Transport in Istanbul

Most of the time we went walking or by tram. The tram is a way to visit many sights easily and quickly. All information about transport is to be found at the Turkey Travel Planner website. The directions how to get from the Ataturk Airport to Sultanahmet are very clear and helpful.

While travelling this stretch, at the Zeytinburnu underground/tram stop, we bought an akbil. We were helped by Istanbullians and had to ask explicitly for an akbilseller in order to find the kiosk where the akbil was sold.

 

Once you have your akbil it is easy: at a tramstop you go through the turnstile to the platform. Hold your akbil against a hole in which it fits, the price of a ride is subtracted from the account and you can pass.

We used the akbil also at the cablerailway (at Kabatas and in Eyüp). And apparently you cab use them for the ferryboats as well. We did not because we only took a Turyol cruise and did not visit Asian Istanbul (next time we will!).

With four persons you only need one akbil. One person holds the akbile against the hole everytime one of the others pass and at last he passes through himself. In our party that one person was usually Nico (see photo).

Just as finding an akbilseller it also was ratther hard to find a place to reload the akbil. According to Turkey TravelPlanner you have to look for the words 'Akbil Dolum' at a kiosk or shop but we never saw it. In the end we succeeded near Sirkeçi, on the way to Eminonu (photo below).

 

 

 

To the Istanbul website>>>