Istanbul has a well-established transportation network with bus routes reaching almost everywhere, trains from both Asia and Europe making it into the very city center, boats and ferries along the Bosphorus, a clean and fast subway although it only serves a route with limited stations. Yellow cabs are easy to find almost everywhere in the city and they are not expensive at all. They all charge using a meter and it does not cost much to ride cabs around the city unless the distance is really long. However, some taxi drivers are known to turn the ride into a thrill or a speed race which is not really fun unless you are late for your flight. Tipping is not necessary at the cabs but you can round up to the next lira. You do not have to leave any extra cash after that. The traffic, however, tends to slow down a lot or almost stop at many intersections during the rush hours. The city center, however, has a lot to offer so this might be the ideal time of the day to take a walk around and discover the city.
On most of the popular routes, it is possible to take a shared cab which is called ‘Dolmus”. They are slightly bigger than cabs and they are yellow as well. The sign on the top reads ‘Dolmus” instead of “Taksi” . Most of them have a seating capacity of approximately 10 people and they charge a flat fee along the route. You can take the city ferry to ply over the Bosporus in all directions from one continent to another. One of the best ways to explore Istanbul is to do so on water. That is really a sight while you will have the advantage of paying nothing more than a regular transportation charge. For a short trip from the European side, just hop on a ferry to Uskudar and you can be back in an hour.
If you are planning on riding the ferry, the bus or the subway, it is advisable to purchase “akbil” which is a pre-paid electronic chip embedded on a plastic similar to a key fob. You can use your pre-paid credit on the Akbil and you will have access to city’s transportation network with just a tap. There is always a direct bus service between the airports and Taksim. Taksim is the center of the transportation network, with buses, subways and dolmus’ coming in from various destinations of the city. Taksim bus stop and the central subway station is only a few minutes from where Hotel Lamartine is located.
If you will arrive Istanbul by car, your safest option will be to park it in a parking lot and take advantage of other transportation opportunities during your stay. For a western driver, Istanbul’s traffic can prove to be really difficult to navigate in, the streets can get complicated and the local drivers sometimes may not be patient enough to show enough respect to slower drivers.
