I am planning a trip to Istanbul. Please tell me the name of the airport in Istanbul. Thank you.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Ataturk.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2788 posts
Do you have a copy of RS Istanbul Guide Book yet? If so, great. If not, I would recommend you get one as it is full of useful information that we use when we visited Turkey recently. We spent a total of 9 days in Istanbul and I could have spent more. I have put it on my list of places to return to.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Istanbul has two airports. The one you want, if at all possible, is Atatürk International Airport (code IST). This is the "main one" that gets flights from the US. It's on the European side. and is an easy 20-30 minutes in a taxi to the city. There's also mass transit if you packed light and are adventurous, but it involves a connection. The other airport is Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (code SAW). This is on the Asian side, many miles from the city. The ride not only takes a long time (an hour or more, I've read) but is expensive, and there's no mass transit (there are airport buses). Some flights from Europe use it, and it's often cheaper, but there's a reason; any money you save on the flight will be eaten up by the taxi cost. In addition to getting Rick Steves Istanbul (we found it INVALUABLE, and the new edition just came out), take a look at this website: http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/index.html He has amazing information on all kinds of details (including airport tips).
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
The chances of anyone from New York even seeing Sabiha Gokcen are slim to zip. Other than Turk Air, it mostly serves arabian and african carriers. The only exceptions are a couple of the budget european carriers. That said, it's a easy thirty minute drive (mostly freeways) to the lower Bosphorus bridge. The less-than ten-bucks ride of a pretty spiffy bus is inconsequential.