Istanbul - Airport to Sultanahmet

My recent Istanbul hotel was at the other end of the Galata Bridge from Eminonu. I decided on a private transfer, which I arranged through my hotel. By far, the most expensive option - but I could arrange all the planning ahead of time.

Hopefully, CL will tell you about Welcome Pickups, a less expensive private transfer, which I would have used except that I am currently allergic to anything except fully refundable.

On top of that, I apparently need an Istanbul card of some kind ("Istanbul Kart")
I can give you good news there. Istanbul transit now takes tap credit cards and Google/Apple pay on your phone. So there is no need to buy the IstanbulKart, unless you want it for the savings. Here's a recent thread with details:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/turkey/istanbul-kart-worth-it

Thanks for the good news, CWsocial! I did NOT know that.

As for the private transfer option, I have considered that as well. The problem is that I have a tight connection on the way to Istanbul, and if I miss the flight to Istanbul, I will lose money - my understanding is that Welcome Pickups is non-refundable.

That is another reason that I went with my hotel transfer. Their process is an assembly line of arrivals. There are greeters at the airport. When you arrive, they check your name and connect you with an available driver. (It doesn't look that organized at their meeting point, but it does seem to work.)

I've only ever arranged it through my hotel, so I don't know the name of the service. But I can WhatsApp my hotel and ask them. I know it is not specific to my hotel.

The cost to my Karakoy hotel (across the bridge from Eminonu) was $110 for both directions. And they wanted American cash, which I paid to my hotel, not the driver. I think it would have been $60 one way. Undoubtedly, the most expensive option.

Hi CWsocial,

Re your last message, I am not sure I am following. Did you make the arrangements on the spot (at the airport)? If you do arrange for the private transfer in advance, and you miss the connecting flight, then it won't work? Am I missing something?

I indeed used Welcome Pickups and it worked great for me, approx. $45 US one way. I had direct communication with the driver via the WP app and also Whatsapp (the driver's preferred communication). My flight was somewhat delayed and he was keeping an eye on it, I assume I could have contacted him if I had missed my connection and informed him of that. Poking around on the Welcome Pickups site, it does look like you can contact their customer support via their app, they could potentially make an exception if you contacted them quickly. https://support.welcomepickups.com/en/articles/4698582-how-can-i-make-changes-to-my-booked-transfer Will note that not everyone has been satisfied with WP, as pointed out in this recent post.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/turkey/shuttle-from-ist-to-city-senter

There is a taxi stand at the airport and plenty of people use that option every day. There are different service classes with different rates - just make sure to confirm the anticipated price before you get in and that they accept your payment preference (card or cash). https://www.istairport.com/en/airport/airport-transportation/urban-transportation/other/?locale=en

I also explored all the public transit options and decided I would just be too tired to figure them out on arrival. I do think having a door-to-door shuttle made it easier for me to settle in to a bustling Istanbul. On a second trip I would probably use transit as I am now familiar with how it works and how busy the trams can get in the historic area.

Did you make the arrangements on the spot (at the airport)?

I made the arrangements in advance, giving my hotel the flight details.

If you do arrange for the private transfer in advance, and you miss the connecting flight, then it won't work?

It seems to be a full time and ongoing operation at the airport. The driver isn't immediately waiting for you, just these greeters. When you arrive at the meeting point, the greeters contact the driver. You wait, with other passengers, until your ride pulls up. I might have waited 15 or 20 minutes.

I didn't have a connection and didn't ask whether there was any limit on how long they would wait.

The convenient and easy-to-use Havaist Airport Bus—for less than $3 will drop you off at the Beyazit stop about 1-2 miles from Sultanahmet. From the bus stop at Beyazit It’s easy to catch a taxi to your hotel.

"t seems to be a full time and ongoing operation at the airport. The driver isn't immediately waiting for you, just these greeters."

I believe this is because taxi drivers are not allowed to be in the arrivals hall, based on what I have read.

Thanks, folks! I think I have it figured out now.

Instead of getting lost to find a taxi or Uber , it is better to us HAVAIST .

I just returned from a wonderful trip to Istanbul. I used Istanbul Shuttle Port. I booked ahead of time online and included the tip in the price. I chose the option to pay the driver. The directions were easy to follow for pick up at airport and they picked us up at our hotel on the return. Fantastic service on time and inexpensive in my opinion. I have made the mistake of taking the metro ect., to save a few bucks and it is not worth it! Trams in Istanbul especially can be packed. Trying to get on with luggage no thank you. Then factor in jet lag it's a nightmare. Just get a Shuttle.

We are having our first visit to Istanbul at the end of October and are staying at the Wings Hotel.

I just looked up their costs for a transfer and it is 110 Euro each way. These seems extremely high, or is it?

I certainly don't want to be carting luggage on a metro in a strange city, and I also don't like prepaying a transfer in case something goes wrong.

Is our hotel ripping us off?

Yes, your hotel is ripping you off. Look elsewhere. I used welcome pickups, but other options like bus will work well too.

Is our hotel ripping us off?
My hotel charged $60 for one way and $110 total for both directions. My hotel is a 1 minute walk from the Wings Hotel. So for $110, I would expect round trip.

ETA: and mine was dollars, not euros.

The Wings Hotel looks great by the way. Its neon green sign is visible from the Bosphorus. I used it as a marker to locate my own hotel.

I used Welcome Pickups for a group of five and it was great. I have the app on my phone, and the driver sent his photo, and instructions, with photos, of how to get to where he was waiting. He knew when our flight had landed, and called me on WhatsApp to make sure we were on the right path, and I was able to tell him we would be a few minutes as one of our group was missing a bag. The car was very nice, and the price, split five ways, was only 10 euros each. I first used them in Athens a couple years ago when I was by myself, and had a similarly good experience.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I used Istanbul Shuttle Port. I should have included the cost:
From airport to Sultahament for 7 people 75 euros with tip. The return trip was only 5 of us for 45 euros with tip. An excellent price. I've traveled all over Europe and this is an excellent price.

Most costs in Istanbul are significantly lower than in countries to the west.

There are several factors complicating the issue of airport transportation in Istanbul:

• Unlike some other major cities, Istanbul doesn't have fixed taxi fares to the airport.

• Traffic in the city can descend into gridlock, making the meter fare more variable than one might expect. Drivers don't want to eat the cost of sitting in standstill traffic without compensation, and visitors aren't comfortable with the circuitous routes that may actually be the fastest because they suspect they are being employed as a means to run up the meter.

• English and other European languages are not necessarily well spoken by the taxi drivers (this varies, of course). This tends to make visitors, especially first-time visitors, uncertain about just stepping into a taxi. It's probably uncomfortable for the drivers, too; they know they may not be able to explain the traffic challenges in the city.

• One result of the above is an apparent driver preference for negotiated fares rather than use of the meter. There are fewer arguments that way.

When I was in Istanbul in Sep-Oct 2023, I saw in the elevator of one of my hotels (not a 5-star luxury place) a sign offering airport transportation for somewhere between 30 and 35 euros. I remember thinking at the time that was a smidgen higher than I'd expect to pay a taxi driver (the typical hotel overcharge), but I didn't take a taxi between the airport and the city center--I was reacting to what I had read while doing pre-trip research. There definitely seems to be rather wide variation in what one pays for an airport run in Istanbul.

Turkiye suffers from significant inflation, but the lira is week against the dollar and euro, so I don't know that there's been much change in the euro cost of airport transportation since the fall of 2023. I certainly wouldn't sign up for a 100-euro or 75-euro deal unless a special vehicle like a 12-passenger van was required. But then I don't really attach extra value to a fancy vehicle or someone holding up a sign with my name on it; I'd rather just go to the taxi queue so I don't have to worry about whether the driver will wait if my flight is late, etc.