March 24 2025

Istanbul Airport to the city center: The most complete and comprehensive transportation guide

Turkey is the “center of the world”, so transportation is also very advanced! This time, we will show you how to get out of the city from Istanbul Airport (IST).

Airport Exit Points

There are two airports in Istanbul, IST (Istanbul Airport) and SAW (Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport). If you are flying from Hong Kong to Istanbul, you will usually arrive at IST directly, but some flights will be destined for SAW.

From IST, there are three main locations: Aksaray Metro in the old city, Taksim in the new city and Kadıköy in the Asian region, which are easily accessible by bus and subway, as well as hotels.

Four ways to get out of the airport

There are several ways to get from Istanbul Airport (IST) to the city:

1. Taxi/Uber

As soon as you exit Istanbul Airport, you will see a cab stand. Cabs in Istanbul come in two main colors: yellow and black. Yellow cabs are the more affordable ones, usually with a jumping meter, but can only seat up to 4 people. Black cabs are more expensive, with a jumping meter or a one-bite price, but are more spacious and can seat up to 7 people (or even more). Since most Turks don’t speak English, it is recommended to use the ” BiTaksi ” app to hail a taxi so that you know the approximate price and won’t be cheated. Besides cabs, you can also use Uber in Istanbul, but the price is a bit more expensive, but it is safer and more guaranteed! We recommend you to use it!

Yellow cab in Turkey with the word TAKSi on it (Photo courtesy of Travelvui)

2. Metro

There are many cars on the road in Istanbul, and it is easy to encounter traffic congestion during sunshine hours, so if you are going to the airport during sunshine hours, I strongly recommend taking the subway!

Istanbul’s Airport Express Line (M11) will open in 2024 and will take you directly from the airport to all parts of Istanbul, making it very convenient. It only takes about 45 minutes to get to the new city center, and the fares are very cheap, so it’s now a popular choice for most tourists to get out of the city! There are plenty of signs in the departure hall of the airport, when you see the red “U”, it means Airport Express, follow the signs and you can easily get on it.

If you don’t have an Istanbul Card, you can buy one at the blue card machines in the station for about 50 Lira, and one card can be used by up to 5 people at the same time. Remember to top up your card at the yellow machine next to it, as you won’t be able to get in if you don’t have enough money left!

▼ The Istanbul Airport Express (Line M11) is very futuristic!

▼Buy an Istanbul Card and add value before entering the gate (Photo courtesy of Turkey Travel Planner)

3. Airport Bus

If your hotel is not close to a metro station, you can also consider taking the airport bus Havaist, you can check the schedule on the official website of Havaist in advance, and then buy a ticket directly from the counter at the airport and get on the bus without any problems. There are many places that can be reached by airport buses, so remember to select İstanbul Havalimanı when searching and then select the place you want to go to check the departure time, journey time, distance and price.

Here are 3 routes for your reference:
HVL-1] To Aksaray Metro in the Old Town area
HVL-9】Bound for Taksim, New Town.
HVL-9] to Kadıköy, Asia

Havaist official website: https: //www.hava.ist/otobusum-nerede.php?lang=en

▼Anytime you see Havaist on a bus, it’s an airport bus (Photo credit: Havaist)

4. Terravision Buses

If you are in a hurry, Terravision bus may be your best choice, because it only takes 30 minutes to get from the airport to Taksim! Terravison runs every two hours, and travelers can buy tickets in advance from the official website/Klook, and then get on the bus at the boarding gate of Exit 14 when they arrive, which is very simple and convenient. The only disadvantage of this bus is that it only provides service to the new city of Taksim, if you need to go to the old city or the Asian area, you have to transfer to other means of transportation in Taksim. Terravision Bus Schedule

▼Terravision gets you safely to the city as fast as possible.

The cheapest place to buy a Terravision bus ticket is at

HK$237起

立即預訂

Price and Time Comparison

I have compiled a list of travel times and prices for various modes of transportation, so that you can choose which method to use to get to the city. (The following prices and times are based on Taksim, the newest airport district.)

Transportation	Time	Price
Taxi/Uber	60 minutes	1400~3200TL (HK$350~$800)
Subway	45 minutes	About 20TL (HK$5)
Airport Bus	90 minutes	275TL ($HK70)
Terravision Bus	30 minutes	HK$233