As it has belonged among the largest and most powerful cities of Europe throughout history, the instrastructure in Istanbul is quite extended. Let's take a look at some useful info about how to move, where to go and what and how to do while visiting this ancient city on the shores of the Bosphorus. All aboard!
Getting in
Given it's kinda remote location from other larger cities in Europe or Asia, probably the most convinient way how to arrive in the city, would be by plane. There are two international airports within the city limits.
The new and larger Istanbul Atatürk Airport is located some 20 km from the city center. It serves most of the international and domestic flights. To get to and from the airport, there are generally three options. Either you can take taxi, go by an Havatas express bus (price 11 TRX) or by the light rail (basically metro) - price of the ticket is 2,60 TRY, but you need to own the Istanbulkart. (More of that later)
The second, smaller, Sabiha Gökcen International is located on the Asian side of the city, roughly 40 km from the European part. It serves mostly low cost flights (especially Pegasus Airlines). The easiest way to get to the city, is to take the Havatas bus from the airport to Taksim. From there, it is possible walk to the historic center (some 5 km to Sultanahmet) or you can take a combination of the funicular and tram.
If you are not the flying type, there are some regular trains going from the Balkans (Sofia, Thessaloniki) or on the Asian side, direct trains to Ankara.
Getting around
The Istanbul public transport is extended and on the first glance, quite confusing. Well, maybe even on the second glance as well. There are multiple choices how to get around and sometimes you need to pay a different fare, if you want to transfer. But generally, there are four lines of metro, four tramways (one of which will actually take you on kind of a round tour around the historic city center, two funiculars and a underwater rail connecting Europe and Asia, as well as multiple ferries crossing the Bosphorus. All of that is supported by an extended network of buses.
The basic fare is 4 TRY for a token for one trip. If you stay for longer than a day or so, it may be more convinient to buy the Istanbulkart. This plastic chip card provides you with significantly smaller fees (the first trip only 2,60, each of the next ones progressively cheaper).
In conclusion
The official language is Turkish, however English is widely spoken especially in the most touristy areas. And even if not, the Turkish people can be really friendly and even with the english barrier, I never had a problem to communicate anything in the end. The official currency is the Turkish Lira (TRY) which is exchanged for roughly 5,5 Liras for Euro. They use standard C European power outlets, flush the toilet paper (the famous "Turkish bathrooms" are generally a matter of the past, but you can still find them occasionally), and drive on the right side of the road.
I hope you enjoyed my today's article and till the next time, have a fantastic time :)
Love, Lex
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