How to get from Istanbul airport (IST or Sabiha Gokcen) to the city without a taxi?
Based on 2 discussions with 3 participants · Last activity: 18 days ago
TL;DR
From IST (new airport), take metro line M11 or Havaist buses to the city center. From Sabiha Gokcen, use Havaist buses or a ferry to Kadikoy.
What the community said
From IST new airport to Sirkeci (historic center), take metro line M11 to Gayrettepe, transfer to M2 toward Vezneciler or Yenikapı, then walk or take a tram to Sirkeci. Total journey is about 1–1.5 hours.
18 days ago Metro M11 → M2, ~1–1.5 hrs
Havaist (HAVABüS) buses run from IST airport to multiple city districts including Taksim, Besiktas, and Kadikoy. Tickets cost around 100–150 lira, payable with Istanbulkart or cash.
18 days ago Havaist bus, ~100–150 lira
From Sabiha Gokcen airport (SAW), Havaist buses go to Kadikoy (about 30–40 min) and Taksim (about 1 hour depending on traffic).
18 days ago Havaist SAW → Kadikoy, ~30–40 min
If ride-hailing apps (like BiTaxi) are not accepting rides from Sabiha Gokcen, go to the official taxi desk inside the terminal — they have fixed zone-based fares and drivers cannot refuse. Apps sometimes fail due to high demand or zone restrictions.
18 days ago Official taxi desk inside SAW terminal