Travel by public transport in Istanbul will help the average tourist save a lot of money. The Turkish taxi has long been a symbol of not the most decent attitude towards foreigners, and it is not at all safe to drive through the confusing old streets in a rented car. Light metro, trams, buses and sea boats are a real salvation for travelers in a huge city. In this article, we will tell you how to get around Istanbul, how it is more profitable to pay for tickets, and what types of transport are suitable for tourists.
Types of Istanbul transport
Today, literally all the elements have conquered in multi-million Istanbul. Passengers are transported by water, land, under it, and even partially by air.
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Buses
The king of urban transport. According to official data, today there are 12 thousand stops in the city, which are connected to a gigantic network of 500 routes on both sides of the Bosphorus. There are standard flights, and in recent years the fleet of tourist shuttles delivering passengers from and to the airport has been actively growing.
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Metrobuses
The same as a regular regular bus, but with two differences. First, they drive strictly in dedicated lanes, which says an emphatic “no” to all traffic jams. Secondly, the fare is noticeably higher, it depends on the number of stops.
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Big Bass
The name appeared thanks to BigBus, the main owner of double-decker hop-on-hop-off buses for excursions. As you might guess, they travel exclusively to “hot spots”, guides talk about the sights, and tourists on the second tier barely have time to take pictures.
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Dolmushi
It was from the Turkish language that the word dolmush came into the world, which literally means “full”. Local minibuses in the form of minibuses have become a legend, and not the best reputation. They are mainly used by the working class, market traders and residents of the suburbs. Sometimes it is convenient to get to the beaches, but as a last resort.
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Metro
The Istanbul subway is the youngest type of transport. In fact, it was launched only in 2000, when the first stations opened directly underground. Before that, only two branches of the ground-based “light” type worked. It is convenient, but it does not cover all tourist areas, in some places you need to ride a bus.
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Tram
Trams in the first Turkish capital are divided into two types, or rather, into two paired lines. T1 and T4 are modern low—floor trains with a minimum of noise and maximum comfort. T2 and T3 are nostalgic retro trailers, purely for excursions. The first one walks along the now pedestrian Istiklal street, the second one walks along the ring from Kadikoy.
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Ferries
Istanbul’s water transport is an urban exotic at the level of St. Petersburg river trams. There are six main ferry marinas in the city — four on the European side, two on the Anatolian side. Shipping is available all year round, except for rare stormy days. When you need to quickly get from one shore to the other, it turns out much faster on the water than standing in traffic jams in front of the Bosphorus bridges.
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Funicular and cable car
The Istanbul funicular is also with the prefix “retro”, or rather, the F2 line, built as early as 1875. It goes from Karakey to Tunel Square. The cable cars are newer, and they are much more interesting for excursions. For example, the TF2 lift goes from the Eyup quarter to the legendary cafe Pierre Loti, which overlooks the Golden Horn.
How much does it cost to travel to Istanbul in 2024?
If you do not use the Istanbul Card (we will talk about it below), you will have to buy one-time e-tickets. In fact, you can use them more than once if the card is for several trips. The main principle of operation is that the more expensive the prepaid nominal value, the less is charged for each operation:
| How many trips | Card price, TRY |
| 1 | 25 |
| 2 | 45 |
| 3 | 70 |
| 5 | 105 |
| 10 | 200 |
Tourists are advised to buy at least two cards for 10 trips immediately at the airport in order to be safe from unforeseen situations. They sell tickets at kiosks, multi-ticket offices and, in general, everywhere where there is a metro station nearby.
How do I pay my fare? What is an Istanbul Card?
Transportation in Istanbul can be even cheaper if you buy a local analogue of the Moscow “Troika” — Istanbul Kart. As you may have guessed, this is a reusable boarding pass with the possibility of replenishment. It operates absolutely in all types of public transport, except for minibuses dolmushi and big basses. To pay — through a validator in the cabin or at the driver’s special terminal.
There are four types of Istanbul Card, but foreign tourists can buy only one — Anonim Kart in red. The rest are available for purchase strictly to Turkish citizens, at the slightest suspicion, the inspectors have the right to demand to show documents. The validity period is the same for all — three calendar years from the date of the first activation. It is very convenient, you do not have to register every time.
You can buy a red Istanbul Card at metro ticket offices, railway stations, kiosks at stations, but in recent years, Biletmatik vending machines have become increasingly popular. This is a kind of multicass for the purchase of any travel cards. Russians will have to buy lira for cash — MIR cards are not valid in Turkey. Of the huge advantages, you can choose Russian in the main menu, then intuitively.
But it will not be possible to replenish the Istanbul Card as easily as the account on the phone. They are sold “empty” — 70 TRY is the chip itself with a zero balance. To have money on it immediately, at the payment stage, deposit any amount up to 570 TRY. Seventy lire will be charged for the service, the rest will be credited to the balance. Five hundred lire per month is the limit for any anonymous card. We’ve passed everything — buy a new one.
So how much will you be able to save on Istanbul Card? If you plan to drive a lot every day, the savings are impressive. For metro, shuttle buses (not dolmuses), tram, funicular and cable car, a single boarding fare of 17.70 TRY is valid from January 13, 2024. Ferries have slightly more expensive prices — 19.20 TRY for inner-city berths and 27 TRY if you want to sail to the Prince Islands.
The exception is metrobuses. As we wrote above, the final fare for them depends on the number of stops that have passed. In order for the inspectors not to fine you like a “hare”, you will have to apply the card to the validator twice — at the entrance and exit from the doors. This is the only way the trip will be considered completed.
The current Istanbul Metrobüs tariffs for 2024 are as follows:
| How many stops | Total fare, TRY |
| 1 | 12.67 |
| 2 | 15,16 |
| 3 | 17.70 |
| from 4 to 9 | 20.23 |
| from 10 up to 15 | 22,22 |
| from 16 to 21 | 23.25 |
| from 22 to 27 | 24.01 |
| from 28 to 33 | 24.53 |
| 34 to 43 | 26.27 |
On the contrary, the system of paid transfers works. The more often a passenger transfers from one bus or metro line to another within 60 minutes, the cheaper it is to travel through Istanbul. Visually it looks like this:
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