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

You have several options to choose from:

• 🚇 Metro M11 - the fastest public transport
• 🚌 Airport buses Havaist - direct connection to the main districts
• 🚕 Taxi / Uber - the most convenient option

👉 If you are visiting Istanbul for the first time, we also recommend you check out our complete Istanbul guide for tips on the best neighbourhoods, sights and itineraries.

Top 10 cheapest hotels in Istanbul

What transport to choose from Istanbul airport?

The choice of transport depends mainly on where you are heading in Istanbul.

• 💰 The cheapest option - M11 metro
• 🧭 E asiest way to Taksim - Havaist 11 bus
• The fastest way to Taksim - taxi
• 🕌 Historical centre (Sultanahmet) - Havaist 12 + tram

Transportation overview from Istanbul Airport

Type of transport	Price	Travel time	Frequency
🚇 Metro M11 + transfer M2	approx. 81 try	60-75 minutes	20 minutes
🚌 Bus Havaist	approx. 430 try	90-100 minutes	30-40 minutes
🚕 Taxi	approx. 2 600 try	60-80 minutes	nonstop

* The fare does not include the purchase price of the Istanbulkart transport card.

Metro M11 to Istanbul

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

The station is about 10 minutes' walk from the terminal. Follow the "Metro" signs or the red letter "U".

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 historic centre).

• A 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 ***

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

The metro does not have a terminus at the airport, so pay attention at the station which platform you will be leaving from:

• Gayrettepe direction - Istanbul city centre
• Arnavutköy direction - outside the centre

Travel time

• 30 minutes to Gayrettepe
• 60 minutes to Taksim with 1 change
• Frequency - every 20 minutes
• First train from Gayrettepe - 6:00
• Last train from the airport to Gayrettepe - 0:14 (in the other direction outside the centre the metro runs until about 1:20)

Fares and tickets

The M11 metro line cannot be paid with your own contactless card.

You need to buy an Istanbulkart (cheaper fares on all metro, tram, bus and ferry lines around Istanbul) or a PTT card (only works on the M11 line and the Marmaray underground train).

• Fares with Istanbulkart - 39 try to Gayerettepe terminus + 42 try to Taksim Square
  • total to the centre - 81 try
  • IstanbulKart purchase price is 165 try and can be loaded and reloaded with any amount
  • My experience and tips on transport in Istanbul

The machines are outside the station entrance and you can pay with cash and card.

• Dark blue vending machines - Istanbulkart
• Large lighter blue machines - PTT card (not recommended, not worth it at all!)
• Blue machines with a yellow frame - Istanbulkart
• Turquoise machines with yellow frame - Istanbul City Card (multi-day tickets, very expensive and in my opinion not worth it!)

The official metro .istanbul website does not include the M11 line, which is 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 connection 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 buses have space for luggage and, unlike the metro, run 24 hours a day.

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-9 (Taksim Square)

The HVL-9 line to Taksim Square (transferring to the M2 metro) also stops at Besiktas Meydan station near Dolmabahce Palace (some services only!), Piyalepaşa and Nurtepe Viyadük:

• Travel time to Taksim - 100 minutes
• Frequency - every 30-40 minutes
• Fares - 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 at the Abdülhak Hamit side street near the northern edge of the square (see map).

• Tip for a hotel right by the bus stop - Ramada By Wyndham İstanbul Taksim ****

Route HVIST-1 (Aksaray, Fatih historical centre)

Line HVL-1 goes to the Aksaray terminus near the historic centre. It also stops at Ulubatli, Ayvansaray and Nurtepe Viyadük stations.

• Journey time - 100 minutes
• Frequency - every 25-30 minutes
• Fares - 426 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

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

In fact, at Aksaray Metro Station you can transfer to the T1 tram line to reach these sights:

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

Route HVIST-3 (bus station)

Line HVL-3 takes you directly to the main intercity bus station Otogar.

• Travel time to Otogar - 80 minutes
• Frequency - 1-2 times per hour
• Fares - 336 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.

For example, the following lines may be useful for tourists:

• HVL-6: direction Kadiköy (transfer to metro M4). On the way, it also stops at Kavacik, Tepeüstü, Yenisahara (transfer to M4 metro) and Acibadem stations.
  • Fares: 468 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, but only with cash.

Prices are set by district. For example, in Taksim Square you can pay depending on the traffic 2 200 try to 2 900 try.

The way Uber and Bolt work at Istanbul airport is that you only call the official taxi mentioned above through them.

IETT buses

Istanbul's transport company IETT also runs buses to 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 districts.

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 84 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 84 try
• H-3: goes to western Istanbul, does not stop in any district near the airport and is not very useful for tourists, price 84 try
• H-6: goes to the nearby Arnavutköy district, where there are many cheap guesthouses and hotels, price 84 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 84 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

Car rental

Of course, Istanbul Airport has many car rental booths, which you can use for a trip to the Turkish countryside. We don't recommend driving into the city.

• Compare car rental prices and book a 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 ticketing 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 480 try.