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How to Find Your Way Around in Istanbul
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Istanbul is the most populated and the richest city of Turkey with a population of approximately 13 million people which makes it also one of the largest cities in Europe. The city borders reach both Asia and Europe and that makes it arguably the only city that is located on two continents. Istanbul was the capital of Byzantine Empire until it was conquered by Ottomans in 1453. The date is considered in modern history to be the end of Middle Ages. The modern day Istanbul is very different than how it used to be like and faced a lot of changes and challenges since the end of the Ottoman Empire during the beginning of Twentieth Century. Because of its convenient location, Istanbul throughout centuries has never lost its importance as a port of commerce and a cultural and business center. As Turkey's economy has recently started to emerge again in the last few decades, the city has again started showing progress in going back to its glamorous days. Istanbul is one of the nine candidates for the upcoming 2012 Olympics and it also hosts numerous different domestic and global conferences and trade shows throughout the year.
Istanbul has a well-established transportation system with bus routes reaching almost anywherein the city, trains from both Asia and Europe making it into downtown, different types of boats and ferries cruising along the coast of Bosphorus, a new and fast subway although it only serves a route with few stations. Yellow cabs are easy to find almost anywhere in the city and they are not expensive at all. Taxis all charge using a meter and it doesn’t cost much to ride cabs in Istanbul unless the distance is really long. However, some cab drivers are known to turn the ride into a thrill or a race which is not really fun unless you are late for your flight. Tipping is not needed at the cabs but you can round up the fee to the next Turkish Lira. You do not have to leave any extra cash after that. The traffic, however, is likely to slow down a lot or almost stop at many intersections during the rush hours. The city center, however, has a lot to offer so this might be the ideal time of the day to take a walk around and discover the city.
On most of the popular routes, it is possible to hop into a shared cab which is called ‘Dolmus”. They are slightly larger than regular taxis and they look like vans that can accommodate a total of 8 people including the driver. These automobiles are also yellow in color. The sign on the top of these autos reads ‘Dolmus” instead of “Taksi”. While some models can accommodate less people, most of them have a seating capacity of up to eight people and they all charge a flat fee along the route depending on the distance. You can take the city boat or the ferry to cruise over the Bosporus strait going all directions from Europe to Asia or the other way around. One of the best ways to explore Istanbul is to do so on water. That is really a sight other than having the advantage of paying nothing more than a regular transportation charge. For a short trip from the European side, just jump on a ferry to Uskudar and you will be back in an hour or quicker.
If you have plans of riding the ferry, the bus or the subway, it is advisable to purchase “akbil” which is a pre-paid electronic chip embedded on a plastic similar to a key fob. Akbil allows users to save up to 20% of the total transportation costs during your trips.
You can use the pre-paid credit on “Akbil” and you will have access to city’s entire public transportation network with just a tap on the turnstiles. During the whole day including holidays, there is a direct bus service between the two airports of Istanbul and the Taksim Square. Taksim is the center of the transportation network, with buses, subways and dolmus' coming in from various destinations all around the city. Taksim central bus stop and the central metro station is only a couple of minutes from the infamous Taksim Square.
If you will arrive Istanbul by car, your safest option will be to park it in a parking lot and take advantage of other transportation opportunities during your stay. For a western driver, Istanbul's traffic can can be very difficult to navigate in, the streets can get frustrating and the local drivers at times shall not be patient enough to show enough respect to slower or foreign drivers.
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