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Largest city in Turkey
Photo: Adli Wahid, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) is a very large city of fantastic history, culture and beauty. Called Byzantium in ancient times, the city's name was changed to Constantinople in 324 CE when it was rebuilt by the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine. The name "Istanbul", perhaps surprisingly, comes from Greek and could be translated as a corruption of "to the city". While the term had been in widespread use for centuries, it only became the official name of the city upon the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in the 1920s.
Essentially Constantinople of the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans, this is the walled inner city, with most of the famous historical sights of Istanbul.
Once a colony of various European nations, mostly non-Muslim populated district of Ottoman Istanbul. With Beyoğlu in its core, İstiklal Avenue is perhaps the best-known street, and Taksim Square is perhaps the most central point in the city life.
From Beşiktaş to Sarıyer, it covers the European bank of the Bosphorus, lined by numerous palaces, parks, waterfront mansions, and bohemian neighborhoods.
The banks of the Golden Horn, the estuary that separates the European side into distinctive areas. Eyüpsultan holding on tightly to its Ottoman, and Islamic heritage is the highlight whilst Balat blends in the Christian heritage.
The region that encompasses the main business district of the city - Levent as well as home to luxury neighborhoods as Etiler and designer fashion outlets in areas such as Nişantaşı.
Mostly residential region of the European side. The coastal areas like Bakırköy tend to have more historicity whilst inner areas like Bahçeşehir tend to have a modern accent.
The western part of the European side, including the countryside across the Çatalca Peninsula, home to scattered Byzantine ruins and lonely beaches.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
MegaPass Istanbul offers several city pass options combining Bosphorus cruises, guided tours, and access to key attractions. Travelers can choose from: Classic City Pass: Includes a Bosphorus cruise, guided Blue Mosque tour, transportation card with 5 rides, and access to two attractions. Premium City Pass: Adds a hop-on hop-off bus tour, a Turkish bath experience, and access to four attractions. Deluxe City Pass: Includes a dinner cruise, whirling dervish ceremony, and access to all listed attractions. The city passes are valid for 7 days from first use.
By plane
Getting to and from Istanbul International Airport
By train
Since the heyday of the legendary Orient Express, travelling by train has been the classic way of reaching Istanbul.
By bus
Turkey has an extensive system of intercity buses for travel around the country, as well as international routes.
By boat
There are Black Sea ferries several times a week to Chornomorske, the main port for Odesa in Ukraine, taking 27 hours.
By car
Istanbul lies on the European highway E80, and relatively short distance north of E90, both stretching from Lisbon at the opposite end of the continent.
By bicycle
The Sultan's Trail (2,500 km) and the Sufi Trail (800 km) are cycling and hiking trails approaching the city from the west and the east, specifically Vienna and Konya respectively.
By thumb
Istanbul is huge, so you'll need public transport between your accommodation and your pick-up/drop-off point. Leaving the city, the best routes are:
İstanbulkart
The İstanbulkart is Istanbul's public transport smart card, which can be used as a ticket on buses, trams, suburban trains, metro, local ferries, etc.
By train
The Marmaray cross-town train, opened in March 2019, links Halkali mainline station in the west with Bakırköy, Zeytinburnu, Sirkeci and Üsküdar either side of the Bosphorus, and Bostancı, Kartal,…
By metro
The city Metro has many lines, although not all are equally useful to the visitor:
By tram
Snaking its way between its eastern terminus Kabataş on the Bosphorus and the western terminus at Bağcılar in the northwest, T1 is the most useful tram line, serving many popular sites across the Old…
By boat
Unique Istanbul liners (large conventional ferry boats), sea-buses (high speed catamarans), or mid-sized private ferries travel between the European and Asian sides of the city.
By bus
Public transportation buses are either run or inspected by İETT.
By taxi
Taxis are an easy way to get around. Check the start, minimum and per km rates online. and Tipping is generally unnecessary.
By shared taxi (Dolmuş)
Dolmuş (Turkish: "full") is a shared taxi, travelling on a fixed route, which costs more than a city autobus but less than a normal taxi. They can carry up to 8 passengers and may only take cash.
By bicycle
İsbike has stopped its bicycle rental service as of 2023 and the docks have been completely dismounted as of 2026.
Transport company contact information
Subway, tram, funicular, cable car - call center: +90 850 252 88 00, website: MetroIstanbul
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Pendik, Istanbul · International · SAW
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