Istanbul Guide

212

Funicular & Cable Car

PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPERATORS İstanbul Elektrik Tramvay ve Tünel (İETT, İstanbul Electricity, Tramway and Tunnel General Management; www.iett.gov.tr) is responsible for running public bus es, funiculars and historic trams in the city. Its website has useful timetable and route information in Turk ish and English. Metro and tram services are run by İstanbul Ulaşım (www.istanbul-ulasim.com.tr), ferry services are run by İstanbul Şehir Hatları (İstanbul City Routes; % 153; www.sehirhatlari.com.tr) , Dentur Avrasya ( % 0216-444 6336; www.denturavrasya.com) and Turyol ( % 0212-251 4421; www.turyol.com) , and seabus and fast-ferry services are operated by İstanbul Deniz Otobüsleri (İstanbul Deniz Otobüsleri; % 0850-222 4436; www.ido.com.tr) . Transport Getting Around İstanbul

There are two funiculars (funıküleri) and two cable cars (teleferic) in the city. All are short trips and İstanbulkarts can be used. A funicular called the Tünel carries passengers between Karaköy, at the base of the Galata Bridge (Galata Köprüsü), to Tünel Meydanı, at one end of İstiklal Caddesi. The service operates every five minutes between 7am and 10.45pm and a ride costs ₺5 (₺2.60 on an İstanbulkart). The second funicular carries passengers from Kabataş, at the end of the tramline, to Taksim Meydanı, where it connects to the metro. The service operates every five minutes from 6am to midnight and a ride costs ₺5 (₺2.60 on an İstanbulkart). A cable car runs between the waterside at Eyüp and the Pierre Loti Café (Gümüşsuyu Balmumcu Sokak 1, Eyüp; h 8am-midnight; g 44B, 48E, 99, 99Y & 399B/C from Eminönü, f Eyüp) every 10 minutes from 8am to 11pm; İstanbulkart trans fer discounts don’t apply. Another travels between Maçka (near Taksim) and the İstanbul Technical University in Taşkışla (8am to 7pm). Rides costs ₺5 (₺2.60 on an İstanbulkart). Bus The bus system in İstanbul is extremely efficient, though traffic congestion in the city means that bus trips can be very long. The introduction of Metrobüs lines (where buses are given dedicated traffic lanes) aims to relieve this problem, but these tend to service residential suburbs out of the city centre and are thus of limited benefit

gouge you at the end of the trip. The best way to counter this is to tell them no meter, no ride. Avoid the taxis wait ing for fares near Aya Sofya Meydanı – we have received reports of rip-offs. Taxi fares are very rea sonable and rates are the same during both day and night. It costs around ₺18 to travel between Beyoğlu and Sultanahmet. Few taxis have seat belts. If you take a taxi from the European side of the city to the Asian side over one of the Bosphorus bridges, it is your responsibility to cover the toll (₺7). The driver will add this to your fare. There is no toll when crossing from Asia to Europe. Uber has operated in the city since 2014, but at the time of writing was banned. The local rideshare compa ny is BiTaksi (www.bitaksi. com/en). Metro Metro services depart every five minutes between 6am and midnight. Some lines function throughout the night on Friday and Saturday nights. Jetons (ticket tokens) cost ₺5 but trips are con siderably cheaper if you use an İstanbulkart. Tickets are

double the usual price be tween 12.30am and 5.30am on the weekend all-night services and more expensive on long trips on the Marma ray – the cost depends on the length of the trip. One line (the M1A) con nects Yenikapı, southwest of Sultanahmet, with the largely decommissioned Atatürk International Airport. This stops at 16 stations, includ ing Aksaray and the Otogar, along the way. Another line (the M2) connects Yenikapı with Taksim, stopping at three stations along the way: Vezneciler, near the Grand Bazaar; on the bridge across the Golden Horn (Haliç); and at Şişhane, near Tünel Meydanı in Beyoğlu. From Taksim it travels northeast to Hacıosman via nine sta tions. A branch line, the M6, connects one of these stops, Levent, with Boğaziçi Üniver sitesi near the Bosphorus. A fourth line, known as the Marmaray, connects Halkalı, west of the Old City, with Ayrılık Çeşmesi, on the city’s Asian side. This travels via a tunnel under the Sea of Marmara, stop ping at Yenikapı, Sirkeci and Üsküdar en route and con necting with the M4 metro running between Kadıköy and Tavşantepe.