Updated November 12, 2020

If you relish getting off the beaten tourist path and getting lost with the benefit of a safety line back to more familiar territory, a transit pass might be just the ticket to feed an adventurous spirit. To explore Istanbul, get an Instanbulkart. It’s cheap and convenient, and perfect for experiencing Istanbul on a budget.

What is an Istanbulkart?

An Istanbulkart is a prepaid reloadable transit pass that makes it easy to use public transportation. It costs 6TL (about $0.79 USD) plus the desired amount of credit you’d like to load. It’s about the size of a credit card, and slides easily from its clear protective case. To use it, simply wave the card within eight centimetres of an electronic reader, even from a pocket or purse. With each use, the remaining credit on the card is displayed on the digital screen of the reader.

Unlike other transportation systems with both tap-in and tap-out steps, in Istanbul, you present the card only at the beginning of a journey. Therefore, all trips are the same price, irrespective of distance travelled.

Why get one?

• It works on a variety of services including the subway, trams, buses, nostalgic trams, funiculars, cable cars, trains, and ferries.
• It will get you from the airport to your accommodation at a fraction of the cost of a taxi or car service.
• Each trip is discounted.
• Up to five people can travel on one card (but only the first person’s fare is discounted).
• The other option for getting around Istanbul is to buy transit tokens. I prefer the Istanbulkart as it avoids the delays associated with purchasing tokens. An Istanbulkart encourages and supports spontaneous decision-making.

Where to get an Istanbulkart

The Istanbulkart is available from over 1500 counters, vendors, and machines throughout Istanbul, including on arrival at Atatürk or Sabiha Gökçen airports. Many hoteliers and apartment rental hosts offer the cards on a complimentary basis.

Load your card with enough credit

Cards can be reloaded at newsstands and small shops. Look for the sign Akbil Dolum Noktası. Or, look for self-service vending machines at major transit stations. The machines accept banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 20, and 50 TL, with instructions in several languages.

To give you a rough idea of how much credit you’ll need, each trip costs 2.60 TL. The first transfer costs 1.85 TL, the second costs 1.40, and the third, fourth, and fifth transfers cost .90 TL. Transfers need to be taken within two hours in order to be classed as a transfer.

Take your Istanbulkart for a spin

My advice is to set off on your own magical mystery tour and see where you end up, trusting your instincts and the system. If you’re in need of inspiration and a basic plan, below is the itinerary that came together for me one morning without a lot of planning.

I was staying in the Sirkeci area in the bustling Eminönü neighborhood of Sultanahmet, just a couple of blocks from the waterfront. I pieced together a few sights and experiences I had in mind, and armed with a map and my Istanbulkart, accomplished way more than I imagined possible.

For additional inspiration, this four-day itinerary describes a host of possibilities.

A proven itinerary with an Istanbulkart

Here’s my somewhat spontaneous cobbled-together itinerary.

Take the T1 Tramway to the terminus at Kabataş on the European side of the Bosphorus. Mingling with the fishermen on the Galata Bridge should not be missed, so catch the tram from the Karaköy side of the bridge.

Between the stops of Findikli and Tophane in the direction of Kabataş you’ll find Istanbul’s rainbow stairs. The back story is what makes the stairs special. Watch for them on the left side of the tram, or get off at either the Findikli or Tophane stops.

From Kabataş, it’s possible to walk the few blocks to Dolmabahçe Palace or catch a ferry from the Kabataş ferry docks to various destinations. However, I elected to purchase a simit from a street vendor, and enjoy a glass of tea at a waterfront café. It was an ideal spot to watch the shipping traffic slide by and marvel at my good fortune in being back in Istanbul.

From Kabataş, I took the Taksim-Kabataş funicular and surfaced at Taksim Square. While wandering around the square, I kept my eye out for the nostalgic tram.

The Beyoğlu Nostalgic Tram (T5) is a restored trolley from the early twentieth century, and a popular symbol of İstiklal Avenue. With frequency about every 20 minutes, the tram travels between Taksim and Tünel, with a few stops along the way. Being Sunday, the usually busy shopping street was relatively quiet so I took the tram the full length of the line (1.5 kilometres) and disembarked at the terminus at Tünel.

Tünel is an old underground funicular — the world’s second oldest subterranean urban rail line after the London Underground. It’s almost 600 metres long. The lower terminus in Karaköy is close to the northern shore of the Golden Horn near the Galata Bridge.

As I’d already walked across the Galata Bridge, I decided to turn right on exiting Tünel and walk along Tersane Caddesi towards the Taksim-Yenikapı Metro line. The 500-metre walk took me to the Haliç station perched on top of the Haliç Metro Transit Bridge spanning the Golden Horn. While waiting for the tram, I admired the beautiful views up and down the waterway.

I chose to take the Metro in the direction of Yenikapı, an interesting waterfront destination. I was keen to connect to the Marmaray, the world’s deepest underwater rail tunnel connecting two continents under the Bosphorus. The Marmaray took me to Üsküdar — a beautiful waterfront neighbourhood on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara.

After enjoying the bustle of the waterfront, I took one of the regular ferries to Eminönü across the Sea of Marmara.

I then walked to the bus station just past the Galata Bridge to take the 99A bus to the Eyüp mosque. It was a ride of about 6 kilometres. Had it not been a dreary February day, the walk beside the Golden Horn would have been more interesting.

From there, I took the cable car to the Pierre Loti Café to soak up the magnificent views overlooking the Golden Horn. I’d worked up an appetite by this time, but visions of more delectable offerings back in Sirkeci drew me in that direction.

By the time the bus arrived in Sirkeci, it was time for lunch. One of the things I love about Istanbul is the opportunity to graze around the city. My three-stop two-hour lunch started with lentil soup at one restaurant, followed by kebab and salad at Şehzade Erzurum Cağ Kebabı. Made from lamb, cağ kebabı is marinated with onion, salt, and pepper for a few hours, and then cooked on a horizontal spit over a wood fire.

Lunch ended with Turkish coffee and pistachio Turkish delight at Hafiz Mustafa 1864 where it doesn’t seem possible to escape being showered with a complimentary baklava or some other delicacy.

The price is right

What an enjoyable morning. The nine different types of transportation were all covered by the Istanbulkart and cost 13.30 TL (about 1.76 USD). I was amazed at how many transportation options were covered, and how seamless it was to leap from one mode of transportation to another. In the process, I developed an appreciation of the city’s ability to develop an efficient public transportation network to accommodate its 15 million inhabitants and 12 million tourists who visit Istanbul each year.

If Turkey is on your travel list, you might like:

• Istanbul’s ‘Two Markets, Two Continents’ food tour by Culinary Backstreets: A Review
• What’s the best mosque to visit in Istanbul?
• Istanbul’s rainbow stairs
• Ten things to do in Istanbul
• Blue cruise on a Turkish gulet
• Is ballooning in Cappadocia worth it?
• Connect with a rich history by visiting a caravanserai on Turkey’s ancient Silk Road
• When in Turkey, visit Derinkuyu, an ancient underground city of dazzling proportions

 

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