Getting Aroundin Istanbul
How to get around Istanbul, including public transport, taxis, walking, driving and common transport pitfalls.
Transport
Getting around Istanbul
The Bosphorus splits the city, and the official portal describes the local ferry as the way to reach another continent in a few minutes. On the European side the T1 tram (Kabataş to Bağcılar, 06:00 to 00:00) is the spine of the old city, calling at Kabataş, Fındıklı, Tophane, Karaköy, Eminönü, Sirkeci, Gülhane, Sultanahmet, Çemberlitaş and Beyazıt-Kapalıçarşı. The F1 funicular joins Taksim to Kabataş, linking the M2 metro (Yenikapı to Hacıosman, via Vezneciler, Haliç, Şişhane, Taksim, Şişli-Mecidiyeköy, Gayrettepe and Levent) to the T1 tram and the ferries. Metro İstanbul lists Marmaray as an interchange at Sirkeci (with T1), Yenikapı (with M2), Üsküdar (with M5) and Ayrılık Çeşmesi (with M4), so the same line appears at stations on both the European and Asian shores. Metro İstanbul lists last service at 00:00 on all lines, with a night metro on Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday nights on seven lines (M1A, M1B, M2, M4, M5, M6, M7) at 30-minute intervals. Rail travel is by İstanbulkart. İETT, the municipal operator, runs the buses, Metrobus, a nostalgic tram and the Tunnel, and points travellers to its Otobüsüm Nerede app for live bus positions. Şehir Hatları's 2025 timetable announcement listed night sailings on the Kadıköy-Karaköy-Beşiktaş line on Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday evenings.
Problems worth knowing
Rail stops at midnight on ordinary nights
Metro İstanbul lists last service at 00:00 on all lines, and the T1 tram and F1 funicular are listed as 06:00 to 00:00. The night metro runs only on Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday nights, on M1A, M1B, M2, M4, M5, M6 and M7.
Unofficial taxis
The FCDO says accepting lifts from unofficial taxi drivers is highly risky.
Two piers for Maiden's Tower, with very different frequency
The Ministry lists boats from Salacak in Üsküdar roughly every 30 to 40 minutes between 09:30 and 20:00, and only seven departures a day from Karaköy between 09:30 and 18:30. Arriving at Karaköy at a random hour can mean a long wait.
The Princes' Islands run from several piers and two kinds of operator
The district governorate lists Bostancı, Kadıköy, Kartal and Kabataş, with summer sailings from Bakırköy, Avcılar and Pendik, and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's planning office counts about 76.5% of summer sailings as private. Check which pier and operator your outbound boat uses and where the last return leaves from.
Large luggage on the metro
Metro İstanbul's FAQ says items over 30 kg, or larger than 120 x 50 x 60 cm, must be carried off-peak and need an additional fare.
Chora may be closed to tourists on Fridays
An August 2024 Anadolu Agency report on Directorate General of Foundations arrangements said Kariye Mosque is closed to tourist visits on Fridays and pauses visits 15 minutes before each prayer. XTOUR has not confirmed the 2026 rules.
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