Getting around in Istanbul

Getting around in Istanbul is a good long story. Istanbul is unfortunately one of the least developed cities around the world, when it comes to public transportation. There is not exactly one-saves-all common mode of public transportation. Most people use the bus and the minibus, intercontinental travellers compiles at least two modes of transportation (one being the ferry), short distance traveller simply takes a cab.

As such I think it is just to present a brief list of all modes of public transportation with few tips on them. In future articles I will focus on some of them in more depth.

1. Metro:

Yes, we have one! One with only 6 stops. This is our actual metro that runs truely underground. Then we have another what the municipality calls the metro that runs above the ground. It is more like a mildly fast train. Our short metro with 6 stops only is being lengthened as we speak. The first one obviously took years and months to establish.

2. Metrobus:

This is the innovative solution that our government together with our municipalities has come up with against the problem of creating a fully-fledged metropolitan ride. Istanbul is predominantly bus driven. You will usually find a bus that goes to the middle of nowhere in the city, while you will find other transportation methods take you in and out of central districts only. Thus, the innovative solution that the municipalities founded at the time was to ease the method of using the bus through certain regions. The metrobus idea thus developed to offer a unique scheme of ride with the bus and through the traffic. There are two main metrobus lines now: Zincirlikuyu to Avcilar; and Zincirlikuyu to the Asian part. The other two mini lines are: Avcilar-Topkapi and Edirnekapi-Söğütlüçeşme.

[Image courtesy of IETT Transportation]

The metrobuses have their own and unique lanes on the roads, and that is indeed how they avoid high traffic. You will see in the picture above a typical metrobus in its lane.

3. Bus

As I have said the bus is the most traditional and most common transportation method in the city. There is a bus that goes to many little inconceivable neighborhoods. The problem with the buses is though that they are so big that they impair the traffic. The bus drivers are not your best drivers in the city either. As they are in the bigger vehicle, they do have the tendency to cut into your lane and skip lanes without former indications. In other words, buses are what many car-drivers dislike about Istanbul’s traffic, yet it is also what many other choose as a form of transportation. The Metrobuses were the first step into modernizing the bus system.

4. Minibus

The Minibuses are separate entities that carry passengers almost on the same lines as the buses. However, being mini the minibuses sometimes go faster, stop at places that may be more convenient for you, because they can stop more often. The minibuses do not have stations. You hail a minibus like you hail a cab.

Minibuses are a bit more expensive, but the difference is really null unless you are seriously budgeting. Besides, on the minibuses you pay the distance you go, whereas the bus prices are standard for 1 and 20 stops.

5. Ferries

This is the most unique transportation method in Istanbul and then maybe in the world -only after Venice. One can travel with the ferry boat (large ships that carry passengers only) from one side of the city to the other. There are many different operators and many different ports and lines for sea-travel. The most commonly used lines are Kadıköy-Beşiktaş; Beşiktaş-Üsküdar; Adalar (Princes’ Islands)-Kadıköy; Bostancı-Islands. Then there are the inter-Bosphorus lines which take you around ports on both sides of the city, such as Bebek-Arnvutköy-Çengelköy-Kandilli and the like. For more info on lines, check IDO.

6. Tram

Tram used to be the most convenient form of transport for my elders once upon a time. Almost all of the trams have been disabled now. Only two very short lines remain of the nostalgic tram: One in Beyoğlu and the other in Kadıköy. A new tram line has been built however in Karaköy. This modern new line takes you until and after the historic center (Sultanahmet) and is thus very convenient for tourists and locals alike.

Nostalgic tram in Beyoğlu

[Image from wikimedia commons]

7. Taxis

Last, but not least we have the taxis -both on land and the sea. The taxis unlik their counterparts in European cities are not very expensive here in Turkey. There are still the most expensive mode of transportation, but if it costs 100 Euros in a major European city to go into the city center from the airport, it takes maybe around 40-50 Euros here. As such, many passengers prefer to travel with the taxi when it comes to short distance travelling.

I cannot say the same thing for the sea-taxi though. The sea taxi is a pretty good alternative if you are at least a group of 6 people, but if you are by yourself, or two it turns out to be pretty expensive. You avoid intercontinental traffic though, and the sea taxis can take you to any major clubs on the shore. Keep that as an idea…

Final word…

Apart for some of the ferry rides, taxis and the minibuses, you almost always use the same ticketing system in Turkey. One ticket is around 1.5TRY, and takes you as many stops as you may want to go to. There is also the special toll system (akbil), but you really to have to pay an advance to get the item first. It is a magnetic little item on which you can load money as you do with a debit card. Then you spend less on a single ride (i.e. pay 1.376TRY instead of 1.5), but it is not very convenient on a short visit.