The terminal is connected to the metro, which is also the cheapest transport to central Istanbul.

The more expensive express buses are the only direct connection to the European part of Istanbul.

Route	Destinations	Price	Travel time
Metro M4	Kadiköy	27 try	55 minutes
Havabus	Taksim	283,50 try	90 minutes
Bus E3	Levent	81 try	100 minutes

Find a hotel in the centre of Istanbul

Metro to Istanbul

Sabiha Gökcen Airport is connected to the Asian Bosphorus waterfront by metro line M4, which terminates at Kadiköy Station.

From here you can take the very frequent ferries to the historic centre of Istanbul in the European part.

At Ayrilik Cesmesi station (the penultimate station before the terminus) you can also change to the city train "Marmara" running through the tunnel under the Bosphorus.

• Travel time Kadiköy - 55 minutes
• Frequency - 8 minutes
• Price - 27 try (when paying with your own contactless card 40 try)
• Official metro website: www.metro.istanbul
• Official IETT website (buses, trams, boats, cable cars): iett.istanbul/en
• Tip for a hotel near Kadiköy harbour: My Dora Hotel ***

The first metro departs from the terminal always at 6:00 am, the last one from the airport departs at 11:59 pm.

Tickets and fares

There are four types of fares.

IstanbulKart

You can buy an IstanbulKart from the blue machine for 165 try, which is a non-refundable card issuance fee (you cannot use it to pay fares).

You can also choose any amount of money to load onto the card at the time of purchase. This will then be debited depending on how many times you take public transport.

The Istanbulcard is valid for the metro, IETT buses, trams, cable cars and ferries. One metro ride costs 27 try regardless of the distance travelled.

From Kadiköy station, you can get to the other side of the river every 5 minutes on many ferry routes throughout the day and night. The cruise takes around 10 minutes and costs 27 try.

Payment by contactless card

You can also use your credit card to pay your fare on the metro, buses, ferries and trams. In this case, the fare is 40 try.

It is therefore worth paying by card if you will be travelling less than 12 times on public transport during your trip to Istanbul.

When paying with a contactless card, you do not have to buy tickets from a ticket machine. Simply place your card at the turnstile when you enter the station.

3 Pass Ticket

For a discounted price 110 try you can buy a card with three metro passes from the blue machine, which is worthwhile in case of.

Unlimited day passes

You can buy a 1-day, 3-day, 5-day, 7-day or 15-day pass in the yellow machine, which allows you to take an unlimited number of public transport journeys.

However, the prices are high and not worth it for most tourists:

• 1 day - 589 try
• 3 days - 1 074 try
• 5 days - 2 105 try
• 7 days - 2 672 try

The journey to the historic centre of Istanbul by metro with a transfer to the ferry will take approximately 70 to 80 minutes and costs 54 try when paying with an IstanbulKart or 80 try when paying with your own contactless card.

Havabus buses to the centre (without transfer)

If you're heading to the city centre in the Taksim area and don't want to change from the metro to the ferry, you can use the special Havabüs airport buses (Havaist used to run the routes).

Line SG-2 goes directly to Taksim Square. You can buy your ticket at the Havabüs kiosk in the arrivals hall or from the driver/conductor when you board the bus.

• Travel time Taksim - 90 minutes (morning/night even under 45 minutes)
• Frequency - every 30 minutes
• Price - 283,50 try
• First bus from Taksim Square - 3:30
• Last bus from airport - 0:30
• Official website: havabus.com
• Tip for hotel right by the bus stop - Ramada By Wyndham İstanbul Taksim ****

The SG-1 line runs to Kadiköy station, but due to the identical route with the metro and the significantly higher ticket price (175 try), it is only worth using it at times when the metro is not yet/already running. The first connection from Kadiköy to the airport runs at 4:15, the last from the airport to Kadiköy at 0:30.

Public buses (IETT)

An alternative way to mostly reach the surrounding neighbourhoods is by public transport buses.

Individual fares cost 81 try for express lines, or 27 try for line 16S when purchasing an IstanbulKart.

When paying directly with a contactless card inside the bus, the fare is 120 try for express lines or 40 try for other lines.

Yellow IstanbulKart machines, where only card payments can be made, can be found at bus stops.

Most of the city's buses go to neighbourhoods on the Asian side of the city, such as Bostanci or Kadiköy Ferry Terminal. These lines are not worthwhile once the metro is operational, as they run significantly longer for the same money.

The direct line E3 may be worthwhile (map and timetable: iett.istanbul/Route-E3) to the Besiktas district (Levent metro station) in the European part if, for example, you have a hotel booked in the area and don't want to change from the metro to the ferry and another metro.

Metro and bus map

To Istanbul Airport (IST)

Direct connections between Istanbul's two airports 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 310 try.

Taxi

There are three types of taxis to the airport, graded according to the quality of the car. The cheapest orange taxis are sufficient for the average tourist. 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 1 500 try to 1 950 try.

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

Rent a car

We definitely don't recommend renting a car for travelling around Istanbul, but if you want to head straight to the Turkish countryside from the airport, renting a car is a great option.

Average weekly rental prices range from 250 eur.

The counters of many multinational and local car rental companies can be found right in the arrivals hall.

Intercity buses

In front of the terminal, between the bus stops for buses to Istanbul, there is also a stop for direct buses to 4 major Turkish cities:

• Bursa - 1 to 2 times per hour by BBBUS
• Sakarya - 1x per hour by Havasak
• Izmit - 1 to 2 times per hour by Kocaeli Bus
• Balikesir - 1x per hour BTT line 250