Istanbul Airport is connected to the metro and bus network. The city centre can also be reached by more expensive express buses.
Top 10 cheapest hotels in Istanbul
What is the fastest and cheapest way to get to central Taksim Square?
| Type of transport | Price | Travel time | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro M11 (+ transfer to line M2) | 43 try* | 60-75 minutes | 20 minutes |
| Bus Havaist-16 | 204 try | 100 minutes | 30-40 minutes |
| Taxi | 1 200 try | 80 minutes | Nonstop |
* Fare price excluding the purchase price of transport cards that you can use to load additional fares when travelling around Istanbul.
Metro M11 to Istanbul
Istanbul Airport (IST) is served by the light purple M11 metro line. The station is approximately a 10-minute walk from the terminal.
The current terminus in Istanbul is called Gayrettepe in the north of the city, where you can change to the green M2 line towards central Taksim Square or Yenikapi.
The airport metro does not have a terminus, so pay attention at the station to which platform you will be departing from:
- Gayrettepe direction - Istanbul city centre
- Arnavutköy direction - outside the centre
The Gayrettepe terminus takes 30 minutes to reach, while the central Taksim Square with 1 change takes about 60 minutes. The transfer between the M11 and M2 lines is quite long and takes about 15 minutes.
- Driving time - 30 minutes to Gayrettepe and approx. 65 minutes to Taksim with 1 change
- Frequency - every 20 minutes
- Fares - 23 try to Gayerettepe terminus + 20 try to Taksim Square
- First train from Gayrettepe - 6:00
- Last train from the airport towards Gayrettepe - 0:14 (in the other direction outside the centre the metro runs until about 1:20)
The official metro website metro.istanbul does not include the M11 line, which is operated by Turkish Railways TCDD.
- Tip for a good hotel near Gayrettepe station - Mövenpick Hotel Istanbul Bosphorus ****
- Tip for a cheap and well rated hotel in Taksim Square - Utarit Hotel ***
Tickets
Buying tickets at the station at the airport can be a bit confusing.
You will find two types of machines:
- The yellow "Biletmatik" machine - sells an Istanbulkart valid for all metro lines (including the M11 to the airport) and buses in Istanbul.
- In the machine marked with a blue sign "Istanbul City Card Sold Here) you can buy exclusively all-day and multi-day IstanbulKart(all-day approx. 470 try, 3-day approx. 650 try)
- In the vending machine without this sign, you can buy a classic IstanbulKart for 130 try, which you can load with any amount of money
- Blue "PTT" machine - sells PTT transport cards which are valid only for the M11 line and cannot be used for transport on any other metro or buses in Istanbul
- Purchase price of the card - 40 try
- Fare price on Gayrettepe - 23 try
- PTT card can be used for transport in some other Turkish cities, especially for trains and metro lines operated by Turkish Railways TCDD
Buses Havaist
Currently, the most direct service to the city centre is provided by HavaIst buses. There are many routes operating from the airport to the whole of Istanbul, the most popular of which is logically the service to central Taksim Square.
The bus stops are clearly signposted and are located one floor below the arrivals hall (about a 3-minute walk from arrivals).
The map below shows all the stops where Havaist routes stop.
Timetables for all routes and online ticketing can be found on the official hava.ist website. On this page, you can also see a map of the line after entering your destination, and the current location of the buses is also marked in red.
Tickets for all routes can be purchased from the driver (card and cash payments are possible). Fares can also be paid with an IstanbulKart if you have enough money loaded on it.
Route HVIST-16 (Taksim Square)
The HVIST-16 line to Taksim Square (transfer to M2 metro) also stops at Piyalepaşa and Nurtepe Viyadük stations:
- Travel time to Taksim - 100 minutes
- Frequency - every 30-40 minutes
- Fares - 204 try
- First buses from Taksim Square - 1:20, 3:10, 4:00, 4:40
- Last buses from the airport - 0:20, 1:00, 1:50, 2:40
At Taksim Square, buses stop at the Abdülhak Hamit side street near the northern edge of the square (see map).
- A tip for a hotel right by the bus stop - Ramada By Wyndham İstanbul Taksim ****
Route HVIST-12 (Aksaray, Blue Mosque)
The HVIST-12 line goes to the Aksaray - Beyazit Meydan terminus near the famous Blue Mosque (transfer to the T1 tram). It also stops at Aksaray (transfer to M1 metro), Ulubatli, Ayvansaray and Nurtepe Viyadük stations.
- Journey time - 100 minutes
- Frequency - every 25-30 minutes
- Fares - 204 try
- First buses from Aksaray - 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:10, 4:45
- Last buses from airport - 0:10, 0:40, 1:20, 2:00, 3:00
Route HVIST-5 (bus station)
The HVIST-5 line will take you directly to the main intercity bus station Otogar.
- Travel time to Otogar - 80 minutes
- Frequency - 1-2 times per hour
- Fares - 158 try
- First buses from Otogar - 3:00, 4:20
- Last buses from the airport - 0:40, 1:50
Other routes
In addition to the two direct connections to the city centre mentioned above, there are other direct routes to different parts of Istanbul.
- HVIST-15: direction Beşiktaş Meydan in the district of the same name on the banks of the Bosphorus. It also stops at Zincirlikuyu (transfer to M2 metro - Gayrettepe station) and 4th Levent (transfer to M2 metro).
- Fares: 204 try
- Frequency.
- HVIST-14: direction Kadiköy (change to metro M4). On the way it also stops at Kavacik, Tepeüstü, Yenisahara (transfer to M4 metro) and Acibadem stations.
- Fares: 223 try
- Frequency: approx. 1x per hour
For a complete list of Havaist services running in and out of the centre, see the map attached below.
Taxi
There are three types of taxis to the airport, graded according to the quality of the car. For the average tourist, the cheapest orange taxis will suffice. They are strictly metered and usually you cannot pay by card, only cash.
Prices are set by district. For example, in Taksim Square you can pay depending on the traffic 1 000 try to 1 350 try.
The way Uber and Bolt work at Istanbul airport is that you only call the aforementioned official taxi through them.
IETT buses
Istanbul's transport company, IETT, also has buses at the airport, which you can use especially when travelling to nearby villages and neighbourhoods. These services are convenient if you are staying in a hotel near the airport in the surrounding neighbourhoods.
You can only pay the fare for these buses with your IstanbulKart. It can be purchased from the yellow machines located at the bus stop.
The following IETT bus lines arrive at the terminal. Click on the line number to see the map and timetable.
- H-1: runs to Mahmutbey metro station in northwest Istanbul, does not stop in any neighbourhood near the airport and is not very useful for tourists, price 40 try
- H-2: goes to the northern edge of the centre only during night hours, does not stop in any neighbourhood near the airport, price 40 try
- H-3: goes to western Istanbul, does not stop in any district near the airport and is not very useful for tourists, price 40 try
- H-6: goes to the nearby Arnavutköy district, where there are many cheap guesthouses and hotels, price 40 try
- H-8: goes to the Sariyer district (only 4 times a day) on the northern shore of the Bosphorus, does not stop in any district near the airport and is not much use for tourists, price 40 try
The map below shows only the final stops of the IETT buses. The lines stop at all stops along the way.
Metro and bus map
Rent a car
Of course, you'll find many car rental stands at Istanbul Airport, which you can use for a trip to the Turkish countryside, for example. We don't recommend going into the city by car.
To Sabiha Gökcen Airport
Direct connections to Istanbul's second airport , Sabiha Gökcen SAW, are provided by the HAVAIST-13 express bus service.
Detailed information, prices and online ticket purchase can be found on the website: hava.ist.
Buses on this route run approximately once every 90 minutes and the journey time is between 120 and 150 minutes depending on the traffic situation.
The ticket costs 258 try.
