All About Transportation in Istanbul
Editor Istanbul
All About Transportation in Istanbul
Istanbul, which is like a bridge between Asia and Europe, is a very crowded city with 15+million people living due to its location and history. Therefore, moving is not always easy. Built on seven hills, the topography of Istanbul also makes transportation difficult so you may need a couple of transportation alternatives. Do not worry, there are plenty of facilities for you to transport in Istanbul!
Ferry
Since 1973, the Bosphorus Strait has been dividing Istanbul into two parts. Thus, ferries and sea-buses can be used and as a result, vehicle traffic eases a little bit. By taking the ferry, you can escape the traffic jam. Ferries are in service 24 hours a day just like the subways, Metrobus, and certain bus lines (Just a reminder, the last ferry before morning hours on Friday evening to Sunday morning is at 6:40 am).
The main piers on the European side are Eminonu, Kabatas, Karakoy and Besiktas. On the Asian side, the main piers are Uskudar and Kadikoy. However, if you want to use the ferry, you will need an Istanbul Kart to access the boats. Otherwise, you have to buy a ticket, which costs between 3.50 TL and 5 TL during the daylight, and 8 TL in the overnight trips.
Lastly, if you want to see the Princes’ Islands, you can use the ferry! The ticket price is only 5.20 TL.
Subway
Known as metro in Turkish, subways are open from 6:15 am to midnight and there are two lines on the European side. Even though these two lines are not connected yet, there is not much time between the subways. You can use this transportation facility without waiting too much.
There is also a line on the Asian shore, however, it is not connected to Sabiha Gokcen Airport yet, so if you need to go to the airport it is not a great alternative.
Bus
Buses are very prevalent in Istanbul because there are more than 400 bus lines and except for Sultanahmet, they go all over the city (do not worry, you can access Sultanahmet by tram). Plus, most of them work until midnight every night.
You can see timetables here.
Metrobus
Metrobuses are buses that run on separate lanes to avoid traffic jams. They are great facilities for transportation because traffic congestion does not affect the Metrobus lane.
You can use your Istanbul Kart or Mavi Kart to access Metrobus. However, if you want to visit Istanbul, Metrobuses would not be the greatest vehicles for you because they run on reserved lanes in the middle of the highway.
The New Tramways
Tramway is one of the greatest transportation vehicles in Istanbul because it runs in the middle of the city. Therefore, there are specific stations around the road for you to use it. You can watch the city like looking from your car’s window! Plus, all tramways in Istanbul are very clean and air-conditioned. However, due to its speed, you may arrive at stations later than expected. Just a reminder!
The Funicular
As everyone knows, Istanbul is on seven hills. Therefore, sometimes there is a big elevation difference between the two stations. In these cases, the Funicular can save you! It is an important transportation vehicle because it allows you to go quickly to the other station without climbing the slopes. There are two Funicular stations in Istanbul, one of them is between Karakoy and Tunel, and the other one is between Taksim and Kabatas.
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By Iamistanbul Became a writer for Iamistanbul-
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