From IST airport to New District - best options?

Short version: Take a taxi!

This is my eighth day in Istanbul, but I've not been to the New City. I trust you'll get info from some additional folks soon.

Issue #1: The taxi won't cost $18. A negotiated, fixed fare will be a multiple of that. My cheapo hotel offered 55 euros, probably a bit high. I balked. I'm guessing your hotel is easier to access than mine but could be wrong. Welcome Pickups' webpage says the average cost to Taksim is 41 euros but warns of variation.

Issue #2: Traffic is unimaginably bad in my part of Istanbul. I haven't read that conditions are much better in the New City. A taxi trip on the meter would, I assume, be cheaper than a negotiated fare in most cases. Accent on "most". How bad could it be if you're unlucky?

Issue #3: Using the newish subway line to reach my hotel was going to require 2 subway transfers, both apparently involving multi-block walks outside the Metro stations. The airport subway line doesn't go anywhere near the areas where a typical tourist would be staying. Check carefully to see what your transfer would be like. There seem to be a lot of disconnects in the system that require street-level exploration to find the continuation point, and it's my impression Google and CityMapper aren't great for routings here.

Issue #4: If you do have to connect at street level, you may be searching for a rare crosswalk when you aren't exactly sure where you are headed. The city is very crowded and Not Fun with luggage. Do not assume the folks on the street will understand enough English to help you. Anticipate a false start or two and extra walking.

BIG Issue #5: Most public transportation in Istanbul requires the Istanbulkart stored-value card. Maybe they have spiffy, new card machines at the airport Metro station. I didn't see those, since I took a bus from the airport and it (atypically) accepted direct payment by tappable credit card. I have, however, had a great deal of frustrating experience with the bright yellow Istanbulkart machines in several places around the historic center. Anticipating potential issues (I was psychic), I bought a card loaded with TL 30 for TL 150 at a convenience store near my hotel. I think it was supposed to cost only TL 100 (per the tourist office, which may also sell them). So that was a $1+ ripoff, but small potatoes in the world of travel.

Current fare for Metro, bus and tram is TL 15, but I didn't want to get caught short, so I immediately started trying to add money to the card. What a nightmare--though I acknowledge some user error was involved.

• There's a Union Jack on the screen, but I haven't managed to switch the language to English. (Need to check YouTube.)

• Only some machines take credit cards and only some machines sell the card itself; they are clearly marked at the top.

• I have no clue what buttons you're supposed to push to add value, or whether the tap point works with US cards. I tried both tapping and inserting and did get money added to the card.

• The machines don't seem very informative as you go through the transaction, though it's hard to tell since I'm only seeing (and hearing) Turkish. I ended up with over TL 200 on the card, more than intended.

• I highly recommend using currency rather than a credit card. But the machines take nothing larger than a TL 100 note. And there's no feedback, so you must just assume the money got onto your card.

• There's usually a considerable line of people waiting to use each machine. Not only will you wait, but you'll feel pressure to get through the process quickly because of the line of people behind you.

• Even folks who look local have trouble with the machines sometimes; I wonder about how well they're maintained.

Issue #6: The cash you'll want to use in the Istanbulkart machines will cost a 10% premium at the airport ATMs. Ziraat Bank and post office ATMs in the city are fee-free.

https://visit.istanbul/en/istanbul-kart/

3 – How Can I Add Money to the Balance of My Istanbulkart?
You can add money to the balance of your Istanbulkart from all individual and corporate representatives, ticket machines, from the website at https://bireysel.istanbulkart.istanbul and from the Istanbulkart Mobile Application.

The app may simplify loading the Istanbulkart

Ran out of space with my litany of complaints about the Istanbulkart machines.

It seemed to me that most folks were feeding cash into the machines. I do think that's the way to go, even though you have to take it on faith that your card is being updated.

I failed to mention in the earlier response that you place your Istanbulkart on the screen at the lower right when you want to add value to it. I don't know whether it matters which side is facing the machine; I tried it both ways during my frustrating efforts to use a credit card. Watch what people who look local are doing and handle your card the same way.

When you go through a tram or ferry turnstile, you tap the card and the cost of the trip and remaining value on the card are displayed on a nearby screen, but very briefly. I find it hard to see the information before it disappears. I don't know any other way to find out how much remains on the card.

I believe two people may be able to share a card, but I'm not sure.

Upon exiting a tram or ferry you just walk through a turnstile, not using your card. I haven't been on a bus, the Metro or the Mamaray (train to Asia) yet so I don't know whether there are places where you also have to tap out. The Mamaray fare is higher than the standard fare, but I think under TL 40.

Much or all of the above info is probably in Rick's guidebook, which you should have. I have only the ebook version with me, and I struggle to find information in electronic guidebooks. Be aware that prices will be seriously out of whack. I think transit fares doubled earlier this year. For the same reason, information on the internet should not be taken on faith.

I mentioned taking a bus from the airport. It was a public bus to Aksaray. I think the fare was the equivalent of about $10 US. If there's an equivalent bus to Taksim (there may well be--check HVIST 16) and you can manage your luggage between the bus stop and your hotel (I've looked at the map, and it would probably be multiple blocks), that sort of bus would be your cheapest option, but for two people a taxi really makes more sense when arriving in Istanbul. I ended up taking one from Aksaray to my hotel for the overpriced fare of 25 euros because I hadn't noticed an Istanbulkart machine on my path through the airport to the bus stop (I didn't know what they looked like). I didn't want to wander around, looking for a place to buy the Istanbulkart around Aksaray at 6 PM and then search for the Metro station a block or more away, even though I had only flown in from Warsaw--and that turned out to be the right decision, given my subsequent struggles.

Back to the subject of ATMs: They are all over the place. Sometimes you'll come across eight or ten of them lined up in a row. Ziraat Bank will often but not always be one of them. Google will identify some of the Ziraat ATMs, but not all of them. Just keep your eyes open. As far as I know, the post office ATMs are only in or right outside post offices. I don't know that you'll find one at every post office, however.

This seems to be very much a cash economy. The first restaurant I ate at (not fancy, but not fast food) pressured me for cash, though it nominally takes credit cards. The fifth one I tried had a card reader that asked me for a PIN (which I don't have), and the server didn't know what to do. I saw the screen (in Turkish, which I cannot read), and there was no obvious-to-me option to indicate a signature card. I suspect the terminal and/or its software were outdated. You'll need to keep some cash on hand for sure.

Thanks, Mark. The website or app could well be the solution, though I've had issues trying to use some other transit apps. If I need to add more value to my card, I'll do some exploring.

Since you’re clearly not traveling light and a taxi from IST to New Town is about €40-€50, I think a taxi is the way to go.

Besides what acraven so aptly covered, Welcome Pickups might be a better option. I haven't used them yet (I will in 2 days) but have so far been impressed with the communications and user interface (app). The flat fee for my transfer is $43, door to door (I'm staying in Sultanahmet). Another RS forum member told me they recently used this service and it was fine. They also said there was a lot of traffic on way to town and the trip took close to 2 hours - in a metered taxi that could potentially wipe out the "cheap" factor you note. https://www.welcomepickups.com/

Thank you, acraven and others. Very helpful info. (And yes, I have the current Rick Steves Istanbul book, but info on airport rides is still a bit dated). I clearly have some more research to do.

Taksim is a major transport connection, so it's easy (and super cheap) to take the Havaist shuttle there from the airport.
https://istanbul-international-airport.com/transportation/bus/

I would look at Welcome Pickups. Having been scammed once, I am very leery of taxis in Istanbul. (Don't know where the $18 came from. It's going to cost a lot more than that.)

I haven't had any major issues with getting or refilling transit cards. The machine that I used most frequently (at Beyazit) was a little persnickety about the way the bills went into the machine, but someone behind me in line always seemed to know the right way to jiggle the bill to make the machine accept it. I do speak enough Turkish so that I don't have to worry with the English version.

When you tap the card at the turnstiles for the streetcar stops (or at least at some of the streetcar stops), the screen on the turnstile displays the amount remaining on the card.

Just chiming back in to say the Welcome Pickups process was very smooth and very convenient. Traffic was awful so a taxi very well could be more expensive (the airport is a long way from the historic district). I wouldn't hesitate to use them especially with your bulky luggage.

My wife and I visited Istanbul last year and we were cautioned not to use the public transportation, particularly trams to get to the center of town. We had our hotel arrange a pickup from the airport and it was the best decision we made, as our pickup occurred during the late afternoon time period. We paid 45 euro for the pickup transfer one way. The pickup was outside baggage claim and was in a van. All trams in the center city area and extremely crowded during rush hour and other times. I can't imagine trying to get on a tightly packed tram with suitcases.

Just returned from Istanbul last week (9/22). Used taxis several times including upon arrival. Fare from airport to Galata/Karakoy (New District) was 800 lira (pre negotiated). The taxi did have a working meter. The fare would have been 907 lira.

On another occasion during this trip we stayed near the airport. We were charged 200 lira (airport to hotel) from one taxi company but charged 300 lira (hotel to airport) by another.

We used the tram back and forth from the new district to Sultanahmet. It was very crowded during each of the 10 rides.

Had scheduled WelcomePickups but that went awry. The company provided a full refund as well as a coupon for future ride. They also offered to refund me for my taxi ride for the inconvenience but I did not accept that. I was very impressed with their lightning fast response upon receiving my correspondence.