Istanbul is one of the most accessible cities in the world - thanks in particular to the truly massive network of Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines, which have their main bases at Istanbul's two airports.

However, Istanbul can also be reached by train (mainly from Ankara) or bus (from all Turkish cities, Greece or Bulgaria),

Below is an overview to help you choose the fastest, cheapest or smartest option depending on your travel style.

✈️ Air to Istanbul (99% of the time)

For the vast majority of travellers, flying is clearly the best option.

Turkish Airlines has the most destinations of any airline in the world, and although their fares are quite high, for routes to Europe or the Middle East they are complemented by low-cost carriers Pegasus Airlines and AJet with their massive route network.

In addition to international routes, there is a very dense network of domestic flights around Turkey.

There are 2-3 airlines flying to most cities several times a day and the base fares without baggage allowance are often lower than bus tickets.

Where to look for the cheapest flight tickets

It is with Pegasus Airlines and AJet that you will most often find cheap flights to Istanbul.

They compete with each other on many routes, so I use the tried and tested method when searching for flights:

• compare multiple dates via Skyscanner
• ideally search ±3 days around your date
• click through from Skyscanner straight to the airline's website (👉 I explain how it works in this article)

💡 Practical experience: the cheapest tickets tend to be outside of weekends and peak season (spring/fall).

Compare flights via skyscanner.com

Which airport to choose

There are two main airports in Istanbul.

In fact, I would choose mainly by the price of the flight and not by the destination airport. Both have their pros and cons and I can't say that one airport is significantly better than the other.

Istanbul Airport (IST)

• the main, huge airport on the European side
• most long-haul and non-stop flights
• better for transfers between flights
• main hub of Turkish Airlines and most of the well-known international airlines fly here

👉 Ideal if:

• you are connecting further afield
• you are flying with a classic airline
• you want a more spacious (but larger) terminal

🚌 Transportation to the centre:

• it's further away from the centre, but on the European side, which is more practical
• direct buses to Taksim or metro with transfer
• only IstanbulKart can be used on the metro and not your own contactless card
• 👉 Transportation from IST airport in detail
• 👉 What is Istanbulkart?

Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW)

• a smaller airport on the Asian side
• the base of low-cost airlines and is often where the cheapest flights go

👉 Ideal if:

• you want the cheapest possible ticket
• you don't mind a longer transfer to the city centre
• you don't mind more crowded airports (but again, shorter distances to the gates)

🚌 Transportation to the center:

• It's on the Asian side, so a little less practical for getting downtown
• direct buses to Taksim or metro with a transfer to the Marmaray ferry/train
• you can use IstanbulKart and your own contactless card for the metro
• 👉 Transport from SAW airport in detail
• 👉 How does public transport work in Istanbul?

🚌 By bus to Istanbul

The bus makes sense mainly within Turkey or the Balkans, especially if you're travelling with luggage and dealing with price.

👉 What to expect:

• generally comfortable air-conditioned coaches
• low prices within Turkey, but quite high prices on international routes
• frequent connections within Turkey, to Bulgaria and Greece several times a day

💡 Reality: from Europe (e.g. Germany) the bus is almost never worthwhile - it's long and often more expensive than a plane ticket.

The main hub is Esenler Otogar

• a huge bus station on the European side
• connections to all of Turkey and abroad

The station is easily accessible by public transport:

• Metro - Otogar İstasyonu stop: the M1 line runs here from Yenikapi station on the European side, at Aksaray stop you can change to the T1 tram which goes to the city centre.
• Accommodation tip near the station: if you leave the bus station early in the morning and would like to stay somewhere nearby, we recommend Nova Hotel Istanbul, which is right next to the station.

Istanbul Bus Station is just a short walk away from the Harem Bus Station.

The second major bus station is Harem in the Asian part of Istanbul. A large number of buses stop at this station to continue on to Turkey from the Main Bus Station.

This station can thus be a great choice of where to get off if you are travelling from the east. Passing through the centre of Istanbul takes a huge amount of time on the bus, which you can save by getting off at Harem station.

In case you want to take a bus from Harem Station that leaves first from another station, it is recommended to make a seat reservation by phone.

The easiest way to get to Harem bus station is as follows:

• ferry - Harem harbour: there is a ferry for cars and passengers from Eminönü harbour, then you can simply walk to the station.

Where to buy bus tickets?

There are many bus operators in Turkey, here are links to those that allow you to book tickets conveniently online:

• Flixbus, Metro Turizm, Pamukkale Turizm and manyothers.
• to Bulgaria (Sofia, Burgas, Plovdiv, Varna and others): Flixbus, Metro Turizm, Arda Tur, Huntur, Alpar
• Greece (mainly Thessaloniki): Metro Turizm, Arda Tur, Alpar

🚆 By train to Istanbul

Travelling by train in Turkey is not that common, but there are plenty of options to get around by rail.

There are high-speed trains between the big cities and Istanbul, but also slower regional lines to smaller towns.

Domestic trains

Here the train makes much more sense than internationally. Turkey's high-speed train network may not be dense, but most of the connections are to Istanbul.

Main routes:

• Istanbul - Ankara (approx. 3.5 h)
• Istanbul - Konya (approx. 4 h)

High-speed trains are modern, reliable and comfortable, but their frequency is quite low (planes fly significantly more often).

Where to buy a ticket?

For high-speed trains, I definitely recommend buying at least 3 days in advance via the official website ebilet.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr.

Where do the high-speed trains stop?

All trains from the eastern part of Turkey (Ankara, Konya, etc.) go to Söğütlüçeşme station in the Asian part of the city.

From there you can continue to the centre in the European part by Marmaray or by taxi.

• 👉 How public transport works in Istanbul

International trains

The only viable connection from Europe is the overnight train from Sofia, Bulgaria (called the Istanbul-Sofia Express).

There is currently only one international train service from Istanbul, which goes to Sofia in Bulgaria and continues to Bucharest in Romania.

There are a huge number of train stations in Istanbul, below are just the ones most used by visitors to Istanbul and Turkey.

• Departure in the evening, arrival in the morning
• journey time approx. 12-16 hours
• sleeper berths or deckchairs (no conventional seats)
• mandatory reservation of a seat

Buses to Sofia are considerably busier, but the night train is a good alternative if you want to travel overnight and get some sleep.

Where to buy tickets

Tickets can only be bought at the international ticket office in Sofia or Istanbul in person. Online ticket sales for the train to Istanbul are not possible.

• Basic fare - 52 bgn
• Sun lounger - 20 bgn
• Sleeper - 30 bgn

Detailed information can be found on the official website of Bulgarian Railways: bdz.bg/en/a/sofia-istanbul-sofia.

Where do the trains stop?

The train from Sofia ends at Halkali station on the west side of the city (European part).

From there you can continue to the city centre by the Marmaray city train.