Istanbul Transportation Tips by onlinerep

From the airport to the hotel.

Getting from Sabiha Gokcen airport to the hotel was a somewhat nerve-wrecking but amusing experience. I had asked the 'Orient Express Hotel' to arrange a taxi for us before hand, as I was arriving on an evening flight and wasn't sure of the bus/train times.

The traffic into Istanbul was horrenous, even at 9pm. I had read in EasyJets' in-flight magazine that this would be the case. Millions of people commute into Istanbul everyday. Our driver had already made me nervous by driving like a maniac, until eventually coming to a stand still. Wreckless maybe, but he took another route, claiming that he had saved us from being stuck in the traffic for atleast 2 hours.

The journey time took approximately 50 minutes and cost 20.00 Euros per person, one way.

Mode: TO

Other Contact: info@orientexpresshotel.com

Phone: +90 (212) 520 71 61

Type: Other

Website: http://www.orientexpresshotel.com

Metro.

Travelling by Metro is probably the cheapest and quickest way to get around Istanbul. You can get a map of the Metro from your hotel. If you ask them where you want to go, they can show you the stops and where to get on/get off.

From the Kanyon Shopping Mall, I wanted to go to the Cevahir Shopping Mall. We boarded the Metro at Levent Station and got off at the 2nd stop, at Sisli (right outside Cevahir Shopping Mall). The trip cost 1.30 Turkish Lira per person.

Mode: AROUND

Type: Subway/Metro

Tram.

The Tram is also a quick and convenient mode of transport to get to the sights and costs the same as the Metro (when travelling in any one direction). I used the Tram to travel from Taksim Station to Kabatas, opposite the Yeni Mosque.

Mode: AROUND

Type: Other