look alike, but the maps behind them do not. Sultanahmet, Fatih and Taksim all stand on the European shore, so IST gets you onto the rails without crossing the Bosphorus. Kadıköy and the rest of the Asian side belong to SAW, which has the M4 running straight to them. Choose the airport by the shore of the bed you have booked, and treat a small difference in the fare as the lesser question.

From IST to Sultanahmet: the metro and three changes

The M11 is fully underground and has no drivers, and it carries you from the terminal to Gayrettepe in about half an hour. Trains come roughly every fifteen minutes, the first leaves at 6:10 and the last goes around midnight. The line does not reach the old city, so from Gayrettepe you change to the M2 for Taksim, then to the F1, a short funicular down to Kabataş, and finally to the T1 tram that ends the trip at Sultanahmet.

That makes three changes, but the Istanbulkart works on all four lines and Taksim to Sultanahmet takes about 15 minutes. The alternative is the Havaist airport bus, which runs straight to Taksim with no change and takes 60 to 90 minutes. It accepts only an Istanbulkart or a bank card, so do not count on paying cash. The metro is the predictable choice, the bus the effortless one, and with a heavy suitcase many people will take the bus for that reason alone.

• Sultanahmet and Fatih: from IST the chain described above; from SAW take the M4 to Kadıköy, a ferry to Eminönü and the T1.
• Taksim and Beyoğlu: from IST the Havaist runs straight to Taksim, or you can use the M11 and the M2; from SAW take the M4 to Kadıköy and a ferry across.
• Kadıköy and the Asian shore: from SAW the M4 goes there directly, to the end of the line.

Getting aroundOnce you are in town, the city is crossed on the T1 tram, by ferry and on Marmaray. A full tram ride costs €0.82, and the page on getting around explains the rest.Getting around Istanbul →

The M4 has served the airport since 2 October 2022. The whole line to Kadıköy takes about 52 minutes, and at Ayrılık Çeşme it meets Marmaray, the line that runs beneath the Bosphorus. If your hotel is in Kadıköy, the ride ends there and you simply walk out of the station into the Asian side.

For the old city, ride the M4 to the end and cross by water. A ferry from Kadıköy to Eminönü takes about twenty minutes. Fare: €1.16. Eminönü is both the pier and a stop on the T1, so you step off the boat and onto the tram toward Sultanahmet. It is a longer way round than the IST rails, but the crossing itself is made on a boat.

Where to stayWhich district stands on which shore, and therefore which airport is closer, is laid out in the guide on where to stay. Galata is steep and narrow, which matters if you arrive with a suitcase.Where to stay in Istanbul →

Taxi and a prepaid transfer

A taxi from IST to Sultanahmet covers about 45 km by road and takes from forty minutes to an hour and a half, depending on the traffic. Taxis run on the meter, and bridge and road tolls are added to it. Because the meter, the tolls and the traffic all move the fare, the taxi is best kept for the moments when nothing else runs.

After the last metro around midnight, you have two choices: a metered taxi or a prepaid private transfer. The difference is who sets the price. A prepaid transfer, which you can book online before you fly, is paid at a fixed price in advance, and the price does not change with the traffic or the hour. For a late arrival with a tired family, a fixed price removes the one negotiation you will not want at that hour.

BudgetWhatever you choose for the ride in, it goes on the bill of the day, and the budget guide shows where it sits next to everything else.What Istanbul costs →

MistakesBooking the wrong airport is one of the mistakes that spoil a first day, and the page on mistakes lists the others.Mistakes everyone makes in Istanbul →

3 daysThe first day of the plan starts in Sultanahmet and needs no rides at all.Istanbul in 3 days →

FoodThe first dinner is best eaten by the piers and in the small restaurants nearby.What to eat in Istanbul →

Day tripsFrom Kadıköy a ferry also sails to Bursa, which the guide to day trips covers.Day trips from Istanbul →

When to goWhich month is for walking and which for an umbrella is covered in the guide on when to go.The best time to visit Istanbul →