The Sabiha Gökçen Istanbul Airport is attracting more and more passengers every year. Unfortunately, Sabiha Gökçen is located on the Asian side of Istanbul, well outside the city center. Unless your hotel has arranged for a free airport pick-up, you will need to find transportation from the airport to your hotel.
From the Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Istanbul, you have several options regardless the location of your hotel — Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu (Taksim/Cihangir). I hope this overview helps you make the correct choice based on your destination and/or preferences. You can find new Istanbul International Airport (IST) transportation options here.
General Guidelines
- Get Turkish Liras – If you don’t have Turkish liras on you, use one of the many ATMs in the airport to withdraw some cash money. None of the transportation options mentioned below will accept credit cards, foreign currencies or big Turkish lira notes. Make sure you have some 5, 10, 20 or maximum 50 notes handy. Also, check out our Istanbul money strategy.
- Hotel Address – Make sure that you write down or print out the exact address of your hotel, together with its telephone number. Istanbul is a huge city with an uncountable amount of (small) hotels. Even locals don’t know them all by heart. So, if you need help, just hand over the piece of paper. It’s not unusual for taxi drivers to ask for directions at traffic lights or call the hotel. Don’t worry, he’ll get you there.
Taxi
Unless money is no object, stay clear from taking a taxi from the Sabiha Gökçen airport. A ride to Beyoğlu or Sultanahmet may easily take over an hour. Accordingly, you’ll have to pay 125 TL and upwards, depending on your final destination. Always check out the most up-to-date taxi prices.
Havabus Airport Shuttle (and Public Transportation Combination)
Havabus, a municipality owned reliable airport shuttle service, is your best option to reach your hotel. Depending on your destination, either direct or in combination with public transportation.
To Taksim – This is the most straightforward route. Outside the airport, find the Havabus heading for Taksim. These buses operate daily between 04:00 and 01:00. The current pick-up and drop-off point is the Gezi Park metro exit/entrance, just past Taksim Square. The ride costs 18 TL per person (luggage included) and takes approximately 90 minutes, depending on traffic. You can get off at a few places, but most tourists will want to get off at Beşiktaş or Taksim, depending on your destination.
To Sultanahmet – To reach Sultanhamet, you have two options. Either you take a 17 TL taxi ride after reaching Taksim Square (see option above), or you combine another airport shuttle line with a ferry ride, followed by a small taxi or tram ride as I’ll explain now.
First, hop on the Havabus heading for Kadıköy. The buses operate daily between 04:00 and 01:00. The ride costs 14 TL per person (luggage included) and takes approximately 60 minutes. In Kadıköy, walk to the Şehir Hatları dock and board the ferry to Eminönü. You can find the operating hours here. The ferry ride (with a nice view) takes about 15 minutes and costs 3 TL per person.If your hotel is in Eminönü, you can walk from there. If not you, must either take a small taxi ride (5 minutes maximum) or take the T1 Kabataş/Eminönü-Bağcılar tram in the direction of Bağçılar, and get off only a few stops later in Sultanahmet.
Although very romantic, in my opinion and with all your luggage, the first option (Havabus to Taksim followed by taxi to Sultanahmet) is your best bet outside rush hour.
Private Shuttle
A private shuttle is a great alternative for both the taxi and the standard airport shuttle. They are much more comfortable than taxis, have a fixed rate, hence offer a much more relaxed (and safe) drive to your hotel. Unlike the Havabus Airport shuttle, private shuttles bring you to the hotel’s doorstep. They are also the best option when your party is three or more people (with a lot of luggage) or when you travel with very young children. In case of the latter, ask for a child seat.
I recently booked a shuttle with KiwiTaxi to take me and two friends from the airport to their hotel. The driver was waiting for us in the arrival hall (1 hour waiting is included), holding a plate with my name on it. He was very kind and helped us with our luggage. The car was clean and comfortable, meeting basic expectations. We had quite a bit of traffic, but that didn’t bother us since we were paying a fixed price anyway. He dropped us off nicely in front of the hotel lobby, and again was very helpful with our luggage. No need to say I gave him a nice tip.
I can really recommend KiwiTaxi. They have no less than 12 car classes, ranging from Micro for 3 passengers to Minibuses for 19 passengers. Just pick the most comfortable car for your needs. If you are traveling with children, don’t forget to order a child seat.
Taksim ↔ Sabiha €37, Ataturk €26
Sabhia ↔ Ataturk €50 — more prices
Hotel Airport Pick-Up
Most hotels will offer (upon request) an airport pick-up. These pick-ups are rarely free of charge, and often much more expensive than the options mentioned above. It’s up to you to calculate the difference and decide which option best suits your needs or preference.
Filip says
Awesome guide. Saved me a lot of time and money. FYI I paid 14 TR for my Havabus to Kadikoy and 5 for the ferry. Looks like prices changes slightly since you published the article.
Erlend says
Hi Filip,
You were right, I updated the article according to the latest price hike.
Thanks a lot for mentioning.
Fiore says
Brilliant website!!!!
We are arriving at Sabiha Gökçen and we have to reach our hotel (Ahmet Efendi Konagi
Ordekli Bakkal Sokak).
We want to take the ferry. Which ist the best way to reach our hotel once we arrive at Eminönü?
Many thanks in advance
Erlend says
Hi Fiore,
Thanks a lot. I would just take a taxi and tell him to take the seaside road. This should take you there in about 10 minutes.
Enjoy the views.
Fiore says
How much should we pay for the taxi? For 10 min ride? Googlemap calculates ca 6 km and 25 min if we take the seaside road?
I’m kind of perplexed…at that point isn’t it better and more convinient (time/money) to take the airport shuttle (25€ for 2 px) and arrive direcrly at the hotel doorstep. On the otherside I read that the ferryride is picturesque and totally awesome.
What would be your advice, dear Erlend?
Erlend says
Hi Fiore,
The taxi ride from Eminönü to your hotel, via the seaside road, is about 5 km. This should cost you the minimum fare of 10 liras. The Havataş busride from the airport to Kadıköy costs 14 liras per person, and the ferry around 3. So, in total, it should cost around 50 liras for the two of you. That’s less than the shuttle quote, of course. As I mentioned in the article: an airport shuttle is convenience (airport to hotel lobby), the Havataş shuttle-ferry-taxi combination is more picturesque but requires some travelling/walking with your luggage, too.
I hope it is clear now.
Imam Iskandar says
Hi, i’m going to visit turkey next week, is there any public transportation from new istanbul airport to taksim area?
if i stay at Taksim area which airport should i choose (new istanbul airport or sabiha gocken airport) that you recommend in term distance and public transport easiness?
Thank you…
Erlend says
Hi Imam,
Have you checked out this page on how to get to your hotel from the new Istanbul airport?
Jayanta Mukherjee says
Hi this is Jayanta Mukherjee from India. Well I and my wife have our Nevsehir to SAW airport flight at night by Turkish airlines and we reach SAW at 23:15 hrs. Collecting our luggage will probably be 45 mins. So either we can catch the 12:30AM or 1AM Havabus to reach Taskim square at around 2:30 to 2:45 AM. We would have to walk a bit for our hostel ftom Taskim square. Is it safe. Or should we wait till morning in the airport or should we take a hotel close to Airport. Our hotrl budget will be around 30 to 35 € . Would highly appreciate your recommendation. I have really high esteem for you going through your pades.
Regards
Erlend says
Hi Jayanta,
I don’t know where your hostel is, but generally speaking Istanbul is safe. Unless the hotel is really close and within walking distance, I would take a taxi, just for convenience alone.
Best of luck.
Shaz says
Hi
We r traveling to turkey and our hotel is at Taksim Square.i m lil bit confused about Hava bus.
I want to know that from sabiha gokcen to Taksim we take only 1 bus i mean direct bus from SAW to Taksim or we have to change any other shuttle or something??
Erlend says
Hi Shaz,
That’s correct, there is a shuttle with final destination Taksim. There you must get off and either walk to your hotel or take a taxi.
Have a nice stay.
Ling says
Thanks for the clear info. Its been a few years since I’ve been to Turkey and assumed I could rock up and get a visa stamp on arrival. Fantastic that you included the eVisa website link. I did it in less than 5mins while on the train to the airport! Great transport info for getting from new Airport to city too. Thanks a lot!
Erlend says
You’re welcome. Glad I could help.
Zahiera says
Hi . I arrive at SAW at 13.45 Pm so thinking of taking the Hava bus. Since it will go to Taksim , I will have to take a taxi to my hotel in Sultan Ahmet. How do I identify a registered taxi with meter from one that is not?. I have been to Turkey before and had a problem with taxi drivers trying to cheat us.
Since I am travelling from an international destination, I have carry on and Checked in bags , do u rather then feel a booked shuttle direct to the hotel is better? We are a party of 2.
Erlend says
Hi Zahiera,
Whether or not to take a private shuttle is a choice you should make based on budget and convenience. If you decide to take the Havataş option, then you can recognize official taxis by the logo of their rank on the door, a taxi meter should be visible either at the bottom of the dashboard or embedded in the mirror, and on the inside of the back door(s) there should be a metal plate with the taxi license and license plate. Normally taxis also have a number painted on the roof. You can of course take a look at these approximate taxi fees.
Have a nice stay.
Scott says
Hello,
It seems the Havabus airport shuttle website is not online anymore. Do you know if the service from Taksim to Sabiha Gokcen is still running?
Erlend says
Hi Scott,
You’re right. I do believe their services are still running though.
Sujatha says
Hi
Can you suggest the ways as to how to reach Instanbul Technical University, Macka campus?I will be travelling from India.
Erlend says
Hi Sujatha,
Take the IST-13 and get off at the İ. T. Ü. REKTÖRLÜĞÜ stop.
Saurabh says
Hi,
Thanks for the insightful post. I will be taking the Havabus shuttle from SAW to Taksim. Could you please confirm whether they accept Istanbulkart? If yes, does it offer any discount on the 18 TL ticket price?
Erlend says
Hi,
Yes it accepts Istanbul card, but they don’t give discounts.
Have a nice trip.
Anastasiia says
Hello there, would really be grateful for your help. I am arriving to Sabiha Gokcen Airport at 9:00 in the morning. I need to get to Taksim (preferably the cheapest option). I see that Havaist is not operating this direction, but Havabus does. However, on the Havabus site it basically says that they operare buses on this route every 4 hours! Do you maybe know whether this is this true? So the first shuttle I can take is at 12:00, in 3 hours from arrival! I have been to Istanbul before, and via this airport, and I do not remember such a problem with airport shuttles (i.e. such big interval). Could you please confirm my understanding is correct about this? Thank you very much for your help in advance!
Erlend says
Hi Anastasiia,
I think you read it wrong on their site. Read vertically instead of horizontally, and you’ll see that there is a bus approximately every half hour.
Hope this helps.
Ali says
Hi Awesome article, very good information!
I am arriving at SAW with my wife in a few days landing around 7pm. We will have a suitcase and hand luggage each. would taking public transport to Fatih. Çemberlitaş would be our stop on the T1. But also has the metro started directly from SAW yet?
Thanks
Ali
Erlend says
Hi Ali,
No, the metro line hasn’t been completed yet.
Have a nice trip.
Arun says
Hi
Please advise best way and costs to travel from
Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey5-star
Cihannuma Mahallesi, Saray Caddesi No:5, Besiktas, Istanbul, Istanbul, 34353, Turkey
TO
Doubletree By Hilton Istanbul Old Town, Istanbul, Turkey5-star
Ordu Cad No:31, Beyazit, Istanbul, Istanbul, 34130, Turkey
thanks
AK
Erlend says
Hi Arun,
Basically you’re going from Beşiktaş to Sultanahmet. The best way is to take a taxi. You can find the taxi fares for common trips in Istanbul here. So, I would say about 30 TL, may be a bit more depending on traffic.
Hope this helps.
Allison says
Hi there
We arrive at SAW and then need to get to Istanbul International – IST to catch a flight. Do any of the Hava busses go this route?
Thank you for this very useful article
Erlend says
Hi Allison,
The Havaist shuttle IST-8 goes from SAW to IST and leaves every hour.
Hope this helps