Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

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 company is BiTaksi (www.bitaksi.com/en).

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 buses, funiculars and historic trams in the city. Its website has useful timetable and route information in Turkish 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) . 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 considerably cheaper if you use an İstanbulkart. Tickets are double the usual price between 12.30am and 5.30am on the weekend all-night services and more expensive on long trips on the Marmaray – the cost depends on the length of the trip. One line (the M1A) connects Yenikapı, southwest of Sultanahmet, with the largely decommissioned Atatürk International Airport. This stops at 16 stations, including 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 stations. A branch line, the M6, connects one of these stops, Levent, with Boğaziçi Üniversitesi 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, stopping at Yenikapı, Sirkeci and Üsküdar en route and connecting with the M4 metro running between Kadıköy and Tavşantepe.