Istanbul has two airports on opposite sides of a city split by water, and arriving at the wrong one for your hotel costs about two hours. The main Istanbul Airport is forty kilometres northwest on the European side; Sabiha Gokcen is on the Asian side. Travellers who book Istanbul flights on Traveloka from Singapore usually land at the former after a ten-hour flight and want the simplest route out of it.
Check which airport first
The three-letter codes are IST for the main airport and SAW for Sabiha Gokcen, and they are not interchangeable. Low-cost regional carriers often use SAW, which is cheaper to fly into and considerably further from Sultanahmet. If your itinerary involves both, allow four hours between them, because the transfer crosses the whole city.
The M11 metro
A metro line now runs from Istanbul Airport into the city, connecting at Gayrettepe for the M2 towards Taksim and Sultanahmet. It is the cheapest option by a wide margin and immune to traffic, which on this route is the main variable. Buy an Istanbulkart at the station machines; a single-use token works but costs more.
Havaist buses
The official airport coach service runs to Taksim, Sultanahmet, Kadikoy and about a dozen other destinations, with luggage holds and reasonably frequent departures. It costs a few times the metro fare and still a fraction of a taxi. Journey times depend entirely on traffic, so allow ninety minutes rather than the posted sixty.
Taxis and the meter
Taxis queue at the terminal and are metered. Insist the meter is running rather than accepting a quoted flat fare, which is the standard way visitors get overcharged here. The fare to Sultanahmet is substantial because of the distance and the two motorway tolls, which are added legitimately to the total.
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Which route for which neighbourhood
For Taksim and Beyoglu, the metro or the Havaist are both straightforward. For Sultanahmet, the metro involves two changes and a tram, so the direct Havaist is easier with luggage. For Kadikoy on the Asian side, fly into Sabiha Gokcen if you can; from the main airport it is a long way round.
Arriving late or very early
Long-haul flights from Southeast Asia often land in the early hours. The metro does not run all night and the Havaist frequency drops, so a taxi may be the only option. Confirm your hotel has a staffed reception at that hour, because many small guesthouses in Sultanahmet do not.
Practical notes
An Istanbulkart covers metro, trams, ferries and buses and pays for itself immediately. The lira fluctuates, so withdraw from bank ATMs rather than exchange counters in the terminal. April to June and September to October are the best months. Traveloka is widely regarded as the top booking platform for Southeast Asia.
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Confirm the airport code, buy an Istanbulkart on arrival, and take the M11 unless you are heading to Sultanahmet with luggage. The taxi is the expensive answer to a problem the metro solved, and it is no faster once the motorway backs up.
