Istanbul Transportation Tips by gilabrand

'Mode': TO
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: To get from Ataturk Airport to your hotel by public transportation, try this: Leave the airport and go directly across the street to the parking garage (“otopark”). Look for the elevator with the sign "Hafif Metro" (light rail). It will take you down to the train station. Buy a token (jeton) at the booth (1.2 YTL, if I remember correctly). Go through the turnstile and board the metro for Aksaray - but get out at Zeytinburnu, the 6th stop. From there take a taxi to your hotel (the meter starts at 1.3 YTL).

At this point, we actually transferred to the "tramway" (pronounced “tram-vi” with a long “I” sound), after going down a flight of steps and buying another jeton, but finding our hotel at night on a little side street turned out to be too confusing. We wandered around for quite a while until we found it, and by that time we were exhausted. So a taxi is your best bet, at least until you figure out where your hotel is in relation to things. Make sure the taxi driver turns on the meter. From Zeytinburnu, the ride is much less expensive than from the airport.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: Driving in Istanbul is only for the brave of heart. The traffic is horrendous. But if you don’t mind spending time sitting in your car, bumper to bumper with the locals, here is a list of Turkish road signs that you should recognize before you set out:

DUR - Stop
TEK YON - One way
GIRILMEZ - No entry
GIRIS - Entrance
CIKIS - Exit
PARK YAPILMAZ/EDILMEZ - No parking
PARKETMET YASAKTIR - No parking
SEHIR MERKEZI - City center
ASKERI BOLGE - Military zone
HASTANE - Hospital
YAYA GECIDI - Pedestrian crossing
YOL CALISMAS/TAMIRI/YAPIMI - Road work
SERVIS YOLU - Temporary road (detour)
DINLENME ALANI - Rest area
TIRMANMA SAGDAN - Slower vehicles use right lane
TEM - “Tem Oto Yolu” - Transit European Motorway (Turkish Interstate)
KAZA RAPORU - Accident Report
ALLAH KORUSUN - May God protect me (sign on many trucks)

Presumably you will have to fill your tank with gas at some point. So here is some useful gas station terminology:

BENZIN - Gas/petrol
KURSUNSUZ - Lead free gas
MAZOT/MOTORIN - Diesel
TEHLIKELI MADDE - Flammable materials
LASTIKCI - Tire repair

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