Istanbul Underground

 

Whether you are coming to Istanbul for business or pleasure you’ll find that this large city has an excellent transport system which takes you where you want to go and at an affordable price. Istanbul’s underground, or Metro, system is no exception.

 

 

Metro on the Asian Side

 

If you’re staying in an Istanbul hotel on the Asian side currently there is not an underground system here which you can make use of, however public transport is still very good here and you can usually find a bus to take you from your hotel in Istanbul to wherever you need to go within the city.

 

A new underground line is being constructed on Istanbul’s Asian side, though this isn’t due for completion until 2010. Also being constructed is an underwater rail tunnel which will link both the European and Asian sides when it is completed.

 

Metro on the European Side

 

Wherever your Istanbul hotel is, you will find that Istanbul’s underground system on the European side is an invaluable form of transport to get you around the city.

 

If you’re staying in one of the hotels in Istanbul’s historic peninsula, the underground system gets you from Istanbul Atatürk Airport to your hotel with ease and in the quickest time since the underground line was extended to the airport. With new links having been built over the past few years, getting to other Istanbul hotels on the European side is now really easy too.

 

Details of Istanbul’s Metro System

 

Currently there are two main underground lines, the southern line and the northern line. The southern line is the one which begins at Atatürk airport and ends at Aksaray. If your Istanbul hotel is situated between the airport and the old city, look for information on where the nearest underground station is because the chances are that one will be nearby to your hotel.

 

At the end of the southern line you can transfer to the above-ground tram system. This will take you all the way down the historic peninsula and is ideal if you are booking a hotel in Istanbul in this area. The tram continues across the Golden Horn to Kabitaş, where you can either walk or get on the underground funicular up to Taksim – another popular spot for hotels in Istanbul. From Taksim, the northern line of the underground then takes you up as far as Levent.