Istanbul Transportation Tips by MalenaN

'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: There are two otogars in Istanbul, Eslener and Harem. Esenler is the biggest one. It is huge and here you will find busses to almost everywhere in Turkey and to neighbouring countries. From Esenler the metro is going to Aksaray. If you are going to Sultanahmet you change in Aksaray to the tram.

Harem is a smaller otogar on the Asian side. If you are going somewhere in Anatolia it can be good to leave from Harem as the buses leave from here one hour later than Esenler. Also when you arrive in Istanbul you can save a lot of time going off in Harem. To go to Sultanahmet from here you take the ferry to Sirkici and from there the tram or bus nr T4.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: From Sirkeci there are ferrys (carferrys) to Harem about every half an hour. The crossing takes 15 minutes and costs
1 000 000 TL. The otogar is just next to where the ferry stops.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: On Büyükada (Big Island) no privat cars are allowed (the only vehicles are for the police, firebrigade and the carbage). To get around the island you can take one of the many horse-drawn carriages. You will find them close to the ferryboat terminal, just to the left of the clocktower.
A ride around the island is 20 000 000 TL.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: A busride in Istanbul costs 1 000 000 TL. You buy the ticket from a ticket-booth just next to the buses or you can pay on the bus.
Bus T4 is going between Sultanahmet and Taksim. From Taksim and Eminönü buses are going to places all over Istanbul. If you don't know the busnumber you can always ask in the ticket-booth. If you don't speek Turkish it can be good with a paper and pen so you can have the numbers written down for you.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: There are two "nostalgic" tramlines in Istanbul. One is going up and down Istiklal Caddesi and the other is going in a circle around Kadiköy and Moda on the Asian side.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: Bursa is a big city close to Istanbul and therefore there are frequent buses between the cities. I did not buy a ticket in advance but went to the otogar (bus station) to find the first bus. From Atatürk Caddesi bus number 38 goes to the otogar. At the otogar I asked at a few companies and finally bought a ticket for a bus leaving within 25 minutes.

When the bus passed the harbour in Yalova several people left the bus, probably to go on with the ferry to Istanbul (I had read it could be a faster way, but as I had no idea of when the ferries left, or to where in Istanbul they would arrive it was better to go on with the bus all the way).

If you are going to Sultanhamet in Istanbul you should go off the bus at Harem otogar (going on to the main terminal Esenler takes about an hour more) and from there take the ferry over to Sirkeci. From Sirkeci bus T4 and the tram goes to Sultanhamet.

The ticket Bursa to Istanbul was 12 000 000 TL and it took
3 hours to Harem otogar.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: I had heard from Erkmen that two bus companies goes all the way from Istanbul to Amasra. They are As74 and Ozemniyet. Other buses goes to Bartin and from there you take a dolmush. The dolmush takes 30 minutes and costs 1 650 000 TL.
As I in Istanbul didn't go to the otogar before it was time to leave I bought a ticket from a travell agent in Sultanahmet. I don't know how much more I paid for the ticket because of that but it was 20 000 000 TL. The company was Metro, which is a good company. To Bartin it took about 6 hours from Istanbul (Harem otogar).

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