Posts tagged as:

Transportation

Istanbul Cruise Ship Port and Visa Essentials

Image of cruise ships docked at the Karaköy Cruise Ship Terminal in Istanbul.

by Istanbul Trails

in City Trip, My Tips & Tricks, Transportation

Almost on a daily basis I get emails from people about to take a cruise liner to Istanbul. Trying to plan their trip, they have questions like “Where is the cruise port in Istanbul?”, “How far is it from the cruise ship pier in Istanbul to Sultanahmet?” or “What are the transportation options from the [...]

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Getting Around in Istanbul by Ferry or Sea Bus

Image of a sea bus or quick ferry docking in Istanbul, Turkey.

by Istanbul Trails

in City Trip, Transportation

Istanbul is surrounded and divided by water. Because of this you’ll see a bustling activity of floating devices on the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and in the Golden Horn. A whole array of water-borne craft, ranging from privately owned (fishing) boats, over regular ferries (vapur) to a fleet of high-speed catamaran sea buses (deniz [...]

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Why You Should Avoid Taking a Bus in Istanbul

Picture of a municipality (IETT) bus in Istanbul, Turkey.

by Istanbul Trails

in City Trip, Transportation

Istanbul has plenty of excellent public transportation options, but the inner-city buses are in my opinion not one of them. For starters, it is not the quickest means of transportation. Unlike Istanbul’s tram and metro system, they don’t have their own lanes and therefore suffer from the chronic Istanbul traffic jams. Secondly, it is not [...]

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Getting Around in Istanbul by Metro, Tram and Funicular

Picture of the tram in Kabataş, Istanbul.

by Istanbul Trails

in City Trip, Transportation

The most efficient and cheap way to get from a to b in Istanbul by public transportation is undoubtedly by metro, tram, funicular and/or ferry. These means of public transportation are very efficient, quick and punctual. Not in the least because they don’t suffer from Istanbul’s constantly clogged streets. In this article I focus [...]

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Benefits of Using Akbil as Your Istanbul Public Transportation Pass

Picture of the akbil attached to a keychain

by Istanbul Trails

in City Trip, Expat Stay, My Tips & Tricks, Transportation

The akbil electronic travel pass is definitely the best feature of the constantly improving Istanbul public transportation network. Akbil is short for ‘akıllı bilet‘, which means intelligent ticket. And that’s exactly what it is. It’s a basically a small stainless steel button in a plastic holder, together not bigger in size than any key on [...]

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Should I Get the New Istanbul Kart or Stick With Akbil?

Image of the newly introduced Istanbul Card (Istanbul Kart)

by Istanbul Trails

in City Trip, Expat Stay, My Tips & Tricks, Transportation

The brand new Istanbul Card (İstanbul Kart) was proudly introduced in the spring of 2009 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality as a card with which you will be able to pay for all your Istanbul transportation, cultural and entertainment activities. In a first phase, the İstanbul Kart will replace the currently used akbil as a [...]

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Don’t Miss the Turkish Formula One Grand Prix In Istanbul Park

The Turkish Formula One Grand Prix in Istanbul Park, Turkey.

by Istanbul Trails

in City Trip, Things To See & Do

The Turkish Grand Prix will take place on June 7 2009 and is the seventh Grand Prix of the 2009 Formula One World Championship. The venue for this Formula One motor race, which debuted on August 25 2005, is Istanbul Park (Istanbul Parkı), also known as Istanbul Racing Circuit. Drivers and spectators alike praise this [...]

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Istanbul Taxi Fares for Popular Tourist Destinations

Taxi in Istanbul, Turkey

by Istanbul Trails

in City Trip, Transportation

I wrote in an earlier post that a minority of Istanbul’s taxi drivers are not shy of hustling tourists. So I thought it would be helpful to provide my readers with a cab fare list for trips from Sultanahmet or Taksim to the most common Istanbul tourist destinations or the airports. This way you’ll be [...]

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How To Take A Taxi In Istanbul Without Being Hustled?

Official taxis is Istanbul always have a taxi sign on the roof of the car.

by Istanbul Trails

in City Trip, Transportation, Visa, Money & Safety

By far the most convenient (but not always the quickest) way to get around in Istanbul is by taxi. They are plentiful, operate day and night, take up to four persons, are compared to the US or Europe fairly cheap, and they can be easily hailed on the street or found at taxi ranks. Unfortunately, [...]

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10 Istanbul Pedestrian Safety Tips That May Be a Lifesaver

Istanbul Pedestrian Safety Tips

by Istanbul Trails

in City Trip, Transportation, Visa, Money & Safety

The best way to absorb a city is of course by exploring it on foot. In addition, some of Istanbul’s ancient streets are so small a car barely fits in it. And with Istanbul’s huge traffic jams in the city center, it is often even a time-saver.
But before you rush out of your hotel to [...]

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