Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

Funicular & Cable Car 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 transfer 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 to travellers. The major bus stands are underneath Taksim Meydanı and at Beşiktaş, Kabataş, Eminönü, Kadıköy and Üsküdar, with most services running between 6am and 11pm. Destinations and main stops on city bus routes are shown on a sign on the right (kerb) side of the bus (otobüs), or on the electronic display at its front. You must have an İstanbulkart before boarding. The most useful bus lines for travellers are those running along both sides of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, those in the western districts and those between Üsküdar and Kadıköy. Dolmuş A dolmuş is a shared minibus. It waits at a specified departure point until it has a full complement of passengers (in Turkish, dolmuş means full) then follows a fixed route to its destination. Destinations are displayed in the window of the dolmuş. Passengers flag down the driver to get on and indicate to the driver when they want to get off, usually by saying ‘ inecek var!’ (someone wants to get out!). Fares vary (pay on board) but are usually the