- Payment
- Istanbulkart, valid on all lines
- Historic peninsula
- The T1 tram line
- Crossing the Bosphorus
- Ferry, the nicest way
Start with the Istanbulkart
The Istanbulkart works on the metro, tram, buses, ferries and funiculars; you buy and top it up from machines at most stations, including the airport. One card can pass a whole family, so you do not need one each. Transfers between lines are discounted.
Which line goes where
The T1 tram is the spine of the historic peninsula: Sultanahmet, the Grand Bazaar, Eminonu and Karakoy are all on it. The M2 metro links Taksim and Sisli. Ferries run between Eminonu, Karakoy, Kabatas and Uskudar, and are the cheapest and most enjoyable way to cross the Bosphorus.
When a private car makes more sense
Public transport is cheap and quick for one or two travellers. With a luggage-laden arrival, a family of four or five, a pushchair, a late-night hour or a day out of town, the calculation changes: transfers and stairs cost time and energy. The practical approach is to mix them — a car for the airport and out-of-town days, the tram inside the historic peninsula.
Let us build the programme in this guide for you
Send your dates and party size; we will come back the same day with the route and a fixed price.
Message on WhatsApp
