Istanbul Airport (IST) is situated about 40 km from the city’s historic centre. The journey to the tourist districts usually takes between 60 and 100 minutes, depending on traffic conditions and your chosen mode of transport.

There are several options to choose from:

• 🚇 M11 Metro – the fastest public transport
• 🚌 Havaist airport buses – direct connections to the main districts
• 🚕 Taxi / Uber – the most convenient option

👉 If you’re visiting Istanbul for the first time, we recommend you also have a look at our comprehensive guide to Istanbul, where you’ll find tips on the best neighbourhoods, sights and itineraries.

Top 10 cheapest hotels in Istanbul

What’s the best way to get from Istanbul Airport?

Your choice of transport depends mainly on where in Istanbul you’re heading.

• The cheapest option – the M11 metro
• The easiest way to Taksim – the Havaist 11 bus
• The quickest way without changing transport – a taxi
• Historic centre (Sultanahmet) – Havaist 12 + tram or Metro M11 (towards Halkali) + Marmaray train

Overview of transport from Istanbul Airport

Type of transport	Price	Journey time	Frequency
🚇 Metro M11 + change to M2	approx. 81 try	60–75 minutes	20 minutes
🚇 Metro M11 + change to Marmaray train	approx. 144 try	80–90 minutes	20 minutes
🚌 Havaist bus	approx. 430 try	90–100 minutes	30–40 minutes
🚕 Taxi	approx. 2 600 try	60–80 minutes	non-stop

* The fare does not include the cost of the Istanbulkart travel card.

Metro M11 to Istanbul

The light purple M11 metro line runs to Istanbul Airport (IST).

The station is about a 10-minute walk from the terminal. Follow the signs for ‘Metro’ or the red letter ‘U’.

The current terminus in Istanbul isGayrettepe inthe north of the city, where you can change to the green M2 line towards Taksim Square or Yenikapi (the historic centre).

• A recommendation for a good-quality hotel near Gayrettepe station –Mövenpick Hotel Istanbul Bosphorus ****
• Recommendation for a budget-friendly and well-reviewed hotel in Taksim Square – Utarit Hotel ***

The walk between the M11 and M2 lines is quite long and takes about 15 minutes.

In the opposite direction, the metro runs from the airport toHalkali station, where you change to the Marmaray city train.

The metro at the airport does not have a terminus, so please pay attention at the station to which platform your train will depart from:

• Towards Gayrettepe – change to the M2 metro line towards the centre of Istanbul (Taksim, Galata, Karaköy)
• Towards Halkali – change to the Marmaray train to the historic Sultanahmet district or the Asian side

Journey time

• 30 minutes to Gayrettepe
• 60 minutes to Taksim with 1 change (Gayrettepe -> M2)
• 80 minutesto Sirkeci with 1 change (Halkali -> Marmaray train)
• Frequency – every 20 minutes
• First train from Gayrettepe – 6.00
• Last train from the airport to Gayrettepe – 00:14 (in the opposite direction, outside the city centre, the metro runs until around 01:20)

Fares and tickets

You cannot pay for the M11 metro line using your own contactless card.

You must purchase an Istanbulkart (which offers cheaper fares on all metro, tram, bus and ferry services across Istanbul) or a PTT card (which only works on the M11 line and the Marmaray underground railway).

• Fare with an Istanbulkart– 39 try to the Gayrettepe terminus + 42 try to Taksim Square
  • total to the city centre with a change to the M2 line (Gayrettepe) – 81 try
  • total fare to the city centre with a change to the Marmaray train (Halkaliú – 144 try
  • the IstanbulKart costs 165 try and can be topped up with any amount as and when required
  • My experiences and tips on transport in Istanbul

The ticket machines are located before the station entrance, and you can pay at them using either cash or a card.

• Dark blue ticket machines – Istanbulkart
• Large, lighter blue ticket machines – PTT card (I don’t recommend these – they’re not worth it at all!)
• Blue ticket machines with a yellow frame – Istanbulkart
• Turquoise ticket machines with a yellow frame – Istanbul City Card (multi-day tickets, very expensive and, in my opinion, not worth it!)

The official metro website, metro.istanbul, does not include the M11 line, which is operated by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD).

Buses Havaist

At present, the most direct transport to the city centre is provided byHavaIst buses. There are many routes operating from the airport to all parts of Istanbul, the most popular of which is, unsurprisingly, the service toTaksim Square in the city centre.

The bus stops are clearly signposted and are located one floor below the arrivals hall (about a 3-minute walk from arrivals).

The buses have luggage space and, unlike the metro, run 24 hours a day.

The map below shows all the stops served by Havaist routes.

You can find timetables for all routes and buy tickets online on the officialhava.ist website. On this page, once you’ve entered your destination, you’ll see a map of the route, with the current location of the buses marked in red.

You can buy tickets on all routes from the driver (you can pay by card or in cash). You can also pay the fare using an IstanbulKart, provided you have sufficient credit on it.

Route HVIST-9 (Taksim Square)

nd HVL-9 services to TaksimSquare (connection to the M2 metro line) also stop at Besiktas Meydan station near DolmabahcePalace (only on some services!), Piyalepaşa and Nurtepe Viyadük:

• Journey time to Taksim – 100 minutes
• Frequency – every 30–40 minutes
• Fare – 426 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 in the side street named Abdülhak Hamit on the northern edge of the square (see map).

• Hotel tip right by the bus stop –Ramada by Wyndham Istanbul Taksim ****

Route HVIST-1 (Aksaray, Fatih historic centre)

The HVL-1 route runs to the terminus at Aksaray, near the historic centre. It also stops at Ulubatli, Ayvansaray and Nurtepe Viyadük.

• Journey time –100 minutes
• Frequency – every 25–30 minutes
• Fare – 426 try
• First buses from Aksaray – 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:10, 4:45
• Last buses from the airport – 0:10, 0:40, 1:20, 2:00, 3:00

This route is the best option for a convenient connection to the historic centre of Fatih.

At Aksaray Metro station, you can change to the T1 tram line, which will take you to the following sights:

• Grand Bazaar (5 minutes)
• Blue Mosque (15 minutes)
• Hagia Sophia (15 minutes)
• Basilica Cistern (15 minutes)
• Topkapi Palace (17 minutes)

Route HVIST-3 (bus station)

The HVL-3 route will take you directly to the main intercity bus station, Otogar.

• Journey time to Otogar – 80 minutes
• Frequency – 1–2 times per hour
• Fare – 336 try
• First buses from Otogar – 3:00, 4:20
• Last buses from the airport – 0:40, 1:50

Other routes

As well as the two direct services to the city centre mentioned above, there are also other direct routes to various parts of Istanbul.

The following routes, for example, may be useful for tourists:

• HVL-6: towardsKadiköy (change to the M4 metro line). It also stops at Kavacik, Tepeüstü, Yenisahara (change to the M4 metro line) and Acibadem.
  • Fare: 468 try
  • Frequency: approx. once an hour

You can view a complete list of Havaist services, including those operating outside the city centre, on the map below.

Taxis

There are three types of taxi serving the airport, categorised by the quality of the vehicle. For the average tourist, the cheapest orange taxis are more than adequate. Fares are charged strictly by the meter and it is usually not possible to pay by card; only cash is accepted.

Fares are set according to individual districts. For example, from Taksim Square, depending on traffic, you’ll pay between2 200 try and 2 900 try.

Uber and Bolt operate at Istanbul Airport in such a way that you can only use them to book the official taxis mentioned above.

IETT buses

Buses operated by the Istanbul Transport Authority (IETT) also serve the airport; these are particularly useful for travelling to nearby towns and neighbourhoods. These services are a good option, for example, if you are staying in a hotel near the airport in one of the surrounding neighbourhoods.

You can pay for these buses using an IstanbulKart or, for a slightly higher fare, your own contactless card.

You can buy an IstanbulKart from the yellow ticket machines at the bus stop, but it’s only worth it if you’re staying in Istanbul for at least 1–2 days. If you’re only using the bus to get to nearby hotels, pay with your own bank card.

The following IETT bus routes serve the terminal. Click on the route number to view the map and timetable.

The fare for all services is 84 try (IstanbulKart) or 110 try (your own bank card).

• H-1: runs to north-western Istanbul to Mahmutbey metro station; it does not stop in any neighbourhoods near the airport and is not particularly useful for tourists
• H-2: runs to the northern edge of the city centre only at night; it does not stop in any neighbourhoods near the airport
• H-3: runs to western Istanbul; does not stop in any neighbourhoods near the airport and is not very useful for tourists
• H-6: runs to the nearby district of Arnavutköy, where there are many cheap guesthouses and small hotels
• H-8: runs to the Sariyer district (only 4 times a day) on the northern shore of the Bosphorus; does not stop in any neighbourhoods near the airport and is not very useful for tourists

The map below shows only the IETT bus terminus stops. The routes stop at all bus stops along the way.

Metro and bus map

Car hire

At Istanbul Airport, you’ll naturally find plenty of car hire counters, which you can use, for example, for a trip to the Turkish countryside. We do not recommend driving into the city.

• Compare car hire prices and book a car

Sabiha Gökçen Airport

A direct connection to Istanbul’s second airport, Sabiha Gökcen (SAW), is provided by the HAVAIST-13 express bus service.

For detailed information, prices and the option to buy tickets online, please visit 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 traffic conditions.

A ticket costs 480 try.