Istanbul Guide and Travel Tips

Istanbul might be scary for those who do not get used to living in a big city. To be honest, İstanbul might seem quite complex and crowded to handle at first. However, you could be able to understand that everything is located systematically, which makes your life easier in time. If you want to get the Asian side of İstanbul from Taksim which locates in Europe side of İstanbul, you will see multiple ways by various vehicles. Various vehicles mean here bus, boats, Metrobus, Marmaray, and even Havabus. On one hand, choosing to walk through Eminonu and take a boat to go to the Asian side of İstanbul from Taksim might be one of your choices. On the other hand, you can feel a nostalgic atmosphere by taking nostalgic tramway during Istiklal Street and then you can try other alternatives like tunnel and modern tramway. In short, there are plenty of choices to get the Asian side of İstanbul from Taksim. You can choose whichever you want according to your mood, but it is better to take some parameters such as the rush hours, fares, and travel durations into consideration for your good. Beyoglu Nostaljik Tramvay (The Historical Tram) At the end of the 1990s, the historical tramway was ready for its voyage after the USA (Broadway) in 1852, and Paris in 1855 get started to have this type of public transportation. 1.Get off the nostalgic tramway With very authentic and old movie looking, it takes many people’s attention. Even those who do not use it stand in front of the tram to take a group photo or selfie. It is kind of a symbol of Taksim and Istiklal Street for everyone. It takes you from Taksim Republic Monument ( Taksim Cumhuriyet Aniti), which is the starting point of Istiklal Street, to the other side of Istiklal Street. 2. Turn the right side after getting off the nostalgic tramway For weekdays and every Saturday, the working hours are between 7.00 am - 10.45 pm, and for Sunday it is between 7.30 am - 10.45 pm. The distance between the two voyages is approximately 20 minutes. After running down Istiklal Street from Taksim Square to Tunnel, you can follow two different ways: Tunnel Funikuler Line: By taking this, you can reach Karakoy. It is the second oldest metro line in the world after the one in London and gives a nostalgic feeling like the historical tram. This funicular allows you to go quickly down Istiklal Street and you will avoid climbing the slopes to get in neighborhoods like Galata, which runs from 7 am to 9 pm. Now, you are in Karakoy and the beginning of Galata Bridge (Galata Koprusu). When going the opposite of Karakoy, or let’s say when you turn your face into Eminonu, you will see a boat terminal. It allows you to move from the European Istanbul to the Asian side of Istanbul with so much time saving since the bridges over the Bosphorus are constantly congested. Also, it is also a good experience to see this lovely city while staying on the water. There are also other piers in that side. The main piers on the European side are Eminonu, Besiktas and Kabatas, and on the Asian side Uskudar, and Kadikoy. By taking a boat there, you can go Uskudar or Kadikoy, which are located in the Asian side of İstanbul. In fact, taking a boat is one of the easiest ways of getting to Asian side because it takes only 15 minutes and you can enjoy with the beauty of Marmara Sea during your journal instead of heavy traffic problem of roadways. The second choice after arriving at the Tunnel side of Istiklal Street is walking down to where Tunnel takes you. It is just walking distance down almost 10-25 minutes. I suggest you walk from that way down at least one time in your life because that way is one of the places you can feel old Ottoman motifs in İstanbul. Apart from this, when you are on your way, you can enjoy with Galata Tower view behind you. If you want you can visit the tower first, and then keep walking down but do not forget to know about the legend of Galata Tower! After arriving at the tunnel station, again you are in Karakoy. You can take the boat now. What if you are not done with walking towards the beauty and you want to go further by passing from the Galata bridge? Then, it is time for you to walk on this long bridge. You will see many people fishing here, as a tradition for years. And sometime you might feel like the bridge is shaking, not stable. Yes, you are right. it is not flexible and it makes you feel it with many cars and people on it. Yet, there is no need to get worried as it is just normal. After the bridge, you will see many fishing restaurants in Eminonu. If you did not try it before, you should try balik ekmek, which Eminonu is famous for. After making yourself full, you can take the boat to Uskudar or Kadikoy again just the center of Eminonu near the bus station (here is the first stop of many busses, that is why there is so crowded with people and busses.) And now, you are in a boat to the way of the Asian side of İstanbul. Enjoy with Marmara sea and your short 15 min trip! Modern Tramway (Karakoy-Kabatas) Apart from the historic tramway, there is another alternative in İstanbul goes from Karakoy to Kabatas, which is called modern tramway. 1.Arrive Karakoy tramway statiton After arriving Karakoy by using one of the ways written above, you can see the station of the modern tramway to the way of Kabatas. 2. Take a boat to go Kadikoy Although Kabatas is located the Europe side of İstanbul, by boat you can go across, Kadikoy as one of the Asian side places in İstanbul. You can also take a boat to Princess Island from Kabatas. You will see there many people enjoying their island trip, which is one of the popular activities for those living in this lovely city especially in spring and summer. Taksim Metro (Subway) Do not know the location of Taksim Metro Station? There is no need to get worried about. 1.Find Taksim metro statiton Whoever you ask about Taksim metro, you can find an entrance of Taksim metro just near Taksim Republic Monument and Taksim Square. 2.Transfer Yenikapi Marmaray transit You should go through ‘Yenikapi’ and after four stations from Taksim stop, you should get off when you are in Yenikapi Station. However, you are still in Europe side. Yenikapi-Hacıosman (M2) metro line as the longest line among İstanbul subway is very practical for travelers because of its pace and comfort with its big capacity. However, you are still in the European side of İstanbul. The next step after getting off Yenikapi is to stay underground and find ‘Marmaray’. 3. Get off Uskudar or Kadikoy Marmaray statiton Marmaray will take you Asian side. It goes from Sirkeci first, and then by passing under the Marmara Sea, you will be in Uskudar as a first station. If you want to go Kadikoy, you should get off the last station. Both Uskudar and Kadikoy are the places located in the Asian side of İstanbul, so both might work for you. The subway in İstanbul is open from 6:15 am to 0:00 am. Havabus What about if you are a tourist who came to visit İstanbul and needs to return by using Sabiha Gokcen Airport? Or as a person living in İstanbul but going somewhere else by using the same airport, there is a shuttle named Havabusthat will take you directly in front of Sabiha Gokcen Airport. It is a good alternative because it goes directly to the airport and it is quite comfortable than other public transportation vehicles to carry your luggage that you need during the travel. Just for the ticket, you might pay a bit more than usual public transportation vehicles. IETT Bus Although roadway is the most annoying one in Istanbul, it is good to now that you have this alternative. It is quite boring than boats or Marmaray as there is almost every hour high traffic in İstanbul because of the number of vehicles and the number of such a crowded population. By using the IETT numbered 129T Taksim-Bostanci Bus Line, you can go Bostanci in the Asian side of İstanbul. By getting off Bostanci or former stops, you can go wherever you want to go to the Asian side by taking another transfer, bus or Metrobus. The rest depends on where you are planning to go. Metrobus As one of the popular and practical ways to travel in İstanbul, Many people love to use Metrobus. It has its own way to go, so there is no traffic there and it is so fast than compared to the other vehicles on roadways. 1.Go to Mecidiyekoy by using Taksim subway However, there is no station in Taksim or near Taksim like walking distance to a Metrobus station. The way you can take Metrobus is that you can go to Mecidiyekoy by using metro and can take Metrobus there. 2. Take Metrobus from Mecidiyekoy stop After passing from Zincirlikuyu and the Bosporus Bridge, you can arrive the Asian side of İstanbul within 15-20 minutes. Here are some pieces informations about three of Metrobus lines: 34 AVCILAR – ZINCIRLIKUYU Line distance: 30 kilometers Voyage duration: 120 minutes (round trip) Number of station: 26 Avcılar Campus – Şükrübey – İBB Social Facilities – Küçükçekmece – Cennet Mah. –Florya – Beşyol – Sefaköy – Yenibosna – Şirinevler – Bahçelievler – İncirli – Zeytinburnu – Merter – Cevizlibağ – Topkapı – Bayrampaşa (Maltepe) – Edirnekapı – Ayvansaray – Halıcıoğlu – Okmeydanı – Darülaceze – Okmeydanı Hospital – Çağlayan – Mecidiyeköy – Zincirlikuyu 34G BEYLIKDUZU – SOGUTCESME (working hours 01:30 – 05:00) Line distance: 52 kilometers Voyage duration: 200 minutes (round trip) Number of stations: 44 Beylikdüzü Last Station - Hadımköy - Cumhuriyet Mah. - Beylikdüzü Municipality - Beylikdüzü - Güzelyurt - Haramidere - Haramidere Sanayi - Saadetdere Mah. - Mustafa Kemal Paşa - Avcılar Center - Avcılar Campus -Şükrübey - İBB Social Facilities - Küçükçekmece - Cennet Mah. – Florya - Beşyol - Sefaköy - Yenibosna - Şirinevler - Bahçelievler - İncirli - Zeytinburnu - Merter - Cevizlibağ -Topkapı - Bayrampaşa (Maltepe) - Edirnekapı - Ayvansaray - Halıcıoğlu - Okmeydanı - Darülaceze - Okmeydanı Hospital - Çağlayan - Mecidiyeköy - Zincirlikuyu - Boğaziçi Köprüsü - Burhaniye - Altunizade - Acıbadem - Uzunçayır - Fikirtepe - Söğütlüçeşme 34Z ZINCIRLIKUYU – SOĞUTCESME Line distance: 11,5 kilometers Voyage duration: 60 minutes (round trip) Number of stations: 8 Zincirlikuyu - Boğaziçi Bridge - Burhaniye - Altunizade - Acıbadem - Uzunçayır - Fikirtepe – Söğütlüçeşme How to Get Public Transportation On? Istanbul Travel Card Except for HAVABUS ( you can use both İstanbul Card and cash here), other public transportations are needed to use a card called İstanbul Travel Card or One passing (or more) Tickets. You can buy Standard Fare Transit Cards you can get off public transportations or you can buy a card for only one or few passing that you will throw after using it. Otherwise, it is not possible to get those public transportation vehicles. Is Public Transportation in Istanbul Safe? With its well maintained and constantly supervised by security personnel metro, Metrobus, tramway, buses, and boats are safe in İstanbul. However, it is still important to be careful about some dangerous potential such as watching out for pickpockets is important because especially some places like Taksim are very crowded with the local population and the number of tourists here. When it comes to being comfortable or not, as I mentioned a bit above, except buses, metro, tram, funicular and train vehicles are relatively new, and air-conditioned. Also, the Turkish people are famous for being hospitality. For example, they always leave their seat for pregnant women and senior citizens. In fact, there are also some designated areas for pregnant women and people using a wheelchair. Another advantage is to have some stops equipped with elevators. It is also very beneficial for a big percentage of the population but not every station has it today; it is still in progress. Conclusion Istanbul is such a big city located over 5,000 km ², which makes the travel from one place to another harder and harder. Yet, luckily you have many choices and alternatives that you might not find in the other cities of Turkey; they can be listed as bus, minibus, metro, tunnel, and boat to get to the Asian side of İstanbul from Taksim. All give you a great opportunity to get to the Asian side of İstanbul from Taksim.

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